1.1 Welcome to the Course 🎉

We are very happy that you decided to join us and look forward to exploring Artificial Intelligence, automation and Vocational Education and Training with you.

AI and automation raise many questions for the future of work and of vocational education and training. We cannot pretend to have the answers to these issues. Instead, we hope that through developing a community of practice and through processes of reflection, we can collectively advance our understanding and response to the challenges we face.

We have developed this course in what we think is a logical order. But feel free to follow it in any order you wish. If you complete all the modules, you will be awarded a digital badge. But if that is not so important to you, you can dip in and choose to follow the modules that most interest you.

The MOOC has been developed by a team of researchers and educators from five different countries. They decided against standardizing the design of each lesson, preferring to present a variety of styles and media. We will be interested to know which style and which media you like (or dislike) most.

In each of these modules, we pose questions for your ideas and reflection. You can write a comment in each lesson and connect with other participants. 💬

Course structure and design

Module 1 provides an introduction to the course, asking what is AI and providing a brief introduction to the changing world of work, to the use of AI for teaching and learning and to the ethical issues associated with AI

Module 2 looks in detail at the changing world of work, asking to what extent future jobs are threatened by AI and automation and which jobs in particular. It looks at requirements for new skills and knowledge arising from AI and poses the question of how humans and AI can work together?

Module 3 examines the growing use of AI in vocational education and training, including recruiting and motivating students, creating learning content, assessment and administration. The module provides case studies from different countries.

Module 4 focuses on the new skills required by AI. It looks at the reform of existing curricula and qualifications and about the need for reskilling and continuing professional development. The module also looks at the skills and knowledge required of vocational teachers and trainers, and how the European Commission DigCompEdu Framework competence framework for using technology for teaching and training can include AI.

The increasing use of AI raises many ethical issues. These are the focus of the final module, module 5. It asks how these ethical issues affect vocational education and training. Is the introduction and use of new technologies inevitable, and how can we shape the use of technology for new jobs and new skills?

Learning goals

By the end of this course, you will be better able to:

• – Consider the importance of AI and automation for vocational education and training
• – Assess the impact of AI and automation on the future of work and on jobs and occupations
• – Plan the integration and use of AI for teaching and learning in vocational education and training
• – Develop new curricula and qualifications, incorporating the skills required for AI in occupations in the future
• – Discuss the ethical issues posed by the widespread adoption of AI