When schools closed last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic, many career and technical education teachers had to quickly adapt their courses for remote learning. Now, with continuing health and safety concerns over reopening schools, many CTE educators will need to plan and prepare for teaching in a fully online or blended learning environment.

That task isn’t so easy. Compared with other subjects taught in schools, CTE classes rely more on hands-on instruction, equipment and fieldwork. “For many — if not most — CTE programs, at least some face-to-face instruction is ideal, or even necessary, for knowledge and skill development and hands-on practice,” according to the Association for Career and Technical Education’s recent brief on planning high-quality CTE for a pandemic-impacted school year.

Prior to the pandemic, some schools had already considered teaching some aspects of CTE remotely to provide equitable access to more learners, according to the ACTE. The pandemic’s impact on CTE programs has led others to rethink how such courses will be delivered in the future with the help of technology.