Handbook of Technical and Vocational Teacher Professional Development in the Digital Age

This is an open access book. Covering both theories and practices in Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) teacher development, this book provides up-to-date discussions and recommendations on issues relating to TVET teacher development in the digital age. It caters for the needs of in-service teachers and trainers, as well as TVET leaders who want to upscale their professional learning and development in terms of vision, knowledge, expertise, and industry skills needed in the transition to the digital era.

What is particularly useful to TVET teachers/trainers are the proposed competency development framework, competency indicators, and the assessment instrument. Drawing on extensive research regarding TVET teachers’ competency development and today’s industry needs, the proposed framework and indicators can be readily used to inform the self-assessment of one’s professional competency level, so as to plan one’s career trajectory accordingly.Teachers and trainers may also find the exemplary cases of teachers’ professional development from various countries inspiring and motivating. The book also serves as a useful reference for TVET leaders, administrators and teacher trainers. The book's competency framework, indicators, and strategies are an adaptable reference for planning professional development policies, evaluation mechanisms, and programs for teachers.

Dr Xibin Han is a Tenured Professor and Vice Dean of the Institute of Education at Tsinghua University, China. His research focuses on e-learning system development and adoption, blended learning implementation, and institutional teaching innovation through technology in higher education and vocational education. He has won a number of awards for his research and teaching, such as the Second Prize for Excellent Achievements in Scientific Research (Humanities and Social Sciences) of Higher Education Institutions in China in 2020, the Second Prize in the Sixth China National Teaching Achievement Awards in 2009, and the Award for Excellence in Teaching and Mentoring of Graduate Students in Tsinghua University in 2016. He served as the President of the Society of International Chinese in Educational Technology (SICET) in 2018. He is the co-editor of Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange (JETDE) and an Editorial Board member of The Internet and Higher Education. 

Dr Qian Zhou is a Senior Engineer of the Institute of Education at Tsinghua University, China. His research focuses on design, development, application and evaluation of e-learning environments, institutional education reform, and innovation through technology in higher education and vocational education. The e-learning platform developed by his team has been adopted in more than 500 universities and vocational schools in China. He was granted multiple awards for his research in the educational technology area, such as the Beijing Science and Technology Awards in 2014, the Beijing Excellent Research Achievements in Philosophy and Social Sciences in 2019, and the Province-Level Teaching Achievement Awards seven times from 2018 to 2022 in China.

Dr Ming Li is Director of the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO, and Chair Professor at the Center for Higher Education Research of Southern University of Science and Technology in China, and Member of the Expert Committee of International Online Teaching Platform and Curriculum Development of the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education of China. He has served in a wide range of key positions in government agencies and in the senior leadership of universities. Dr Ming Li has been committed to the mission and goals set forth by UNESCO to improve higher education quality and promote the massification of higher education for developing countries in the Asia Pacific and Africa. His major research interests lie in higher education policies, ICT application in higher education, online and blended learning in developing countries, and digital transformation of higher education.

Dr Yuping Wang is an Associate Professor in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University, Australia. Her research focuses on the use of innovative pedagogy supported byadvanced technologies in improving learners’ second language learning experiences, and outcomes in the contexts of distance, blended and online learning. Her research has investigated the linguistic, intercultural and technological affordances of various asynchronous, and synchronous online learning environments, with publications on online learning design, blended learning pedagogy (e.g., flipped classrooms) and online teacher training and professional development. Her recent publications also include topics relating to institution-wide blended learning implementation strategies and Robot-Assisted Language Learning (RALL). She has also served on a number of editorial boards of international journals.