Abstract
ABSTRACTPurpose. This study aimed to understand the experiences of community college career technical education (CTE) faculty that used extended reality to improve their program of study and prepare students for proficiency and skill attainment in workforce development. How faculty adapted to learning various pedagogical practices for distance learning, specifically in CTE hard-to-convert courses, was also explored.
Conceptual Framework. The Association of Career Technical Education Quality CTE Program of Study Framework provided the conceptual lens and parameters to view this study as it addresses the ongoing question of “What is high-quality CTE?”
Methodology. A phenomenological approach was taken to understand the individual’s shared experience using extended reality for instruction and assessment in their community college CTE courses. Semistructured interviews with CTE faculty provided the data for the study. Participants were recruited via email from a sample of individuals who participated in a pilot study using extended reality in their courses. All the study participants were from a Southern California community college.
Findings and Conclusions. The study’s findings provide insight into the lived experiences of community college CTE faculty through their voices and offer implications for extended reality implementation and recommendations for future research.
Recommendations. The COVID-19 pandemic and the technological revolution forced faculty to quickly provide remote instruction that was previously and historically hands on and in person. This impetus to improve instructional modality to provide alternative instruction has provided an opportunity for CTE programs to expand the scope of their reach that was once limited to the physical space of the classroom. Future studies should include research that provides insight on developing the use of extended reality in CTE courses as an immersive tool to evolve pedagogy. This will allow faculty to keep up with their diverse student population, while the emergent technology will encourage the programs to evolve with the environment and keep pace with the industries and businesses in need of skilled employees. Growing with such emerging technologies will allow CTE to continue to expand the workforce and future research should include multiple stakeholder perspectives.