Perspective Chapter: Virtual Space and Curriculum of Technical and Vocational Training

Abstract

Information and communication technology is always growing. The impact of these technologies has affected all levels of people’s lives and especially education; all areas of the technical and vocational education curriculum are not excluded from this; today’s students who are known as digital natives are not receptive to traditional education with non-applied knowledge content, so it is necessary to seriously revise the curriculum of this field. In this chapter of the book, the impact of the growing role of information and communication technology in the goals, content, teaching methods, and evaluation of technical and vocational education curriculum is examined.

1. Introduction

In the twenty first century, i.e., the age of information and communication technology, electronic learning is growing at an increasing speed, and many educational centers use this type of education along with conventional education or separately due to the many advantages of this type of education. In some definitions, e-learning is considered to include web-based education in a way that allows learners to consolidate their learning using diverse and multimedia tools without time and place limitations [1].

In recent years, online learning has evolved from computer-assisted education to mobile-based e-learning. This change has caused e-learning to become highly learner-oriented using vast technologies and take steps toward personalization of learning. Ubiquitous learning refers to this type of learning that is available at any time and in any place; this learning is supported by wireless communication, and by being independent of time and place, it has provided learning at any time and place; this feature of learning In the virtual space, it should not only lead to good learning but also engage the learner in behavioral, intellectual, and emotional aspects of learning tasks. Therefore, in order to use these tools effectively, we need to design effective learning environments for the targeted use of technological tools [2].

Several studies have acknowledged the benefits of e-learning in vocational education; for example, Kamsin [3] states that one of the biggest benefits of online learning is that it allows students to control their learning process by providing an experience of direct learning, which is action-oriented and has experiential control. Salamat et al. [4] also state that this learning method makes education flexible for students, because it has no time and place limitations. Also, Letseka et al. [5] emphasize that virtual education accommodates students’ different learning styles and allows students to work at their own pace. Also, Madimabe and Omodan [6], in a research aimed at the effect of electronic education as an alternative form of curriculum in rural technical and vocational education schools, found that the unavailability of technological resources and lack of financial support from some poor parents hinders the proper implementation of education. Electronic in technical and professional education.

Also, Jabor et al. [7] found in a research that in order to deal with the obstacles of virtual education in technical and vocational schools, immediate executive measures should be taken by managers and technical and professional policymakers to provide infrastructure and training while serving technical and vocational teachers. Be done professionally. Alshahrani et al. [8] in a research aimed at adopting electronic portfolio management system in technical and vocational education of Saudi Arabia found that technological, organizational, and environmental factors had positive and significant effects on the adoption of the electronic portfolio management system. Aydin et al. [9] in a research aimed at investigating the perceptions of technical and professional students to online learning found that the communication between students and teachers has a significant effect on shaping the perceptions and approach of students to online learning. Also, course planning, evaluation, and curriculum play an essential role in student focus on lectures and success in online learning.

Due to the growth of information and communication technology, the curriculum elements of technical and vocational education have caused extensive changes. Based on this, in this article, after stating the differences between traditional and electronic learning environment, the facilities and tools of the learning environment in the virtual environment are described; then, the characteristics of the virtual environment are examined; then, the elements of the curriculum in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment are compared. And at the end, recommendations and prescriptions for learners in elementary and secondary courses and theoretical and practical speech courses have been discussed.

2. Theoretical foundations

Several theories support education in virtual space and especially technical and professional education, which is presented in the following theory of communication theory and rich media theory.

2.1 The theory of connectivism

According to Siemens [10], the theories of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism are three broad theories of learning that are often used in creating educational environments. However, these theories were developed at a time when learning was not yet influenced by technology. Over the past 20 years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate, and how we learn. The basic principles of most learning theories are that learning occurs within individuals. These theories do not pay attention to people’s learning that happens outside. According to Siemens [11], all existing theories have assigned knowledge processing to the person who is supposed to learn. This pattern will work as long as the knowledge flow is predetermined. However, the current conditions of many societies and education systems have faced new demands and challenges.

