The use of e-learning technologies for the delivery of VET: Anadolu University e-platform

Abstract

Vocational Education and Training (VET) is one of the highest priority educational issues among the countries due to its impact on the economic growth and development. Education is the instrument of fostering the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the people to become productive and socially recognized members of the society. However the transition to knowledge economy necessitates the revision of the educational paradigms of the industrialized society. In other words the educational systems must be restructured using the instruments of the knowledge economy to transform into a knowledge based society. Use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has brought enormous opportunities in every field as it is in education and provides the necessary tools to accomplish this transformation. The purpose of the paper is to explore the quality and quantity improvement potential of employing e-learning technologies in VET. After identifying the characteristics of VET in a knowledge based economy the issues that make the e-learning approach an imperative for today's VET systems will be highlighted. Then the tools of elearning will be identified and the components of an elearning model at Anadolu University-Turkey will be introduced.