Chapter 20
VET as Lifelong Learning
Engagement With Distributed Knowledge in Software Engineering
Book Editor(s):David Guile,
Lorna Unwin,
David Guile
Search for more papers by this authorLorna Unwin
Search for more papers by this authorSummary
This chapter explores how engagement with versatile, web-based knowledge resources in the field of software engineering provides opportunities for students and professional practitioners to construct knowledge beyond what is known and to set up learning opportunities for themselves. Using the understanding of VET as a lifelong process that encompass educational and work-related activities as points of departure, we employ the concepts of epistemic objects and practices as analytical lenses to show how learners in this field access knowledge resources, explore and construct knowledge, and pursue learning opportunities in deliberate ways as part of their problem-solving activities. Examples are drawn from studies of students’ project-based learning in engineering education and early-career engineers’ learning at work. We discuss opportunities and challenges for learning typical to this domain and suggest that models for professional development should be reconsidered in recognizing the role that self-initiated learning plays for newcomers and professionals alike.
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