In the age of digital and internet, there have been fundamental changes. The new spaces in which knowledge and information flow are very different from what previous generations experienced, in that the way of acquiring knowledge has undergone a fundamental transformation [12]. One of the efforts that have been made to answer the challenges of explaining knowledge and information in the new era is the presentation of the communication theory of learning by George Siemens [13].

Communication theory claims that, unlike the dominant learning theories, it can respond to the challenges and demands facing educational systems. One of the advantages of communication theory is to pay attention to the evaluation of information or knowledge before receiving or learning it. Therefore, the driving force of communicationism is the understanding of the fact that decisions in the new world are based on rapidly changing foundations [12]. This theory is inspired by theories such as Love and Wenger’s situational learning; Bruner’s and Vygotsky’s social learning theory and others; the neuroscientific theories of Church Lands, Papert, Menseks, McCland, Romerhut, Clark, Spivey, and others; McLuhan’s media theory; Complexity theory, system-based thinking, and meta-complexity; and network theory, which establish a new paradigm in the field of learning and education [14].

According to the theory of connectionism, learning in the digital age occurs as a process of forming networks, and learning is the process of connecting, growing, and guiding these networks. In other words, it is “network learning;” learning takes place in a large system that is very complex [15]. Siemens presents this big system under the title of ecosystem, and it is the duty of educators to create and strengthen the ecosystem that allows the learner to effectively improve their learning and perform better [11]. Therefore, the task of the education system is to create a local environment that allows the emergence of maximum innovation and causes the most recombinations. In fact, communicationism prefers the term design of learning ecosystems instead of designing educational systems (which is the subject of cognitive theories) and designing learning environments (which is proposed in constructivism theory) and believes that this concept is quantitatively and qualitatively more comprehensive and broader than other concepts [16].

Communication theory in education has brought results. Elliott and Martin [17] introduce some applications derived from the theory of communication, using social networks, personal learning environment, and free courses. Also, Techakosit and Wannapiroon [18] found in a research that communication-oriented environment in laboratory science consists of four elements. The components of the learning environment, the learning process, the characteristics of the environment, and scientific literacy are formed, and they concluded that this environment leads to an increase in scientific literacy. In addition, Hung [19] has also used the ideas of communication theory in a study to design new learning models in Vietnam and proposed ecosystem learning models to expand the online course with the aim of practical use for the process of reforming education in Vietnam.

Also, Kultawanich et al. [20] presented a proposed model of communication theory for use in the virtual classroom; this proposed model has five components of the virtual classroom, ability-based tools, the role of the teacher, learning resources, and evaluation of learning. They came to the conclusion that the use of this model in the virtual classroom increases the scientific literacy and self-efficacy of undergraduate students. The research results of Trnova and Trna [21] also showed that the use of communication tools in teaching makes students learn with interest, and their knowledge and skills grow better than in an environment without communication methods. In addition, communication-oriented techniques and methods provide many positive results for students and research teachers. Admiraal et al. [22] used peer assessment and self-evaluation methods to evaluate the general Internet education course based on the theory of communication and concluded that the correlation between these two methods is high and suggested that the methods of peer assessment and self-evaluation, in order to evaluate for learning, should be used instead of evaluation.

The use of communication-oriented methods and research in education, or, in other words, the integration of technology in the curriculum, shows that the content and goals of the curriculum need to be reviewed and revised. The challenge of education policymakers is to prepare learners for the competencies needed in the information society [23]. Therefore, they care about the use of technology. And at the same time, they need evidence of the impact of technology on student performance based on existing curriculum needs. Technology support for content, goals, methods, and assessment requires coordination to bridge the gap between implemented and acquired curriculum [24].

