Conference Program

This contribution examines the role of the digital component within Pathways for Transversal Skills and Career Orientation (PTSO), exploring how the integration of ICT contributes to reshaping teaching practices, organizational arrangements, and learning opportunities in upper secondary education. Particular attention is paid to the development of transversal, critical, and participatory competences.
The analysis is based on a “content analysis as a survey” of a broad corpus of PTSO projects, which allows for the identification of two main modes of digital integration. On the one hand, some pathways focus on basic digital literacy, emphasizing instrumental skills and the responsible use of technologies. On the other hand, more articulated projects emerge that incorporate advanced digital tools and languages- such as augmented and virtual reality, 3D modelling, digital storytelling, podcasting, and creative coding - embedding them more structurally within learning processes.
Rather than reflecting differences in technological availability alone, this polarization appears to be closely connected to broader pedagogical and organizational choices. In particular, the findings highlight the relevance of the curriculum–territory axis as a key interpretative lens for understanding patterns of digitalization within PTSO. Projects oriented toward advanced digital practices are more often embedded in territorial contexts characterized by dense educational networks and stronger collaboration between schools, universities, public institutions, and innovation-oriented actors. This configuration supports a closer alignment between curricular objectives, local needs, and the competences required in contemporary professional and civic contexts. Conversely, where the relationship with the territory is weaker or more strongly mediated by market actors, digital technologies tend to be used primarily in a functional and instrumental way, with more limited integration into pedagogical and assessment practices.
From this perspective, digital technologies do not operate as neutral tools, but rather as elements that amplify or constrain the educational potential of PTSO depending on institutional configurations, territorial partnerships, and professional cultures. More complex and longer-lasting projects appear to foster collaborative, reflective, and problem-oriented forms of learning, supporting the development of socio-emotional skills, decision-making capacities, and a sense of responsibility.
The contribution ultimately focuses on the “phygital learning” model as a key framework for interpreting the most advanced experiences. Understood as the intentional integration of physical and digital dimensions, phygital learning makes it possible to move beyond an instrumental view of technology and to promote immersive, participatory, and situated learning environments. Within this framework, digitally enriched PTSO can be interpreted as pedagogical devices capable of enhancing student empowerment and of contributing to the formation of subjects able to exercise critical and responsible agency within social, institutional, and territorial contexts, thus bringing educational practices closer to the challenges of contemporary democracy.