Search Results for
"learning"

The rapid evolution of technology requires parallel developments in engineering education to prepare graduates for new industrial challenges. University-based learning factories are acknowledged for their effectiveness in promoting the development of competence by simulating real-world factory operations and offering engineering students hands-on experiences that integrate theoretical knowledge with practical application. This study aimed to analyze the effects of learning factories and experiential learning, applied via a project-based pedagogical approach, on the learning outcomes and competence development of master's students in industrial and mechanical engineering programs. The study was conducted in the Engineering learning Factory (ELF) laboratory of the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, utilizing a structured Project-Based learning (PBL) framework based on experiential education principles. The project centered on the conceptualization, design, development, manufacturing, and testing of the Scorlion4415, a novel 3D-printed drone tailored to meet the specific needs of mountain rescue operations. The study's findings demonstrated that the integration of project-based methodologies in a learning factory context, along with experience-driven learning processes, improved students' academic achievements, technical, and transversal competences. © 2025 IEEE.

Introduction: this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Problem-Based learning model assisted by Mobile Augmented Reality (PBLMAR) in improving student learning outcomes in the Air Conditioning Technology course. The integration of MAR technology is expected to support student-centered learning and enhance conceptual understanding in vocational education settings. Method: a quasi-experimental method was applied using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Data collection involved pretest and posttest assessments administered to 30 vocational students. The normalized gain (N-Gain) was calculated using Microsoft Excel to measure the increase in students’ cognitive achievement after implementing the PBLMAR model. N-Gain results were interpreted using standard criteria (high, medium, low). Results: the analysis showed that the average N-Gain score was 0,7; which falls into the category, high category. This indicates a significant improvement in student learning outcomes. Additionally, student responses suggested positive engagement and interest in using MAR-based learning media. Conclusions: the PBLMAR model is effective in improving students’ conceptual understanding and engagement in the Air Conditioning Technology course. The use of N-Gain analysis provides clear evidence of the model’s impact, supporting its further application in vocational education. © 2025; Los autores.

Medical mathematical statistics is a core course in the field of medicine and pharmacy, playing a crucial role in cultivating students' professional literacy. Traditional teaching methods face challenges due to the abstract nature of the theory, insufficient student interest, and difficulties in improving teaching effectiveness. To address these issues, this paper proposes an innovative approach that teaching practice evaluation of medical mathematical statistics based on knowledge graph. Firstly, knowledge graph technology is employed to visualize the course knowledge system, clearly presenting the associations and hierarchical structure of knowledge points. This provides students with an intuitive and systematic learning framework, helping them quickly build a knowledge system and deepen their understanding of complex concepts. Secondly, targeted teaching strategies are designed in conjunction with the six stages of the BOPPPS teaching model (Bridge-in, Objectives, Pre-assessment, Participatory learning, Post-assessment, and Summary). The visualization of knowledge graphs enhances interactivity and relevance in each stage, stimulating students' enthusiasm for learning. Specifically, the Bridge-in stage clarifies learning objectives; the Participatory learning stage uses knowledge graphs to guide group discussions and case analyses, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills; and the Postassessment stage reviews and consolidates knowledge through knowledge graphs to reinforce learning outcomes. Finally, this study was implemented in the medical and pharmaceutical statistics course for undergraduate students at Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine. A comprehensive evaluation of students' academic performance, classroom participation, and learning satisfaction indicated that the innovative teaching model significantly increased students' interest and course grades, enhanced their ability to apply knowledge and innovate, and provided a new approach for course teaching reform. It also offers valuable references for teaching improvements in other professional courses. © 2025 IEEE.

Vocational education plays a key role in equipping students with the practical skills needed for workforce participation, particularly in technical fields like electrical motor installation. This study investigates the effectiveness of the Project-Based Inquiry learning (PBIL) model in enhancing students’ learning outcomes in electrical motor installation within vocational education. The primary objective is to evaluate whether PBIL can improve students’ technical competencies, critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and collaborative skills, which are crucial for success in the electrical and industrial sectors. The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a Nonequivalent Control Group. The experimental group (37 students) received PBIL instruction, while the control group (35 students) followed traditional teacher-centered methods. Data were collected through pre-and post-tests, practical performance assessments, surveys, and semi-structured interviews, analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results indicate that the experimental group showed significant improvements in technical skills, problem-solving, and teamwork compared to the control group. PBIL also enhanced students’ motivation, engagement, and adaptability to technological demands. The study concludes that PBIL is an effective instructional approach for bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application in vocational education. It is recommended that further research explore PBIL’s long-term impact and its scalability across different vocational fields. Overall, PBIL supports the development of a skilled workforce, better aligning education with industry needs. © 2025; Los autores.

learning outcomes serve as a key indicator of the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process. In Vocational High Schools (SMK) located in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions, students’ knowledge-based learning outcomes remain relatively low. This study aims to examine the effect of implementing the Work-Based learning Higher Order Thinking Skills Employability (WBL-HOTSE) model on students’ cognitive learning outcomes during practice-based instruction in vocational schools situated in 3T areas. The research employed a quasi-experimental method using a nonequivalent control group design. One class was taught using the scientific approach as the control group, while the experimental class received instruction through the WBL-HOTSE model. The research subjects consisted of all 11th-grade students at SMKN 1 Kepulauan Mentawai. Data were collected through a test instrument. Based on hypothesis testing using the t-test, the results showed a significant difference in learning outcomes between students who were taught using the WBL-HOTSE model and those who received instruction through the scientific approach. These findings indicate that the WBL-HOTSE model can be effectively applied in practice-based learning to improve students’ higher-order thinking skills and learning outcomes. © 2025; Los autores.