3. Theory of rich media

In their seminal work on rich media theory, Daft and Lengel [25] stated that managers can improve the performance of their organizational information processing tasks by matching media characteristics with needs. The theory of media richness is also based on the assumption that media have the capacity to facilitate information sharing. This possibility was later called media richness, from which various meanings can be derived. This theory claims that four factors affect media richness: The medium’s ability to convey multiple signals (e.g., sound stimulation, gestures), immediate feedback, language diversity, and ideal personal focus. This theory claims that rich media lead to better performance in two-way communication by communicating faster and understanding ambiguous messages better, because rich media provide a lot of information and messages in communication; Therefore, Daft and Lengel [25] concluded that the use of richer media (such as face-to-face meetings) leads to better performance for interpersonal tasks (such as deciding on company achievements). However, using lean media (such as using notes and notes) less often leads to better performance.

At this point, media richness theory was a theory of media use, not media choice. This theory examines the conditions under which any medium is most effective (e.g., how managers should use the medium) rather than whether managers actually chose the medium. However, the first empirical tests of media richness theory ([26]; cited in [27]) studied media selection, not usage effects. The research method of their research was such that they asked the managers to say which media they use to see if the managers’ understanding of the best media and the appropriate task matches them or not.

The following years have seen a number of experiments on media enrichment theory, many of which have provided revised interpretations (e.g., [28]). However, almost all of these studies have followed the empirical work of Daft and Lengel [25]. Daft and Wigginten (cited in [27]) identified nine different types of language: art, nonverbal signs, poetry, general verbal expression, specific accents, linguistic variables, computer languages, probability theory, and analytical mathematics. Daft et al. [26] broadly grouped these into two: natural language and numbers. Personal focus emphasizes the extent to which the message sender can customize the messages to meet the individual needs of the receiver. Generic ads cannot be personalized because they are broad, but personal messages can be (cited in [27]).

Using media richness theory to define and measure performance is incorrect. Daft and Lengel ([25], pp. 567–568) stated that organizations process information to achieve appropriate performance, without defining “performance” in a nutshell. Media richness theory explains the conceptual framework of performance in three terms: better decision-making (quality of decision-making), creation of shared systems of meaning (consensus among participants), and better use of participants’ time (time required to reach conclusions). User satisfaction is also presented as a performance element; satisfaction has been one of the main elements in this for a long time. Therefore, we believe that the communication satisfaction of the sender and receiver(s) is another element of performance. We believe that this multidimensional definition (decision, quality, consensus, time, satisfaction) provides a reasonable way to conceptualize AI work [27].

4. Characteristics of e-learning based environments

Space and location in virtual environments have features such as access to resources in any place based on the ecosystem and interactive communication and being a creator of opportunities, which will be explained further.

4.1 In virtual environments, access to information and educational resources is possible in any place

E-learning environments, using the facilities and technological tools they have, make scientific learning not limited to the classroom, but their learning outside the classroom and in any place is possible [13], and informal learning is also random and spontaneous and occurs in any space [29]. This mobile and informal learning makes learners automatically self-directed to solve their scientific problems [30, 31]. Based on this, e-learning-based environments are responsive to learners’ scientific problems by providing mobile and fluid communication tools, in any place. Therefore, it is necessary for the teacher to not to limited to classroom activities and to design activities to consolidate and deepen learning outside the classroom so that learners can enrich their learning informally.

4.2 In virtual environments, the place of learning is based on the ecosystem

The network environment or learning ecosystem is open, flexible, and collaborative among the environments based on e-learning [32], and knowledge in it is based on situations and contexts [33]. Also, based on the transpersonal theory, communication in a virtual social network arises from its situations and conditions and is not limited to the person establishing communication [34]. And a network instructor with knowledge of the learning context, by enriching the learning environment, in addition to creating an ecosystem, also helps the development and growth of ecosystem literacy [11]. Therefore, in environments based on e-learning, the place of formal and informal learning depends on the local environment, which requires technological literacy.

4.3 In virtual environments, the place of learning is a network based on interactive communication

In environments based on e-learning, the learning environment is such that people can freely communicate with different communication groups, and this communication knows no boundaries, and even by using social networks, it is possible to communicate with experts and professors abroad [35]. In general, the main foundation of using e-learning environments is to communicate with different people inside and outside the country, which can be achieved by using video meetings and other communication tools of social networks. Therefore, it is necessary for the lecturer to make multichannel communication as the basis of his teaching approaches and, accordingly, help the students to deepen their informal learning.

