PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore how lesson study (LS) can be transitioned to an online mode, with the purpose to derive recommendations for performing online LS while being loyal to the defining elements of a face-to-face LS.Design/methodology/approachA theoretical analysis into the core components and procedures of LS resulted in five big ideas that capture essentials of LS. Using these big ideas, constraints were derived for online LS and a pilot online LS was performed. Data were collected on the process and team members' reflections. The experience in the pilot was mapped against the outcomes of the theoretical analysis.FindingsSetting up close collaboration and the observation of the online lesson appeared to be the most challenging issues. A set of recommendations in the form of do's and don'ts was derived from the experience.Practical implicationsThe set of recommendations can be applied by practitioners who face the challenge of performing LS in an online environment, and can serve as a start for further research in online LS.Originality/valueThe original contribution of the article is the combination of the theoretical analysis of LS combined with the practical experience in the pilot. This gives rise to a framework that can help understanding LS in general and online environments in particular.

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Pedagogic practices at workplaces are provided to support students' vocational education. To contribute to the understanding of supporting workplace learning, the focus of this literature review is to operationalise how pedagogic practices play out in practice. An overview is provided of pedagogic practices applied at workplaces to support students' vocational learning. Included studies provide descriptions of manifestations of pedagogic practices enabled by experienced colleagues, such as supervisors, in the context of students' workplace learning. Three sets of relevant search terms were defined, including synonyms and related definitions of 'pedagogic practices', 'supervisors' and 'workplace learning'. Fortyseven studies were selected, retrieved and processed qualitatively. Findings represent a comprehensive overview of fourteen categories of pedagogic practices. Three perspectives on supporting students are discussed: demonstrating vocational activities, stimulating vocational participation, and entrusting vocational activities.

The intentions with which hands-on simulations are used in vocational education are not always clear. Also, pedagogical-didactic approaches in hands-on simulations are not well conceptualised from a learning theory perspective. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the added value that hands-on simulations can have in an innovative vocational curriculum that not only aims at developing technical and procedural skills, but also at developing competencies and professional identity. This paper introduces a more explicit conceptual discussion regarding the opportunities for using hands-on simulations in innovative curricula. A systematic literature review aimed at positioning hands-on simulations in relation to other work-related contexts, based on their learning environment characteristics and outcomes, shows that certain constructivist characteristics and outcomes are underexposed in empirical research about simulations. The results of an additional in-depth analysis of literature specifically focusing on two fundamental characteristics of constructive vocational learning (i.e. authenticity and increasing students' ownership) propose ideas about how hands-on simulations can have added value to innovative curricula. This paper concludes with concrete strategies for designing and implementing hands-on simulations from the social constructive learning theory with the aim of stimulating not only technical and procedural skills, but also competencies and professional identity.