ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS – AN APPROPRIATE PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH FOR TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION I. Kaffe, E. Houstis University of Thessaly, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (GREECE) Abstract Although several researchers have investigated engineering design process (EDP) as an effective pedagogy for technology education in K-12, its potential for technical and vocational education has not obtained much attention. In an ever-changing scientific, technological and social environment, technical and vocational education has not only to provide practical occupational skills, but also to ensure that students will acquire higher order critical thinking, competencies with regard to adaptation, decision-making, creativity and innovation, technological literacy and collaboration skills. This article discusses engineering design process, as an appropriate constructivist approach for contextualized learning and effective connection between theory and practice that fosters the intended learning outcomes for technical and vocational education in the twenty-first century. It is based on an ongoing research project, where we examine, theoretically and practically, how problem solving environments (PSEs) supporting EDP could be developed to underpin effectively engineering design as a constructivist learning activity in the heterogeneous technological classroom, employing activity theory as a conceptual framework. Keywords: Engineering design process, technical and vocational education, constructivism, teaching and learning methodology, problem solving environments. 1 INTRODUCTION The adoption of appropriate pedagogic practices is essential for an effective educational provision in the field of vocational education [1]. To address the challenges ensuing from the immense scientific, technological and socio-economic changes, theory and practice in technical and vocational education (TVE) should be learner-centered using motivating learning approaches [2]. More specifically, as it is noted in [2], “experience in the laboratory, workshop and/or enterprises should be linked to mathematical and scientific foundations, and conversely, technical theory, as well as the mathematics and science underlying it, should be illustrated through their practical applications”. New learning constructivist theories raise critical questions about the design of learning environments with regards to “what is taught, how it is taught, and how it is assessed”, to enable them imparting meaningful knowledge to active learners, who will be better prepared to transfer what they have learned to new problems and settings [3]. In addition, Houstis in [4] notes that computers and information technologies (IT) are part of every productive organization of the human enterprise, from manufacturing to entertainment, telecommunications, transportation and education, and they are changing the way we deliver, consume, and administer education. Traditionally, curricula in secondary vocational engineering education use textbook instruction and hands-on lessons that provide effectively factual and procedural knowledge along with specific technical skills, but often students lack conceptual understanding as an “implicit or explicit understanding of the principles that govern a domain and of the interrelations between units of knowledge in a domain” [5]. New constructivist learning theories emphasize that textbooks and assessment tests promote memorization instead of deep understanding and sense making and suggest that in order to provide conceptual understanding, curricula should be appropriately organized around important ideas or concepts [3]. On the other hand, technical and vocational education provides contextualized learning through practical applications in real-world or simulated contexts [6]. Nevertheless, as Pierce and Jones note in [7], isolated hands-on activities provide a low level of contextualization and problem solving learning, since, “learners may use the tools or materials of a trade, but never experience the higher- level thinking processes required to solve ill-structured problems of the real world”. Proceedings of EDULEARN17 Conference 3rd-5th July 2017, Barcelona, Spain ISBN: 978-84-697-3777-4 8134