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"deep learning"

University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are newly established (since 2010–11) technical and vocational secondary schools in England, catering for young people aged 14–19. The schools focus strongly on delivering vocational, alongside Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-focused academic, qualifications. The colleges have been introduced as a new means of improving technical and vocational education and training—a sector which in England has faced problems of low quality and low esteem—and in a wider international context of STEM-trained worker shortages. University Technical Colleges have been advertised as offering state-of-the-art vocational learning, involving access for students to the latest equipment and technologies in key industrial sectors, alongside extensive project-based learning in partnership with employers. However, how have UTC students fared in these respects since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and associated lockdowns in 2020? In this paper we report on results from a survey of 252 students across two UTCs in England, exploring the technical and vocational learning experiences of these students during the exceptional 2019–20 academic year. Findings from the survey reveal lost learning and training opportunities during the pandemic, particularly where courses with practical elements relied on specific equipment and facilities that became inaccessible during lockdown. The survey also highlights disruptions to apprenticeship arrangements, work experience plans and other engagement with employers. Students in some instances have been effectively forced to stay on in education owing to reduced apprenticeship and employment opportunities for school-leavers. We find evidence of students adapting their aspirations and career goals to the new economic circumstances. © 2023 The Authors. British Educational Research Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Educational Research Association.

The quality of learning for vocational teachers in Indonesia in the 21st century is still a very serious problem and has not yet received a practical solution. The prediction is that the self-efficacy of vocational teachers is weak and is motivated by very limited mastery of digital technology and low psychological well-being, which is strongly suspected as a contributing factor. This study examines the role of self-efficacy and mediation of digital technology intimacy and psychological well-being in improving the quality of vocational teacher learning. This research is an ex-post-facto study with 216 vocational teachers as respondents. Data was collected using a questionnaire technique consisting of digital technology intimacy (DTI), psychological well-being (PWB), self-efficacy (SE), and instructional quality (IQ) questionnaires using four Likert scales, namely strongly agree to strongly disagree. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis techniques with path analysis and bootstrap methods. The results of the study revealed that SE had a significant and positive effect on DTI and PWB in influencing the quality of learning. On the other hand, DTI and PWB have a positive effect on self-efficacy and learning quality. © 2023, Institute of Advanced Engineering and Science. All rights reserved.

It is believed that school leadership contributes to efficiency and equity in school performance. Therefore, it is essential that professionalization initiatives for school leaders foster learning and development processes towards effective leadership. Based on a literature review, several factors appear to facilitate the influence of professionalization programs on learning outcomes of school leaders but empirical research on real effects and on explanatory processes is limited. This research gap forms the basis for this mixed methods study, in which we design and implement a longitudinal professionalization program as the research setting. We distinguish an organizational dimension focusing on structural choices and an intertwined didactic dimension. We examine which specific interaction between both contributes most to concrete learning-driven actions at the school of the participant. The results indicate that by participating in the program with such a design, school leaders prepare action plans for their own school and start up school development. The interaction between actively providing theoretical frameworks, further deepening insights through peer learning in professional learning communities, the conversion of insights into concrete action plans and supporting this with school-specific coaching leads to the strongest results, analyses show. © 2023 by the authors.