4.4 In environments based on e-learning, the place of learning is the creator of opportunities

The place of learning in virtual environments; It is variable, flexible, and open [32], and informal learning in these networks brings many unintentional results [36]. Critical thinking [37] and based on the theory of media richness, the use of social networks leads to better decision-making, the creation of shared meaning systems, the appropriate use of time, and, ultimately, user satisfaction [27]. Therefore, it is necessary for the planners and teachers of virtual environments to help share ideas, solve scientific problems, and use collective wisdom by taking advantage of the opportunities of virtual environments.

In addition to the above, the background of the research shows that the uses of technological tools in learning features such as anytime, anywhere, multimedia, variety of information, and wide communication capabilities, personalization tools, and information are available that the learner can self-evaluate using these features. Pay continuously by himself [38]. In addition to these, it provides opportunities for interaction and timely feedback [39]; the use of these technological tools leads to the strengthening of critical thinking [38, 40, 41], the ability to solve problems and learn at a higher level [40], increased motivation [42], improved skills, and strengthened self-confidence [39]. The Figure 1 shows the characteristics and consequences of using technological tools in learning in virtual space.

Figure 1.

Features and consequences of using virtual environments in learning.

5. Comparison of curriculum elements between virtual and traditional classroom environments

Considering the many differences that exist between learning in a traditional classroom and learning in electronic environments, accordingly, curriculum elements such as students, teachers, content, time, place, educational communication, and the evaluation process also undergo differences. Therefore, in the following, each of the mentioned elements will be compared in the traditional classroom environment and the virtual environment And the prescriptions of each element for the technical and professional curriculum are provided in the virtual space.

The role of the teacher: In the traditional classroom, the teacher identifies the learning results by lecturing and practicing based on the planned plan, but in the virtual environment, the teacher can meet the needs of different students, both weak and strong, by using multimedia content and by creating different learning environments. Solve at any time and place [43, 44, 45, 46]. Based on this, the teacher in the technical and professional virtual curriculum is a facilitator and a guide for the learners. Table 1 compares the role of teachers in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment, as well as provides recommendations for technical and professional curriculum.

The role of teachers
Traditional classroom	Virtual environment	Vocational and technical curriculum in virtual space
Identify learning outcomes and evaluation of the method based on the predetermined plan and program	Analysis of students’ characteristics, learning results and educational content	In technical and vocational schools, the teacher’s teaching should be based on the knowledge of the students’ characteristics and the available materials and resources.
Preparation Activities, exercises, and educational assignments	Creating educational strategies according to the principles Instructional Design	In technical and vocational schools, the relevant teacher makes his teaching methods based on teaching goals and on the basis of a comprehensive examination of teaching.
Creating educational processes	Creating different e-learning environments For multi-person groups at any time, based on different needs (e.g., for students advanced, intermediate, and weak)	In technical and vocational schools, the relevant teacher creates diverse and collaborative learning environments so that all students can learn skills based on their cognitive needs.
Assessment of students’ knowledge	Creating multimedia educational content (for different learning styles)	In technical and vocational schools, the teacher considers multimedia content to evaluate students’ skills.
Lectures, exercises	Moderation of online discussions	In technical and vocational schools, students’ learning is consolidated and deepened based on participation in online discussions.
Giving instructions, guidance, and counseling to students	Online help, create automatic knowledge assessment	In technical and vocational schools, teacher evaluations are based on self-evaluation and peer evaluation.

Table 1.

Comparing the role of teachers in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment and providing prescriptions related to the technical and professional curriculum in the virtual environment.

