This presentation is aimed at sharing the process and results from a research study funded in full through a grant from BCcampus, Open Education.
The lack of research in trades vocational education and training (TVET) pertaining to OER/OEP means that the benefits that open educational resources/open educational practices (OER/OEP enable remain unrealized. While numerous researchers have examined the use of OER and OEP in K-12 and higher education settings, there has been very little research conducted in the context of vocational training and OER/OEP. In Canada alone, there were 417,300 registered apprenticeships in 2016 and registrations have grown over 200% since the 1990s. This proposed thought leadership resource, built for educators by educators, will address a much-needed understanding of how OER/OEP may be used in TVET for the purpose of forging a new path for apprenticeship completion, especially in the face of trade harmonization and the developing link between it and open pedagogy. This collaborative project between Vancouver Island University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology is in part a testimony to that endeavor.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify current digital teaching and learning practices used in Trades program throughout BC as a means to investigate the inclusivity of these practices. To further this study, instructor perceptions regarding digital teaching and learning practices, and current competency levels of digital literacy was explored. Insights gained from this study are aimed to identify current barriers to trades faculty access and development of digital teaching and learning practices that are used in BC. Secondly, these insights have grounded the researcher’s decisions in mapping a professional development plan that will ultimately aim to influence curriculum design, program development, and pedagogical practices.
At the end of the presentation, the professional development plan will be shared with those attending as well as being made available to others through BCcampus.
