Using blended teaching approaches to upgrade qualifications: The experience of in-service industrial technology/TVET teachers in Jamaica

Haldane Johnson
UTECH

Raymond Dixon

Abstract
A case study of Jamaica’s in-service Industrial Technology/TVET teachers’ experience in upgrading their qualifications through blending traditional face-to-face instruction with open and distance education learning methods.


Teachers are required to be upgraded to the Bachelor’s degree level in Jamaica. However, due to resource and time constraints, upgrading Industrial Technology/TVET in-service teachers is difficult, as access to full-time classes is confined to one day’s release time and summers. An open and distance learning (ODL) intervention is a solution to address this problem.

The criteria for selecting the courses piloted for the blended approach will be highlighted.
The logistics, administrative and financial challenges to prepare students and lecturers for this mode of teaching and learning will be discussed. Journal entries, meeting notes, focus group reactions and questionnaires will document and measure the “learning curve” and perceptions of the Industrial Technology/TVET in-service teachers and lecturers in using the blended approach. The implications for this instructional model for teacher upgrading will be discussed with recommendations for further action and improvement.

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