Technology education in academic bildung

A proposal for higher education teacher professional development in Denmark

Abstract

Recent studies have acknowledged the pedagogical challenges posed by digital technologies in higher education (HE) and the need to expand teacher professional development. In this paper, we present the first conceptualization of Teknosofikum, a three-year project funded by the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science, aimed at promoting HE teachers’ professional development in technology education. The goal of the project is to develop an interdisciplinary course for in-service HE teachers in Denmark, through design-based research in three iterations (2020-2023). The paper draws on data from the preparation phase at first iteration, including definition of intended curriculum, content development with subject experts, and learning activities design. A sociomaterial perspective is adopted, informed by STS, critical design and feminist studies. Through these theoretical lenses, professional technology education is understood in Teknosofikum as situated knowledge about the relationship between technology and society, translated into practice through an approach of critical relational pedagogy.