The role of the student: In the traditional classroom, the student passively listens to the teacher’s lecture or actively participates in classroom and extracurricular activities. But in the virtual environment, the student actively participates in content creation, teaching lessons, and evaluation. In the traditional classroom, students’ motivation depends on the subject and the teacher’s perception, but in the virtual environment, the student can learn actively based on internal and external motivations [47, 48, 49, 50]. In the virtual space, technical and professional learners participate in the entire teaching process in a self-directed manner. Table 2 shows the role and motivation of students in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment, as well as the prescriptions related to the role of virtual learners in the technical and professional curriculum.

Element	Traditional classroom	Electronic environment	Vocational and technical curriculum in virtual space
The role of students	Passive listening to the teacher’s speech; Writing and presenting an article (individually or as part of a group) Self-directed activities outside the classroom Active participation in practical work Writing supervised articles Teacher Limited consultation	The possibility of active engagement during the speech and afterward Influence in the creation of educational content Communication with the teacher and other students regardless of time and place Proactive formation of subject-based learning groups at the institution level or at the global level Active use of the automatic evaluation of the formed knowledge Active learning, developing critical thinking, sharing ideas, learning the context Self-directed work by receiving positive feedback regardless of time and place · Influencing the educational process (continuous online assessment)	Students in technical and vocational schools actively participate in the production of learning content by establishing continuous relationships with the teacher. Online students in technical and vocational schools solve their learning challenges by creating diverse groups for multiple subjects. Online students in technical and professional schools learn in a self-directed manner, and due to the continuous evaluation by their teachers and peers, their critical thinking also grows.
The motivation of the students	Using motivational models in Conditions limited by time and space The motivation depends on the characteristics of the subject and the teacher’s perception	The possibility of using different motivational models, separately for students with intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; Extrinsic motivation: positive feedback, reward, knowledge and awareness, collaborative learning, etc.; Intrinsic motivation: choosing contextual educational content, activities, etc.; Additional motivational factors include: choosing e-learning technology, visual design of educational materials, interaction in the environment, etc.

Table 2.

The role and motivation of students in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment and the presentation of technical and professional curriculum prescriptions in the virtual environment.

Educational content: In the traditional classroom, educational content is presented in the form of audio and video in the form of radio, television, and pre-made content by the teacher at a specific time and place, but in the virtual environment, multimedia content can be provided according to the needs of students and their different learning styles [43, 45, 46, 51]. The learning materials and resources in the technical and professional curriculum are software, interactive, multimedia and according to the interests of the learners. Table 3 compares the educational content in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment and provides recommendations for the technical and professional curriculum in the virtual environment.

Educational content
Traditional classroom	Electronic environment	Vocational and technical curriculum in virtual space
Text, audio (tape), recorder, radio and Video and TV For all students, it’s the same There is limited access according to time and place. The teacher chooses the content	Multimedia format (using various program tools) Suitable for different learning styles Possibility of multiple use in different educational fields Unlimited access regardless of time and place Ability to simulate real life and business situations	Educational content in the technical and professional curriculum is presented in multimedia so that each of the learners can learn their favorite skills according to their learning styles. Professional and technical students can access educational materials anytime and anywhere and learn how to make and use different tools using virtual and mixed reality.

Table 3.

Comparison of educational content in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment and the presentation of technical and professional curriculum prescriptions in the virtual environment.

Time and place: In the traditional classroom, learning places are limited to the classroom, library, laboratory, and so on, but in virtual environments, the learning environment is independent of the place. In the traditional classroom, teaching takes place at a specific and predetermined time, but in the virtual environment, depending on the type of communication, interactions can be simultaneous or asynchronous [48, 49, 50]. In the technical and vocational curriculum, the place of learning goes beyond the school and the classroom, and students can learn skills anytime and anywhere. Table 4 compares the time and place in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment and provides recommendations for the technical and professional curriculum in the virtual environment.

element	Traditional classroom	Electronic environment	Vocational and technical curriculum in virtual space
Time	Class Laboratory Field Work	Independent of location (from any computer anywhere)	In technical and vocational schools, all the factors involved in the education process are in continuous communication with each other at any time and solve the challenges related to their skill training.
place	in defined period	Simultaneous and asynchronous communication Access to learning materials independent of time	In technical and vocational schools, the place of education is not limited to the classroom and school, so that teachers and students can communicate with each other in any place and at any time.

