VLEE is an Erasmus+ project working to strengthen the visual literacy of engineers across participating countries and further afield by introducing innovative visual literacy training into our vocational teaching and provision.
Why is Visual Literacy in Engineering Education important? STEAM specialist, Kate Mason (2016) argues, ‘visual literacy is a mode of thinking that helps us understand and navigate the world around us and is a vital tool in an increasingly visual and digital age’. Visual literacy plays a vital role in enhancing learning and innovation. Why? Because the digital world is a visual world. To construct knowledge and to innovate, we must be able to visualise since most information is initially processed through our eyes.
We are currently developing a set or resources which will improve the provision of visual literacy for engineering training in our VET system, these are
- a Competence Framework (IO1) is a concerted effort to structure and communicate the engineering-specific components of visual literacy in a way that speaks the language of educators, addressing the specific gaps in their knowledge
- a Toolkit (IO2) is aimed directly at teachers and trainers who wish to increase the quality of their teaching using digital visual media tools, but are unsure which tools to use and how to use them.
- an Online Course (IO3) complements classroom work, providing teachers a practical resource to help consolidate student’s skill.
To find out more about these and the VLEE project partners, visit: www.vleeproject.eu
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