Working Group 3.4 is focused on higher, professional and vocational education in ICT – education leading towards careers or professional development in some form of computing.   Our goal is to promote the acquisition and updating of appropriate ICT knowledge and expertise by all whose working environment requires contact with computer-based systems.  We aim to consider the nature, content and method of delivery of professional, higher and vocational education within the ICT sector, which will enable learners to achieve their employment expectations, and to foster lifelong learning in ICT-related areas.

WG 3.4 participated to the OCCE2022 conference in various ways. Our vice chair Nicholas Mavengere acted as the chair of the local organizing committee, we also had a member in the international program committee, and our members gave several presentations on their research and the past activities of WG 3.4. Moreover, we had our annual general meeting on 1st March during the conference, and elected a new chair and vice chair. Congrats, Nicholas and Toshinori.

WG 3.4 participated to the WCCE2022 conference by having a member in the international program committee, and the members gave several presentations on their research and the history of WG3.4. Moreover, we had our annual general meeting on 22nd August during the conference.

The Open Conference on Computers and Education was held in Tampere, Finland 17 to 20 August 2021, as a hybrid conference. 

OCCE2021 DTEL Digital Transformation of Education and Learning - Past, Present and Future took place at Tampere University campus and virtually through the Howspace digital facilitation platform (www.howspace.com). 

Chairs and organizers:

Prof. Mikko Ruohonen, University of Tampere, Finland 

Dr Jaana Holvikivi, Espoo, Finland

Our keynote speakers included professor Minna Huotilainen from University of Helsinki and associate professor Mikko-Jussi Laakso, the director of the Centre for Learning Analytics at the University of Turku, Finland. Minna Huotilainen is professor of educational sciences. Her keynote will address a combined view of learning and well-being - well-learning. This will be drafted on the basis of recent knowledge on how choices made in planning education can affect the way that pupils and students can learn. It is multimethodological, combining understanding from neuroscience and learning sciences. Our third keynote speaker Katariina Salmela-Aro is Academy Professor and Professor of Educational Sciences and Psychology at the University of Helsinki, Finland. Her keynote will address interrelated topics of “digitalization, learning and resilience”. New findings will be presented, based on the new Youth

Skills EU Horizon 2020 programme, on how young people use digital tools, what their key digital competences are and how these are related to their wellbeing.

The conference had more than 80 participants, 10 of them onsite.  It will produce a post-conference book by Springer. The Book of abstracts is available here. 

Zanzibar April 2019