Table 4.

Comparison of time and place in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment and the presentation of technical and professional curriculum prescriptions in the virtual environment.

Communication in the educational process: Student communication with the student, teacher, educational content, and other resources in the traditional classroom is limited and can be defined in the form of a specific time and place, but this communication in the virtual environment is unlimited [43, 44, 45, 46]. In the technical and professional curriculum in cyber space, student-teacher communication is not limited to classroom communication, and students can communicate with their instructor, peers, and educational experts at any time. Table 5 compares the educational communication in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment, as well as provides recommendations related to the technical and professional curriculum in the virtual environment.

Type of communication	Traditional classroom	Electronic environment	Vocational and technical curriculum in virtual space
Student - student	limited	unlimited	In the technical and professional curriculum that takes place in virtual space, students’ communication with teachers and all content and learning resources are self-directed, unlimited, continuous, and based on multiple interactions.
Teacher-student	limited	unlimited
Student-educational content	Effectless	Influence on choice and design
Student - other sources	Library	Encouraging self-directed use of research content and online resources

Table 5.

Comparison of educational communication in traditional classroom and virtual environment and provision of technical and professional curriculum prescriptions in virtual environment.

Evaluation in the educational process: Evaluation in the traditional classroom is often limited and based on written tests, but evaluation in electronic environments is unlimited, automatic, and a process before, during, and at the end of the training, which can happen at any time and place [48, 49, 50]. In the technical and professional curriculum, students can always evaluate their learning by using online tests. Table 6 compares the educational evaluation in the traditional classroom and the virtual environment and provides recommendations related to the technical and professional curriculum.

Type	Traditional classroom	Electronic environment	Vocational and technical curriculum in virtual space
Acquired knowledge of students	Written test in traditional classrooms	Auto unlimited Unlimited formative evaluation automatically at any time and place The possibility of automatic density evaluation	In technical and vocational schools, teachers learn about the knowledge and skills of students continuously and online, and the teacher can easily measure the progress of students in learning a specific skill.
	Evaluation based on a written questionnaire	The possibility of redesigning educational processes, while the educational processes are being carried out. Automatic evaluation during the training process and afterwards	In the technical and professional curriculum that takes place in the virtual space, the teacher can measure the level of skill learning in the students by designing short virtual tests, and in addition, the teacher also measures the effectiveness of his teaching.
Educational process	Evaluation based on a written questionnaire	The possibility of redesigning educational processes while the educational processes are being carried out. Automatic evaluation during the training process and afterwards	In the technical and professional curriculum, considering that the educational content is more practical, so the teacher can continuously and online measure the amount of skill learning during and after the education process.
Educational content	Evaluation based on a written questionnaire	The possibility of redesigning educational processes while the educational processes are being carried out. Automatic evaluation during the training process and afterwards	In the technical and professional curriculum, the teacher can use self-assessment to evaluate his performance, in addition, he can use the opinions of other teachers, students, and school administrative staff by designing online tests.

Table 6.

Comparison of educational evaluation in traditional classroom and virtual environment and providing prescriptions related to technical and professional curriculum in virtual environment.

Providing instructions to learners in virtual environments, first and second secondary courses and technical and professional theoretical and practical courses.

In Table 7, prescriptions for technical and professional courses and courses in virtual environments are presented.

