Teaching Specialty Courses Using Educational Applications: Five Teaching Scenarios from Technical Vocational Education

Abstract

The main objectives of this study are to examine the teaching of specialty courses using educational applications and to assess technology-enhanced learning. More specifically, a unit of analysis of 25 teachers from five different subjects developed five teaching scenarios that utilize specific educational applications. Emphasis was placed on the targeted integration of these applications into the learning process and their framing with participatory and learner-centered educational techniques. According to the teachers participating in the research, the most important criteria for selecting an educational application are the relevance of the application to the teaching unit, the structure and content of the application, the ease of use, the possibility of assessing progress with quizzes and interactive tests, and the free access and use of the application by students. Concerning the benefits of using the apps, these focus on differentiating traditional teaching and providing new learning incentives, enhancing student interest, developing digital skills, enhancing collaborative learning, and lifting time and space constraints. The originality of this research lies in the use of specific educational applications for the development of teaching scenarios for specialty courses.