Creation of Virtual Reality for Education Purposes

Virtual reality systems have been developed primarily for the entertainment sector. However, they are being increasingly considered as high potential tools for use in industry and education. In this context, schools are now facing a challenge to introduce virtual-reality-supported teaching into their processes. With this in mind, the authors, in their paper, focus on the possibility for using virtual excursions as part of vocational education and training. For this purpose, they analyze the suitability and usability of selected virtual reality systems, as well as relevant camera systems, for the creation of virtual reality software products designed for industrial practice in upper secondary vocational schools' apprenticeships (vocational education and training). The main results of their analyses are summarized in the form of tabularized SWOT parameters.

Exploring Engineering Students' Perceptions About the Use of ICTs and Educational Technologies in VET

At the institutional level, Chilean universities and Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions have made significant investments in information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as virtual platforms, learning technologies, and streamlining bureaucratic processes related to university management among others. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was already a significant use of ICT resources, especially in many post-graduate programs, which were offered in online or blended learning modalities. The main goals of the study were to explore students' perceptions from a Chilean vocational school (post-secondary education) and university of applied sciences, with campuses (more than 27) in all regions of Chile about the use of ICTs and educational technologies, and to know about the participants' attitudes towards the educational use of ICTs and other educational software. Based on scientific literature and their previous experience in research projects about the use of ICTs and the development of a didactical strategy to incorporate educational technologies in the learning process of engineering students, the authors developed a categories system with indicators for the instrument design. The instrument consists of a questionnaire with closed (25 items) and open-ended questions (3) organized into eight main categories with their respective items. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Challenges and opportunities perceived by Swiss vocational education and training (VET) teachers during emergency remote teaching: The role of teachers' digital competence

This research explored the association between teachers' digital competence and their perception of specific topics as challenges or opportunities during the emergency remote teaching caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The data were collected from 2282 Swiss vocational education and training (VET) teachers through open-ended questions and self-reported measures based on DigCompEdu. The results suggest that digital competence is associated with the tendency to perceive specific topics in terms of challenges or opportunities. Specifically, the teachers who reported assessment, students' empowerment and self-directed learning as opportunities had higher levels of competence in the respective DigCompEdu areas compared to those who perceived the same topics as challenges.

Vocational Education in the Context of Modern Problems and Challenges

The article analyzes the factors caused by the threat of spreading the coronavirus infection COVID-19 and introducing the martial law in Ukraine which affect the state of the vocational education. Taking into account the modern challenges and problems based on the analisys of the legislation the main directions of the vocational education development were determined. In particular, improving qualifications and professional development of teachers' staff, enriching material and technical base of the vocational education institutions and educational programmes as well. Trendwatching of the modern labour market made it possible to single out its main trends: a change in the structure of employment, primarily an increase in the variability of employment;lifelong learning;automation and robotics;age diversity;forming hard skills, soft skills, digital skills;multipotentiality, background, interdisciplinarity. In order to solve the urgent problems and ensure the reorientation of the vocational training of qualified workers and improving its quality, special measures were suggested, including participating in the projects financed from the EU funds;developing educational modules and special courses for promoting lifelong professional development of teachers, improving educational programmes to enable improvement of the material and technical base of the vocational education institutions and professional development of teachers. © 2022 by the Author(s).

COVID-19 the catalyst for a new paradigm in vocational education and training

This paper examines the response by a Vocational Education and Training (VET) provider in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia to the travel and social distancing restrictions brought about by COVID-19. The paper commences with a description of the impact of COVID-19 on the VET sector. The paper then describes the VET regulatory environment prior to February 2020 and the responsibility of VET providers to comply with the requirements of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), in the delivery of VET programs to domestic and international students. A discussion of the lack of a specific vocational education pedagogy, the complexity of delivering VET programs online as well as current research findings in this area follows. A description of the College provides the context to examine the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of programs in the Northern Territory VET sector. The paper describes how the College, which had a high international student cohort, migrated their courses online in order to remain viable in the highly volatile and unforeseen circumstances brought about by COVID-19. In order to ascertain the effectiveness of the online delivery of course offerings, a questionnaire and a series of face to face and telephone interviews were conducted with key stakeholders. The mixed method approach employed in this research was consistent with contemporary social and educational research. The paper concludes with the call for a new paradigm and policy shift in Vocational Education and Training post COVID-19. © 2022, Adult Learning Australia. All rights reserved.

