Specialisation in Vocational and Operational Pedagogy

The study programme in the specialisation area of vocational and operational pedagogy is intended to enable students, through the acquisition of knowledge and professional action competences, to perform theory-based, demanding advisory and organisational tasks in the area of vocational and operational training and further education as well as operational personel and organisational development.

Potential fields of application offered are for example:

• companys,
• education provider,
• associations,
• unions and also
• political organisations
• universities and research institutions

The in-depth content of the field of study of vocational and company pedagogy in the Master's degree programme in Educational Sciences is oriented towards all structures, functions and processes of vocational and company qualification as well as individual competence development (formal and informal). The company as a place of learning and socialisation, the interaction of individual competence and company organisational development as well as the professionalisation of staff in vocational education and training are central focal points in research and teaching in vocational and company pedagogy.

At the macro level, the focus is on vocational and education policy structures and processes. Since VET is a highly interest-driven policy field, strategies of social actors in the design of qualification processes and structures are among the subjects of the specialisation.

In the context of the VET system, is in example about:

• the permeability of vocational training paths,
• the design of system transitions from general education to vocational education and training,
• the crediting of vocational competences to higher education study programmes,
• the realisation of educational standards in vocational education and training and international connectivity within the framework of the Bologna Process,
• qualification research and thus also the question of appropriate curriculum construction in different domains - this especially against the background of digitalisation.

At the meso level, the focus is on the implementation of didactic concepts in vocational and in-company education and training. In addition to classic teaching/learning concepts, the concepts of learning on the job and informal learning are a special focus. Among other things, the specialisation addresses conditions and possibilities for producing work that is conducive to learning and quality assurance in vocational education and training.

At the micro level, the focus is on the learning subject. Here, the conditions, prerequisites and also limitations of individual competence development are taken into account. This also involves the question of which appropriate forms of support (learning guidance and learning process support) can be developed for this.

The courses aim at the acquisition of knowledge and skills for action. The didactic concept of the specialisation in vocational and operational education is based on the criteria of modern vocational education:

• Action orientation (concrete possibilities for implementing the acquired theoretical knowledge)
• Subject orientation (orientation towards the students, their interests, needs and abilities)
• Competence orientation (holistic understanding of abilities, skills and knowledge and the integration of professional, social, personal and methodological competence)
• Reflexivity (conscious, critical and responsible assessment and evaluation of actions - structural reflexivity and individual reflexivity - with the aim of increasing the students' reflexive ability to act).
• Self-shaping (providing framework conditions conducive to learning while recognising and promoting potential for self-development and self-realisation as overarching educational goals).