Educational programme
Trucknasium
Trucknasium offers an interesting curriculum about mobility, sustainability and road-safety for primary education group 7 and 8 (6th grade) and 7th and 8th grade students of VMBO (intermediate vocational education), HAVO (higher general secondary education) and VWO (preliminary scientific education).
Preferably the programme starts off with an introductory lecture at school (Transport and logistics), given by the regular teacher. Of course, the Trucknasium will provide a comprehensive instruction paper. After this the class will visit the DAF Museum. There small groups of students will be formed and start off under supervision of the Trucknasium staff. The modules have a duration of 45 minutes, with the exception of “Composing a truck” and “Robotics”, which take 3 hours each.
Modules
1. Composing a truck
In this new module you will learn how to work with a digital design programme. In the museum you will find out which are the important parts that together compose a truck. After this you will be able to digitally design a particular truck on your own.
The session Composing a truck has a duration of 3 hours.
Separate versions are available for primary and secondary education.
2. Measurement of rolling resistance
The easier a truck rolls on the road, the less fuel it will use. Quite logical, right? But how is it done, make a truck roll easier?
Just by inflating the tyres more, or are there other means? Experiment, measure and make the result visible in a graph. Besides, will trucks still roll in the future? Why not hover?
Only a version for secondary education is available.
3. Measuring air resistance
Trucknasium has a real wind tunnel, in which the air resistance can be measured!
Compare the air resistance of an old-fashioned angular truck with that of a modern streamlined truck. What will the truck of tomorrow look like? The design of the external shape is becoming increasingly important. That is technology, too!
Only a version for secondary education is available.
4. Loading and unloading
Transport of loads always involves risks. Safe and responsible loading, unloading and driving with loads is very important for any truck driver to prevent accidents and traffic congestion.
The same goes for all other road users, obviously. Therefore safety systems are essential. Which regulations apply to the driver’s job, actually? In the Trucknasium you will learn by loading and unloading a mini truck yourself. In this way you will soon find out how things go in practice.
Separate versions are available for primary and secondary education
5. Road-Safety
Thanks in part to our great mobility we live in a prosperous and highly developed country. However, participating in road traffic always involves some risks.
More and more the driver is supported by high tech safety systems in order to take part in the ever denser traffic in the safest, most comfortable and most efficient way possible. Experience yourself how technology leads safety in the right direction.
Separate versions are available for primary and secondary education.
6. Robotics
We live in the era of robots. In our robotics module the children will learn to assemble a vehicle from a sort of LEGO parts. After this they will programme the vehicle’s computer in a simple way.
As an alternative, more complex and challenging tasks may be programmed on pre-assembled vehicles.
A robotics session has a duration of 3 hours.
Only a version for primary education is available.
7. CO₂ & Transport
By their emission of CO₂, passenger cars and trucks have a significant effect on the problem of climate change. Via various tests, videos and demonstrations discover the nature of CO₂, from which it arises and how it influences our climate.
But also how new technologies contribute to the reduction of CO₂. You are made familiar with environmental issues arising both before and after a vehicle has been filled up with fossil fuel, electricity of hydrogen.
Only a version for secondary education is available.
8. Transport and energy
You investigate how transport can be done using energy as efficient as possible. The concept of energy is explained. You will conduct tests with vehicle models on a half-pipe track to find out the effect of rolling resistance and air resistance on the energy consumption. Teams compete in a simulation programme to configure a truck that performs best in respect to energy consumption.
Separate versions are available for primary and secondary education.
9. Conducted tour through the DAF Museum
Lose yourself in a journey through over 95 years of DAF motoring history. You will encounter a variety of old-timer trucks and passenger cars, but also sit behind the wheel of the latest DAF truck.
You will dwell on important inventions, like the fully automatic Variomatic transmission (the smart lever), that has had a great impact on car technology. Lots of surprizing discoveries, again and again.
The conducted tour through the museum is a permanent part of the Trucknasium curriculum.
The tour can also be made in the form of a digital quest, using the Kahoot programme.