Teaching geography in Taiwanese junior high schools has long been centered around memorization-based knowledge. With limited class hours and the pressure of entrance exams, geography is often misconstrued as a subject that merely necessitates the rote memorization of its content. This misunderstanding leads to diminished motivation and interest in learning. Generally, geography places a strong emphasis on the integration of real-world spaces and requires an understanding of numerous concepts through the observation of phenomena and causal relationships. In addition to providing fundamental knowledge, geography fosters the abilities of value judgment and problem-solving and increases students' awareness of local and global problems. As a subject that closely relates to daily life and holds affective and practical value, geography is both meaningful and valuable in terms of skill development. To address challenges in the teaching environment, many studies have incorporated several instructional strategies into geography education with the aim of enhancing students' motivation and their perception of the value of learning geography. Over the past five years, due to the Curriculum Guidelines of 12-Year Basic Education, Taiwan has advocated for a competence-oriented approach to education. This approach can be used to cultivate the competencies necessary for students to adapt to the rapidly changing future environment. Competence refers to the combination of knowledge, skills, or abilities required to meet specific task expectations. It involves the application of these attributes in real-world scenarios to effectively perform complex tasks that meet the standards of success within these contexts. Competence orientation is an instructional approach that focuses on equipping students with the capability to actively respond to new information and unfamiliar environments rather than merely focusing on the delivery of content knowledge. Competence-oriented education involves a curriculum and instructional approach that centers around students, enabling them to apply what they have learned in relevant contexts through action and practice. Competence-oriented education not only emphasizes the acquisition of knowledge and skills but also places a strong emphasis on contextualized learning, providing meaningful learning experiences that contribute to the development of core competencies and transferable learning. Competence-oriented instruction is used to implement competence-oriented education. However, several gaps exist in the research on competence-oriented geography education. First, the majority of studies on this subject have employed an action-research or qualitative design, with few rigorous, quantitative experimental studies having been conducted. Second, research has primarily focused on investigating the influence of competence-oriented instruction on learning outcomes, learning motivation, and attitudes related to geography; it has generally neglected to explore other core competencies in geography. Third, few studies have specifically focused on competence-oriented instruction in the ninth-grade world regional geography curriculum in junior high schools. Because the content characteristics vary with each unit, a unique approach must be employed to incorporate competence-oriented instruction in this curriculum. Therefore, additional research efforts are required to explore competence-oriented geography instruction across different grade levels and geography units. This study investigated the influence of competence-oriented instruction on the learning outcomes, motivation, and multicultural literacy of ninth-grade geography students. A total of 6 classes comprising 109 students were divided into an experimental group (55 students in 3 classes) and a control group (54 students in 3 classes). In the experimental group, geography was taught through a competence-oriented approach, whereas in the control group, geography was taught through a traditional didactic approach. The curriculum focused on the ninth-grade world regional geography units of "Oceania Islands" and "Australia" and spanned a duration of 3 weeks. The competence-oriented geography approach involved four instructional processes, namely introducing scenarios, engaging in inquiry tasks, presenting outcomes, and reflecting on concepts, as part of the curriculum design. By contrast, the traditional lecture-based geography approach followed a curriculum design involving four instructional processes: initiating motivation, delivering explanations, evaluating performance, and summarizing and reviewing. Nonequivalent pretest-posttest designs were used to evaluate the outcomes. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. A self-developed geography achievement test was conducted to evaluate the learning outcomes. The ARCS learning Motivation Scale was used to measure students' learning motivation in terms of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction, and the multicultural literacy scale was used to evaluate students' multicultural literacy in terms of multicultural awareness, cross-cultural abilities, and global citizenship reflection. In addition, qualitative interviews were conducted with the students to gain insights into their perspectives on competence-oriented geography instruction. The results of this study indicated the following. First, the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group in terms of the overall learning outcomes, particularly in areas related to knowledge comprehension-based and analysis application-based test items, indicating that competence-oriented instruction can enhance the geography learning outcomes of students. According to the results of the qualitative interviews, the students perceived competence-oriented geography instruction to foster multiple-perspective thinking rather than rote memorization. Through learning processes that involved peer discussions, the students were able to deepen their understanding and overcome learning difficulties, resulting in improved performance on exams. Second, no significant differences were observed between the experimental group and the control group in terms of total motivation scores and the dimensions of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. Nevertheless, the qualitative data indicated that the experimental group exhibited an overall positive attitude toward the competence-oriented geography instruction. They perceived the content to be more comprehensive and felt more engaged in the classroom. Through peer discussions, the students experienced increased motivation for learning and an elevated sense of participation in class. They appreciated the incorporation of inquiry and practical elements that increased their interest in the content. In addition, the competence-oriented approach facilitated autonomous learning outside the classroom. Third, despite the absence of significant improvements in multicultural literacy in the two groups, the qualitative interviews revealed that the two groups exhibited a high degree of acceptance for individuals of different cultural backgrounds. They also expressed willingness to engage with local residents to better understand their customs and cultures. Fourth, the qualitative interviews revealed that the students had varying levels of understanding regarding competence-oriented instruction. Many students viewed competence-oriented curriculum and instruction as closely related to their daily lives, thus providing them with a broader and more diverse range of learning experiences, which in turn increased their classroom engagement. By contrast, some junior high school students perceived the concept of competence primarily through their assessment of competence-oriented items, which might have led them to develop misconceptions. Given the findings of this study, recommendations were formulated for curriculum design and instructional practices within the context of competence-oriented instruction. © 2023, National Taiwan Normal University. All rights reserved.