Examining assessment tools and procedures for work-based learning in pandemic times

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the continuity to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) training activities and assessment thereby affecting and/or threatening the completions dates for many learners. Several institutions must revisit their assessment methods and tools for work-based learning during such pandemics. This study investigated the innovative assessment methods adopted by private TVET institutions to assess work-based learning during the pandemic. A quantitative research design was used to gather data using online questionnaires. Online questionnaires were used to effect social distancing and getting instant feedback. Purposive sampling was used to select research participants amongst TVET lecturers and attachment coordinators in private TVET colleges. Descriptive statistics were used to present research results using quantitative analysis and descriptions for clarifications. Findings indicated that assessment of practical skills virtually remains a challenge, and most of the institutions kept on using their old ways of assessing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

The Relevance of Applied Education to Urban Sustainability: A Case Study of a Degree Programme in Horticulture, Arboriculture and Landscape Management in Hong Kong

Applied degree programme is an innovative form of vocational education and training. The aim of this chapter is to examine the challenges and opportunities of the implementation of an existing vocational degree programme and its transformation into an applied degree. Bachelor of Science in Horticulture, Arboriculture and Landscape Management, BSc(HALM), which is a degree programme in Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong is used throughout as a case study. The purposes of BSc(HALM), and the methods to achieve them would be examined. Knowledge classification, workplace training and cultivation of transferable skills would be explored. The process of incorporating the positive impacts of COVID-19 would be elaborated to evince the revolution of applied degree programmes. The challenges and potential solutions, at individual, programme, industry and social levels, would be identified and discussed. Teaching and learning experiences would serve as evidence to support the arguments in this chapter. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

The impact of emotional intelligence on behavioural factors during transition: A case of the Free State Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges

Orientation: Numerous changes at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) requires some degree of emotional intelligence (EI) to achieve any level of efficiency, competitiveness and success. Research purpose: The primary purpose of this research is to empirically contribute to a comprehension of how a leader’s EI can be utilised to positively influence organisational behaviours during the transitional period. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a positivist research approach, that is descriptive in nature. A survey was conducted by providing a structured questionnaire to a sample of 310 academics and support staff of the TVET college sector in the Free State Province of South Africa. Data analysis was based on a total of 188 questionnaires collected, giving a return rate of 61%. The structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis and interpretation was conducted using a component-based approach to establish the correlation between the items. Main Findings: The SEM findings revealed that EI of Free State TVET college managers significantly affects all the dependent variables namely, organisational work commitment, employee job satisfaction, task-oriented behaviour, teamwork except staff morale. Emotional intelligence reflects a reasonable power of predictability toward all other variables except staff morale of the respondents. Practical/managerial implications: To ensure sustained exceptional performance, recruitment strategy for managers must deliberately incorporate EI measurements at TVET colleges. Contribution/value add: The study demonstrates empirical proof of the positive impact of a leader’s EI on organisational behaviours, thereby confirming that EI is an enabler of organisational work commitment, job satisfaction, task-oriented behaviour, teamwork, but not staff morale.

Utilization of remote access and distance control technology for the management of virtual classrooms, during the covid-19 pandemic, in vocational education and training (Vet) specialties’ laboratories

Teaching in an electronics computer lab in a Vocational Education and Training (VET) environment, regardless of the subject matter, is a very demanding task, since it includes in addition to teaching, the individual support of each student or group of students per computer, the proper monitoring of the learning process, and the necessary demonstration of techniques or procedures to perform a task. The new reality of distance education during the covid-19 pandemic period, in addition to the above, requires a lot of changes in the structure, form, and content of teaching. Οn the one hand, the direct control of the course flow and on the other hand, the control of the virtual classroom in all phases of teaching, including the assessment process of the students. In this article, we focus on the use of Remote Access Technology (RAT) for the management of virtual laboratories in the context of distance education for the laboratories of the courses of Informatics and Electronics. The use of RAT in distance education enables teachers to a) directly manage the virtual classroom, b) provide immediate support for their distance learning students, c) have real-time instant feedback from the virtual classroom, d) receive the necessary snapshots of their virtual classroom in real-time, e) be able to supervise their progress exams, and f) to perform their educational work with relative completeness. To test the capabilities of RAT, we integrated a remote-control tool into the imposed due to Covid-19 Distance Learning circumstances and organized instructional scenarios for its implementation. Through virtual classrooms, we utilized the tool of remote support of teaching in distance learning circumstances for vocational specialties. A key direction of the research was to determine whether the process of remote control of virtual classrooms through Distance Learning provides opportunities for self-regulated learning and motivates students for effective Learning. The effectiveness of this technology was investigated through the observation of virtual classrooms, through the correction processes of the original design and retrieval of control, and finally, using weighted questionnaires. Through the graded questionnaires of the intermediate and final evaluation, we tested the efficiency, usability, and pedagogical usefulness of the method in a distance laboratory. The additional benefits for students are related to cognitive and metacognitive skills from the use of advanced teaching methods. © the authors, 2021. All Rights Reserved.