The title of the sub-element	Situations		Situations
Environment	Electronic status	Electronic status	In virtual environments, we can use various features of technological environments based on the facilities we have.; For example, the: If the individual differences of the students are large, it is possible to provide education according to the learning styles of the students using multimedia tools.; If evaluation is important in the learning process, using technological tools can not only create a context for their self-evaluation but also provide continuous and timely feedback.; If the interaction and communication between student and teacher is considered important, it is possible to answer students’ scientific questions and challenges by creating interactive environments in the form of learning management systems and social networks.
	the period	First high school	Considering the characteristics of students in the first secondary school, it is necessary for teachers to familiarize students with various technical and professional skills using virtual space so that students can choose their favorite field based on their interests.
		second high school	In the middle school period, considering that students are almost able to personalize their learning environment by themselves, it is better for the teacher to familiarize them with their learning problems with continuous evaluations and prevent wasting opportunities by creating scientific challenges and cognitive needs. In attractive technological environments, take a positive step toward the realization of educational goals.
	Lesson	theoretical lesson	Due to the fact that in virtual environments, access to educational resources is available at any time and place, it is better for students to examine different aspects of the studied subjects to consolidate and deepen their learning.; For example, in the social lesson, the subject of geographic maps, students can, under the guidance of the teacher, in addition to checking the content of the textbook, search the web and view satellite map images online and discuss these topics in the classroom.
		practical lesson	Considering that the teaching of practical lessons and the continuation of the processes of making and producing various tools require continuous and continuous feedback by the teacher and peers. Therefore, in teaching these courses, it is better to solve students’ problems by creating interactive environments based on continuous feedback and evaluation.; For example, in design and sewing lessons, students need guidance from the teacher or peers continuously. Therefore, it is necessary to solve the problems related to sewing clothes in the production process by creating an interactive environment.

Table 7.

Provision of prescriptions related to technical and professional courses and courses in virtual environments.

6. Conclusion

This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the elements of technical and professional curriculum in virtual space. The findings showed that the growth of technology and the increase of technological facilities and tools and their use by students and teachers in the learning process lead to the stabilization and deepening of the learning content for the learners. In addition, it facilitates the training of skills for technical and professional trainers. Students can learn easily by using multimedia content, according to their learning styles, and teachers can monitor the learning process of students by providing assignments and continuous exercises in learning management systems and using content make teaching interactive and relevant to the educational content attractive to students.

According to the development of technology, each of the curriculum elements in technical and vocational education undergoes changes, as stated; teachers, students, content, time and place, educational communication, and evaluation, including technical curriculum elements and professionals in the virtual space, change a lot compared to traditional classes so that the role of technical and professional instructors changes from transmitting information to guiding and facilitating students’ learning, and students also get out of the passive mode and actively participate in content creation and the teaching and learning process.

Technical and professional learning content in virtual space is not limited to textbooks and educational pamphlets, but this content is produced and presented in multimedia and interactive and rereading capabilities. In addition, the place and time of learning is beyond the scope of school and class, and students can learn at any time and in any place. In addition, teacher-student communication is not only formal and in the school environment, but the student can communicate with teachers, peers, and even educational experts outside the school. In addition, there is no paper evaluation in the virtual space, so the teacher can use online tests to determine the level of students’ learning skills at any time and provide the necessary feedback to solve the students’ learning challenges.

7. Recommendations

Based on the research findings, it is suggested that…

1. Due to the growth of technology and changes in teaching methods, teachers should familiarize themselves with various technological tools to increase the effectiveness of their teaching.

2. Vocational and technical education teachers should not limit students’ learning to the classroom and use homework and supplementary exercises in virtual space to consolidate and deepen students’ learning.

3. Curriculum experts are suggested to change the activities and exercises of the textbooks according to the development of information and communication technology so that the appropriateness of the educational content is maintained with the characteristics of the learners of the network generation.

4. Technical and professional students are suggested not to limit communication with their teachers and classmates to the classroom and use social networks and messengers to establish multiple interactions.

5. Curriculum planners and technical and professional curriculum specialists are suggested to produce and publish supplementary online content in the form of clips, software, animations, and QR codes in addition to paper content.

6. Technical and professional teachers are suggested to continuously use online tests in addition to paper tests to evaluate their teaching and monitor the students’ learning skills.

7. Technical and professional officials and officials are suggested to provide technological infrastructure and equipment for technical and professional education classes so that teachers and students can easily use new technologies in teaching.