Purpose: As learning at the workplace is predominantly self-motivated, this study is aimed to identify and categorize the motivational drivers for working professionals to pursue self-directed learning (SDL) at the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 23 variables were identified as drivers for working professionals to initiate, pursue and sustain self-directed learning at the workplace through literature review, interviews and focused group discussions with senior leaders from the industry. The participants were a mix of senior professionals responsible for leading large teams in their organizations and those appointed as people development leaders in their respective organizations. A questionnaire was developed based on the identified drivers and administered online. Around 315 working professionals were surveyed. Structural equation modelling and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) methods were used to verify the scale and assess its validity and reliability. Findings: The results suggested that SDL motivational drivers for working professionals can be categorized into two broad categories, namely extrinsic (14 drivers) and intrinsic (9 drivers). Further, extrinsic drivers were subdivided into three categories: job expectations (6 drivers), negative consequence (2 drivers) and positive reinforcement (6 drivers) based on the initial exploratory and subsequent confirmatory analysis. The results suggest that job expectations and positive reinforcement positively influence the intrinsic motivation of an individual to pursue SDL and negative consequences negatively impact the intrinsic motivation. Practical implications: The findings from the study will be useful for human resource practitioners, managers and e-learning companies to draw strategies for building an SDL culture. It also supports the advancement of research in adult education and learning in the workplace. Originality/value: A new scale to measure motivation for SDL by employees at the workplace is proposed. There are no scales available to measure employee motivation for pursuing SDL at the workplace to the best of our knowledge. © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Project-based learning (PjBL) is a teaching and learning approach that involves students actively working on real-world projects, to develop knowledge and skills. This method has been shown to be effective in promoting learner autonomy (LA) and skills development in language learning studies. There is, however, a dearth of research on the use of PjBL in hospitality education, especially in a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) environment. Using a case study research strategy, this study aimed to investigate whether PjBL could be used to promote autonomy and develop employable skills in students in hospitality education. A convergent mixed methods approach was used to develop a framework for PjBL in promoting LA in a TVET environment. The study included a closed-structured questionnaire with responses from 144 (n=144) students from two hospitality programmes, as well as a semi-structured interview with 18 student participants. The findings indicate that PjBL is an effective teaching and learning approach in hospitality education that can promote LA, lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter, while facilitating the development of a variety of important skills and competencies. Students can apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways through hands-on, real-world activities, which can foster a greater sense of autonomy and responsibility for their own learning. Moreover, this study emphasises the significance of incorporating PjBL into hospitality education programmes, to prepare students for success in a rapidly changing world. © Authors.

This research aimed to develop an M-MIAP learning model via Metaverse to develop the engineering competencies of pre-engineering students, and to evaluate the appropriateness of the model. This research is divided into two phases. In the first phase, literature studies of various learning models were conducted to construct the matrix of Metaverse elements and engineering competency for the M-MIAP model. The second phase was the evaluation of the appropriateness of the developed M-MIAP model by various expert stakeholders in the fields of information technology, communication technology, Metaverse, and pre-engineering. It was found that the M-MIAP model consists of input, M-MIAP learning process, engineering competency, and feedback. This research uses Metaverse in the learning process to provide students with a new virtual dimension experience. This collaborative learning process also results in a deeper comprehension of the subject matter and increases educational opportunities for students. The assessment result was rated as “very good”, suggesting the suitability of the overall learning model. This indicates that the M-MIAP model can be utilized to cultivate engineering competencies in pre-engineering students, and to prepare for the impending transition to the digital era. It also supports the educational system in achieving the same level of enduring quality. © 2023 by the authors.

