Tag teaching and instruction
Digital Tools for Learning and Validation in VET and WBL: Training Program for VET Teachers, Trainers and Mentors (Dig4VET) is an Erasmus+ KA2 Strategic Partnerships for VET-project aimed to improve skills and competences of vocational teachers, trainers and mentors in using digital tools in education process. Main goal is to raise awareness of a variety of digital tools and technologies that can be used in vocational education and training (VET) and workbased learning (WBL) settings for both classroom and distance learning. Dig4VET proposes empowering VET teachers, trainers and mentors/WBL tutors with the support of a training program for VET teachers, trainers and mentors which can be implemented by VET institutions (local level), by national continuous professional development (CPD) systems and internationally as Erasmus+ courses. In this publication we communicate a review of digital skills of VET teachers and trainers in partner organisations (VET schools) and partner countries, including a report on the use of SELFIE in Latvia, Lithuania and Portugal. We also suggest recommendations for future training programs in digital pedagogy for VET teachers, trainers and WBL tutors. The recommendations section is initialised with an overview of competence-based approaches in advanced CPD which may be specially designed for VET Teachers, Trainers and Potential Mentors to enhance the use of digital tools for teaching, learning, assessment and validation. The report is a multidimensional information resource regarding digital competences of VET teachers, trainers, mentors, and it will be useful for VET policy and decision makers, VET school management, researchers, and particularly – for VET teacher trainers. It can also be of interest and use for other sectors of education (general education, higher education, adult education).
Methods of Research and Knowledge Production is a 10 ETCS course module for OUAS international Master’s Degree in Clinical Optometry students. The course is taught in English. This course begins in August as the program’s first module and lasts until the end of May. The didactic portion of this course is offered via remote lectures and meetings. Materials are available for students in the electronic teaching and learning Moodle environment. Hybrid-model teaching and learning are also utilized for performing two on-campus workshop days. Some students are remotely present from their homes, while others can be present at our campus on the workshop days. After completing this Master’s degree, our students can apply for doctoral programs.
Vocational education and training (VET) policy is among top priorities in all European Union (EU) countries as the quality of our life in future to the great extent depends on the skills and competences of the workforce. Changes brought about by technologies and digitalisation demands us to learn new things every day. Situations where the majority of students digitally outperform their teachers is reality in most education systems. To improve digital competences of VET teachers and trainers and make their teaching more attractive by making use of various digital tools the National Centre for Education of the Republic of Latvia with partners from Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Portugal and the Czech Republic in September 2020 started EU Erasmus+ project “Dig4VET – Digital Tools for Learning and Validation in VET and WBL: Training Program for VET Teachers, Trainers and Mentors”. Project consortium represented VET schools, training centres, public authority and a university of applied sciences. The variety of institutions gave an added value to the project as partners had diverse experience and expertise.
Vocational education, VET teachers and teacher trainers are experiencing constant societal change, resulting in increased individual competence needs in the future. In demanding dual positions of VET teachers, both substance specific and pedagogical competence is challenged by turbulent digital disruption in different sectors. The studies presented in this report, suggest a variety of options, technologies, and digital pedagogical approaches to be applied in vocational teacher programmes. We hope that these models, studies, and the results reported are useful for many involved in the development of VET and vocational teacher education.