A Case Study of Teacher-Industry Collaborative Teaching Practice in Digital Media Art Design Course at Chinese Higher Vocational Colleges

This study aims to examine how collaborative instructional practices between classroom teachers and industry professionals refine students’ learning in digital media art design and teachers’ instructional practices. A qualitative case study was applied to draw participants’ (classroom teachers, industry professionals, and students) perspectives concerning the impacts of collaborative teaching on teaching and learning refinement. Classroom observations and document analysis were also applied to validate the findings. The findings of the study identify common patterns, effective collaborative practices, and areas for improvement in teachers’ instructional practices (such as upgrading learning content using industry standards, implementing project-based learning using real-industry contexts, and emphasizing feedback and assessment on students’ performance and portfolios) and students’ learning (such as accomplishing tasks using industry procedures, facilitating critical thinking and problem-solving abilities). The study findings provide insights for educators, curriculum designers, and policymakers to optimize the training process and develop well-rounded, highly skilled designers for China's high-tech industrialization, contributing to the growth of its innovation sector.