Meaningful Learning Experience Using Digital Technologies in TVET: Towards Innovative Digital Pedagogy

Technical and vocational education in South Africa is a priority sector to expand access to education and training appropriately to improve the livelihoods of individuals and contribute to the economy and broader society. TVET responses to the changing requirements of work and social context, however, face multidimensional challenges, with varying student learning needs and higher levels of cognitive demand prominent among them. Central to these challenges are inadequate resources for teaching and learning to foster student success and enhanced participation in the economic activities of the country. This chapter explores digital technologies and their pedagogical affordances to enable students to acquire the required knowledge and practical skills. While traditional academic learning is mostly centred on theoretical underpinnings, vocational pedagogy of TVET Colleges focuses on the principle of learning by doing. Digital technology integration is therefore particularly challenging in TVET colleges, whose complexities include digital capital, digital self-efficacy, and technological pedagogical knowledge. Against this background, this chapter aims to use meaningful learning theory as a framework to examine and document the best digital pedagogical practices in TVET colleges that contribute to students’ vocational knowledge and skills.