Institute of Vocational Education and Didactics

The history of the institute goes back to the founding of the Pedagogical Institute at the Technical University of Dresden in 1924. Both, business education and vocational school teachers had been graduated with a diploma degree almost without interruption at the Dresden University of Technology since then. In 1991 the Department of Education has been found to offer a new start also for the Institute for Vocational Education, which has been extended by the special didactics institute in 2012. Characteristic for research and teaching at the Institute is a close cooperation with the engineering disciplines of the TU Dresden and with many enterprises around. Since decades the institute has a very strong devotion to the international market and is running international Master Programmes in different languages both in-house and abroad, but also Ph.D. training networks in cooperation with developing countries world-wide. Scientific areas of the Institute are the Chair of the Teaching of Vocational Learning, the Chair of Educational Technology, the Chair of Adult Education, Vocational Training and Professional Education and Training in Developing Countries, the unit of Systematic and Historic Vocational Education and the unit of Engineering Education, the Chair of Construction, Wood Technology as well as Colour Design / Vocational Didactics, the Chair of Nutrition and Home Economics / Vocational Didactics, the Chair for Health and Care / Vocational Education, the Chair of Metals and Machine Technology / Vocational Didactics, the Chair of Social Education and Didactics of Social Education, the Vocational Subject Area Chemical Engeneering, environmental protection and environmental studies and the Vocational Subject Area Electrotechnology.

Research at the institute is characterized by the combination of analytical projects with transfer oriented activities devoted to educational development. Current research topics are among others:

• Identification of skill needs in innovative industries,
• Needs assessment as a condition for continuous planning,
• Curriculum development and adaptation especially for developing countries,
• Didactics of special vocational domains and different programs
• Development and modularization needs and learning opportunities with needs in the education and training,
• Design and use of media-supported teaching and learning applications, online communities, in particular in VET,
• Quality assurance and development of educational and training services,
• Competence development of staff with training responsibilities,
• Media-Educational Management.

Coining for the Institutes profile are academic teaching and research, particularly in the international context and in close cooperation with developing countries as well as the acquisition of evaluation studies and experiments for a scientific monitoring of educational development world-wide. This includes all fields of vocational education and adult education and continuously deals with staff development for vocational education and training, adult education and counselling for educational decisions. Due to this unique combination Dresden University of Technology is able to offer advanced and highly competitive research and development dealing with media in vocational education.