This study presents a comparative analysis of secondary electronics education in the United Kingdom and Greece, focusing on pedagogical approaches, curriculum structure, practical training, and career pathways. The UK offers a well-established and integrated Design and Technology curriculum emphasizing theoretical knowledge, practical laboratory work, and industry-aligned apprenticeships, supported by advanced resources such as CAD/CAM and strong STEAM integration. Conversely, Greece's electronics education is less structured, with limited practical exposure, fewer resources, and constrained access to vocational programs, particularly outside urban centers. Economic and infrastructural challenges affect Greece's capacity to foster innovation and professional opportunities domestically, leading to a high emigration rate of electronics graduates. The UK's comprehensive framework better supports student development, professional recognition, and alignment with industry demands. The findings underline the importance of practical experience, resource availability, and structured vocational pathways in enhancing electronics education and subsequent career prospects. © 2025 IEEE.

While much of this volume focuses on the legal arguments regarding the right to lifelong learning, this chapter draws on different perspectives to offer an alternative set of challenges for this debate. First, the author revisits a now quite elderly debate from the field of adult education about the strengths and limitations of the notion of lifelong learning and the important distinctions between the positions of key international actors in this debate: UNESCO, the EU and the OECD. Second, the chapter moves to the field of the right to education and where this stands in relation to debates about the right to post-school education. Here, the author draws on both his work for UNESCO on this issue and his engagement with the international NGO rights movement through an advisory role with the Right to Education Initiative. Third, the chapter moves to current debates about inclusion and quality in vocational education and training. This section also raises questions regarding the applicability of European approaches in the Global South. © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Lourdes Mella Méndez, Silvia Fernández Martínez and Bárbara Torres García; individual chapters, the contributors.

In the context of structural labour and skills shortages, EU policy packages have been developed both to “upgrade skills of those already within the EU” and to “attract talent from non-EU countries to the EU”. In much of this volume, the focus is related to the former part, namely measures for skills development, such as professional training and lifelong learning. In contrast, this chapter focuses on the latter part, in particular, the proposal for an EU Talent Pool, aiming to facilitate recruitment of jobseekers from non-EU countries in EU-wide shortage occupations. It builds on what the EURES platform does for jobseekers with free movement of workers’ rights in the EU. The chapter argues that the talent pool initiative may not meet expectations because employers in some shortage sectors have alternative options. Moreover, it notes that most third-country nationals already in the EU are neither allowed to use EURES nor the proposed EU Talent Pool. This is deemed a missed opportunity to combat “brain waste”. A factor in this phenomenon, namely underinvestment in training, is briefly addressed and the chapter ends on a positive note with a best practice example and a call for more consistent policies to “attract talent” and “upgrade skills”. © 2026 selection and editorial matter, Lourdes Mella Méndez, Silvia Fernández Martínez and Bárbara Torres García; individual chapters, the contributors.

Despite the rapid diffusion of technological innovations, there has been no convergence of national skill formation systems. This is due to the different influences from the employment system, which begins with vocational training and continues through different forms of lifelong learning within companies or between different employment relationships. Ultimately, national skill formation systems are unique due to the numerous institutional influences. By creating typologies, however, important structural features of the different linkages between vocational education and training (VET) and the employment system can be worked out while abstracting many details. The different typologies presented in detail all refer to VET at the transition from school to work; that is, only to entry into employment. However, the work organisation of the companies and the structure of the labour markets already play a major role here, which is then also formative in further working life. © Ellu Saar and Péter Róbert 2025.

It is commonly asserted that education is crucial for meeting the challenges concerning the futures of work. But education cannot overcome deficient economic policies causing declining job quality, mass unemployment and rising under-employment. Instead of pre-occupation with so-called 21st-century skills and micro-credentials, greater recognition needs to be given to what education does best. That is, helping people master bodies of conceptual knowledge as well as relationships between bodies of knowledge, nurturing learning dispositions and equipping people with skills and capacities that support disciplined creativity and adaptive capacity. These qualities enable people to handle the challenges of climate change, changing life courses, artificial intelligence and data-ification. Education can also support new configurations of expertise made possible by new technologies. While education cannot solve most problems concerning the futures of work, there can be no solution to these problems without quality, enduring institutions supporting education and occupational coherence in the labour market. © Ellu Saar and Péter Róbert 2025.