Limited information is available on the design of combined innovation and entrepreneurship training courses, and with even less available on delivering such courses to multidisciplinary teams. We designed an extracurricular project-based training course in innovation and entrepreneurship and delivered it to transdisciplinary teams of students who were then asked to build an autonomous mobile system for healthcare applications and to create a business model to implement it. The course was created through a backward educational design and design thinking to assist teams of students in transforming an idea into a technical solution and developing it into a business model through a project-based learning experience. A transdisciplinary group of 31 students, mostly in bachelor’s degree programs, worked either all together, in plenary sessions, in subject-specific groups, or in teams of 5–6 members, under the guidance of their trainers during a ten-day summer school. We used questionnaires to evaluate the changes in student perceptions and a satisfaction survey to evaluate the students’ experience. The qualitative observations together with the results of the quantitative instruments revealed positive changes in student perceptions towards innovation and entrepreneurship. Additionally, the satisfaction survey offered positive feedback and some recommendations for further improvement. The implementation of the course showed that planning is important, but flexibility is essential, that covering fewer topics might lead to deeper understanding, and that managing expectations and practicing empathy are crucial. © 2023 by the authors.

The arrival of digitalization has shifted the landscape of work and also the skills profile within many occupations in the world. These issues have become deepseated within the discourse around the research and policy agendas of many countries, including Brunei. One of these recurrent agendas concerns the preparation of the current and future workforce through education, particularly technical and vocational education and training (TVET). In concurrence with this focus on initial education, it is imperative that the existing workforce continues to upskill and reskill to remain competent at work through lifelong learning (LLL). In 2013, grand initiatives, such as the transformation of one of Brunei's TVET public providers to an autonomous post-secondary institution and the establishment of a LLL center in 2020, aim to promote widening participation in LLL opportunities. The former is an institutional reform to create an education and training system which is relevant and responsive to industry demands and needs of the community at large. The latter is a part of the human resource development that seeks to provide equitable access to the nation's communities in advancing and strengthening their skills through LLL programs. In view of this, the chapter draws on the recent report on human resource development readiness in ASEAN and deploys the Delors Four Pillars of LLL as points of reference for discussion, while examining the current provision delivered by these two major initiatives. It concludes with suggested future policy directions in embracing a LLL culture which is of paramount importance for the digital era. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023. All rights reserved.

An immersive single-user virtual reality system possesses the potential to induce a paradigm shift in the realm of professional training, particularly within safety-intensive and complex procedural domains. This innovative system offers a safe, adaptable, engaging, and efficacious training experience, thereby fostering better task performance, reduced errors, and more favorable outcomes. Our goal is to delve into the opportunities and challenges associated with such training programs, while also providing guidelines for their seamless integration into educational curricula. Three case studies were conducted to gauge the efficacy of single-user VR training: the electricians' scenario (N=30), a spatial orientation scenario (N=20), and a medical trolley scenario (N=21). Employing mixed methodologies, encompassing workshops, semi-structured interviews, and observatory data collection, insights were gathered. The core objective of this investigation was to assess the perceptions of potential users, notably those partaking in apprenticeships or vocational training, toward prototypes of single-user VR training. The study's findings emphasize the inherent value and constructive attributes of integrating single-user VR training within the realm of professional development. This integration fosters practical experiential learning in procedures and essential competencies for ensuring safety, resulting in enhanced training outcomes. The study showcased augmented individualized learning tempos, expanded opportunities for repetition, heightened concentration, and deeper engagement within the VR-based instructional environment. Moreover, the study underscored the crucial role of personalized design enhancements and continuous content evolution to maximize the effectiveness of VR-based training methodologies. Integral to the comprehensive evaluation was the significance of user experience and the perceived value of the VR system. In parallel with the empirical investigation, foundational design principles were derived from the challenges and prospects unveiled across all three case studies. © 2023 Owner/Author.