BLENDED LEARNING STRATEGIES IN CLOTHING AND TEXTILE EDUCATION: OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN THE ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Keywords:
Blended learning, Artificial Intelligence, Clothing and Textile Education, Vocational education and TPACKAbstract
The rapid integration of digital technologies in higher education has intensified interest in blended learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as mechanisms for improving teaching quality, flexibility, and employability outcomes. Although blended learning is well established in higher education and vocational contexts, its application within studio-based disciplines such as Clothing and Textile Education remains under-theorized. Clothing and Textile Education integrates cognitive knowledge with psychomotor skill development, creating pedagogical demands such as demonstration, iterative practice, feedback, and performance-based assessment that complicate technology integration. Drawing on a synthesis of recent empirical literature in higher education and vocational training, alongside global guidance on AI in education, the paper evaluates the opportunities and constraints of integrating digital and AI-enabled tools into practice-based instruction. Anchored in the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, the analysis emphasized that effective integration depends on alignment among content demands, pedagogical approaches, and technological competence. Key opportunities include extended practice and skill acquisition, AI-supported feedback, improved engagement, enhanced digital competence, and strengthened industry relevance. However, persistent challenges including infrastructural limitations, educator capacity gaps, assessment validity concerns, digital inequality, and ethical risks such as privacy and bias may undermine implementation if not systematically addressed. The paper argued for discipline-specific, ethically governed, and pedagogically aligned blended learning models to reposition Clothing and Textile Education as a modern, industry-relevant programme that supports skills development and sustainable socio-economic development.References
Alammary, A. S. (2022). A toolkit to support the design of blended learning courses. IEEE Access, 10, 85530–85548. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2022.3198641
Alammary, A., Sheard, J., & Carbone, A. (2014). Blended learning in higher education: Three different design approaches. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 30(4), 440–454.
Alston-Socha, W., Mason, M., McInerney, K., & Mills, N. (2022, October). Blended Learning Toolkit: Leveraging the Strengths of Face-to-Face and Online Learning. RTI International.
Chen, H., & Huang, J. (2024). PBL-based vocational education blended learning activity design research. Education Reform and Development, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.26689/erd.v6i1.6278
El-Messaoudi, M. (2024). The impact of a blended learning model on undergraduate university students’ digital literacy skills: Empirical evidence from higher education. Educational Process: International Journal, 13(4), 84–101.
Federal Ministry of Education. (2025). Press release on the new Federal Government curriculum / approved subject offerings under the National Education Sector Reform Initiatives (NESRI). Federal Ministry of Education / NERDC.
Han, X. (2023). Evaluating blended learning effectiveness: An empirical study from undergraduates’ perspectives using structural equation modeling. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1059282. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1059282
Holmes, W., Bialik, M., & Fadel, C. (2019). Artificial intelligence in education: Promises and implications for teaching and learning. Center for Curriculum Redesign.
Hrastinski, S. (2019). What do we mean by blended learning? TechTrends, 63(5), 564–569.
Ifenthaler, D., Majumdar, R., Gorissen, P., Judge, M., Mishra, S., Raffaghelli, J., & Shimada, A. (2024). Artificial intelligence in education: Implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 29, 1693–1710. doi:10.1007/s10758-024-09747-0
Istenič, A. (2024). Blended learning in higher education: The integrated and distributed model and a thematic analysis. Discover Education, 3, 165.
McGrath, S., & Yamada, S. (2023). Skills for development and vocational education and training: Current and emergent trends. International Journal of Educational Development, 102, 102853.
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017–1054.
Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC). (2025). New revised senior secondary education curriculum (SSEC). NERDC.
Obiazi, A. E. (2021). Assessment of clothing and textiles occupational skills need and utilization for entrepreneurship among university undergraduates in South-South Zone, Nigeria Doctoral Dissertation, Delta State University, Abraka.
OECD. (2023). OECD digital education outlook 2023. OECD Publishing.
Pargmann, J., Berding, F., Rebmann, K., & Riebenbauer, E. (2025). How AI feedback supports lesson planning in vocational teacher education: A longitudinal intervention study using an analytical AI platform. Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training, 17, 26.
Prasetya, F., Fortuna, A., Samala, A. D., Latifa, D. K., Andriani, W., Gusti, U. A., Raihan, M., Criollo-C, S., Kaya, D., & Cabanillas García, J. L. (2025). Harnessing artificial intelligence to revolutionize vocational education: Emerging trends, challenges, and contributions to SDGs 2030. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11, 101401. doi:10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101401
Shen, Y., Liu, Q., Zhang, K., & Zou, R. (2024). The application of artificial intelligence technology in vocational college training. In Recent trends in educational technology and administration (pp. 111–119). Springer.
Song, S., & Lai, Y. C. (2025). Blended learning in vocational education: Benefits, challenges, and student engagement. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2548348. doi:10.1080/2331186X.2025.2548348
Song, S., & Lai, Y. C. (2025). Blended learning in vocational education: Benefits, challenges, and student engagement. Cogent Education. Advance online publication / article 2548348.
Ugwu, E. I., Ezeaku, M. N., Attah, B. I., Emeghebo, U. M., & Eze, E. C. (2023). Application of computer aided design (CAD) and flat techniques in teaching pattern drafting by clothing lecturers in universities in South East, Nigeria. International Journal of Home Economics, Hospitality and Allied Research, 2(1), 29–43. https://doi.org/10.57012/ijhhr.v2n1.003
UNESCO. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2022). Transforming technical and vocational education and training for successful and just transitions: UNESCO strategy 2022–2029. UNESCO.
UNESCO. (2023). Guidance for generative AI in education and research. UNESCO.
World Bank. (2018). The Human Capital Project. World Bank.
World Bank. (2023). World Development Report 2023: Migrants, Refugees, and Societies. World Bank.
World Economic Forum. (2023). The future of jobs report 2023. World Economic Forum.
Yu, Z., Xu, W., & Sukjairungwattana, P. (2022). Meta-analyses of differences in blended and traditional learning outcomes and students’ attitudes. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 926947.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors are permitted to post their work online in institutional/disciplinary repositories or on their own websites. Pre-print versions posted online should include a citation and link to the final published version in Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly Communication as soon as the issue is available; post-print versions (including the final publisher's PDF) should include a citation and link to the journal's website.
