Slides from a presentation on the AI and Vocational Education and Training project at the European Distance Education Network Conference, 2020

1. Artificial Intelligence for and in Vocational Education
and Training: what do teachers and trainers need to
know?
By Graham Attwell, Dr. Ludger Deitmer,
Sophia Roppertz & Dr. Vidmantas Tūtlys

2. "in the next years AI will change learning, teaching, and
education. The speed of technological change will be very
fast, and it will create high pressure to transform
educational practices, institutions, and policies."

3. AI in VET
and AI for
VET

4. Key role of Vocational
teachers and trainers

5. Extend the DIGICOMPEDU Framework

6. Develop a Toolkit for Vocational teachers
and trainers

7. Organise a MOOC

8. Workshop
1. AI, automation and the future of employment
2. The use of AI for teaching and learning in VET

9. AI in the human work
Substitution of humans in the wide range of
work processes through task encroachment
(Susskind, 2020) and digital taylorism.
Complementarity and enabling effects of AI in
work processes (Schwab, 2016).
Liberating effect of AI in dealing with routine
work.

10. Future scenarios of work in the
light of digitalization and 4IR
Upgrading of
work and
qualifications
in all
occupational
fields.
Increasing
work
automation.
Polarization
of the world
of work
through
elimination of
middle level
(routine) jobs.
Work
flexibilization,
delimitation,
uberization.
Stronger
networking
of work
processes by
technological
solutuions
(AI, CPS)

11. AI in the future development of work
1. Work upgrading
2. Increasing of work automation
3. Polarization of the world of work
4. Work flexibilization and
delimitation
5. Increasing networking of work
processes throught AI and CPS
⮚ Empowering effect of AI in handling complex work
tasks and improving work performance and
productivity.
⮚ AI facilitates task encroachment and enables fast
and effective automation of work, including high-
skilled work processes.
⮚ Through automation and task encroachment AI
facilitates substitution of routine and (to some
extent) non routine and higher skill jobs.
⮚ Can enable workers to assume responsibility for
execution of complex work processes, enables and
facilitates decentralised execution of work and
fragmentation of the contents of work.
⮚ Key enabler and facilitator. Significantly defines the
skills needs.

12. Mechatronic occupational change via AI
Challenges on work profile, learning, curriculum and cooperation

13. The Learning field 6 “Planning and organisation
of production processes”
students learn describe and visualise in-company
organisation requirements and standards.
students learn to organise themselves in mixed
teams to design and programme parts of an
automated training factory
they learn observe different technical aspects like
work health and safety document and present the
project
they document and present the project
What says the curriculum? What do they learn?

14. New learning
methods and
paedagogy
Real industrial
production
processes
By networking
robots &
production belt
production; the
processes are
simulated
cooperation with
industrial
company partners
and trainers
no passive role of
apprentices:
inform, plan, do,
act and reflect
teachers and
trainers arrange
new work and
learning task
Mechatronic
occupational change
via AI

15. Requirements for practice-related learning working projects in
additional qualification courses within the apprenticeship
for 11 industrial mechanical, electrical and mechatronic occupations from 2019 in
German VET system
1. Professional
and business
connection
2.complete
professional act
3. No routine
task
4. scope for
alternative
solutions
5. project
assessment on
process and
results
assessment of the
solution results
CRITERIA

16. What are the effects on other than technical
professions?
In our argumentation there are some jobs that change.
Which kind of jobs die?
We think that AI fosters different kind of learning.
What is your experience on that?
1.Breakout session

17. Workshop
1. AI, automation and the future of employment
2. The use of AI for teaching and learning in VET
2

18. Artificial Intelligence for VET
(Humanoid) robots
Intelligent Tutoring Systems
Smart Classrooms/ Environments
Learning Analytics
„AI to promote personalisation and better learning
outcomes, exploring how AI can favour access to
education, collaborative environments and intelligent
tutoring systems to support teachers.“
Pedró, F., Subosa, M. , Rivas, A & Valverde, P. (2019). Artificial intelligence in Education:
Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development. Paris: UNESCO, Education
Sector.

19. Example for new learning & teaching opportunities
Adaptiv tutoring system
The system undertakes an initial diagnostic
survey of each student’s strengths and
weaknesses, and tailors learning materials to
support them.
Additionally they have an individual learning
plan which tracks their progress and displays
it on a dashboard.
Example for new learning & teaching opportunities
The ADA Chatbot
Digital assistant that called Ada
Can respond to a wide range of student
inquiries across multiple domains
Digital assessment

20. VET for Artificial Intelligence
Preparation for an AI-based world of work
Teaching should be more oriented towards
real work-related operational processes in
order to prepare vocational training students
for the world of AI-related work tasks.
New skills are needed

21. Example for new learning arrangements
Smart Factory at VET school
● Model of a smart filling plant. Production is
started via a self-programmed smartphone
app.
● Helps to support problem and action-
oriented learning

22. Example for new learning arrangements
Deep Reinforcement Learning-Project
● Acquire an understanding of artificial
intelligence and neural networks
● Gain advanced knowledge of the Python
programming language
● The AI should master different levels
independently

23. What do teachers and trainers need to know in the
Age of AI?
What does personalized learning mean for teachers
and trainers in VET?
Do you think AI impacts the way we assess
students?
2. Breakout session
3

24. Thank you for your attention!
Link to our Homepage: http://taccleai.eu/