DaZ-Pilot

In vocational school classes with German as a second or foreign language (DaZ/DaF), technical-language barriers regularly disrupt the flow of teaching. At levels A2–B1 there is a lack of low-threshold, subject-specific learning offerings that are integrated directly into everyday school life.

DaZ-Pilot is a digital language copilot for inclusive vocational education. Students point their device camera at a tool or classroom object and instantly receive an image, the technical term, its article, and its singular and plural forms. The pronunciation is played back through the device's own text-to-speech engine – offline and without any external services.

Assignments from Moodle are automatically scanned for technical terms; a QR code in the document links the assignment directly to the matching vocabulary training, with no additional effort for teachers. A review mode with quizzes, points and badges motivates learners to practise regularly.

Through a web dashboard, teachers manage assignments and the central technical vocabulary database and review class overviews as well as difficulty analyses. Login uses existing school accounts via OpenID Connect – without any separate registration.

The solution is designed to be privacy-friendly: image recognition and speech output run locally on the device, and personal learning statistics are pseudonymised. It can be operated on-premises or as SaaS and is designed for the regional vocational training centres in Schleswig-Holstein, while being transferable to other federal states and school types.