Unlike general education, vocational education aims to nurture skilled people for various sectors in the society. The development of students’ problem analysis and problem-solving skills is crucial. As an important part of the vocational education system, skills competitions are considered a “booster” for improving the quality of teaching in vocational institutions. This paper examines the problem-solving skills of students in preparation for skills competition. First of all, we introduce China’s education policies and conduct a review of early scholars’ views, followed by a discussion on the specific problems faced in the design of the entry for skills competition and an exploration of the process of enhancing students’ problem-solving skills around these problems; we then propose several suggestions for vocational institutions to enhance their participation in skills competitions. Skills competitions provide a “special stage” for students in vocational institutions to show their abilities. The question of how this “stage” can be utilized to better improve students’ abilities is worth exploring in different fields.

Vocational education and general education are two different types of education that are equally important. The orientation of talent training in vocational education is to nurture skilled talents to serve the society. The practical ability of students is both the focus of teaching in vocational colleges and the requirement of enterprise posts. The various types of skills competitions provide a “stage” for students to showcase their abilities. First, this paper explores students’ problem-solving ability while preparing for these competitions, expounding the importance of vocational education and skills competitions. Second, this paper summarizes the views of different scholars. Third, based on a specific case, this paper describes the improvement in students’ ability while preparing for these competitions. Fourth, this paper analyzes the results of the questionnaire survey conducted to investigate the improvement in students’ ability. Lastly, this paper puts forward several suggestions that appeal for vocational colleges to pay more attention to skills competitions.

This paper presents a study on the effectiveness of digital materials developed using finite element technique (FET) in promoting problem-based learning (PBL) teaching and improving the quality of classroom teaching in vocational colleges. The study focused on the bending deformation of a beam under external load as a case study. A large volume of digitized materials, including Mises stress nephograms, were incorporated into the PBL curriculum. We conducted the PBL teaching experiment in four classes and evaluated the teaching effect. The results indicated that the use of digital materials developed by FET was effective in enhancing student engagement, promoting communication and collaboration among students, and improving the quality of PBL teaching. The study also revealed that students were receptive to incorporating new technologies into classroom teaching. These findings suggest that the use of FET has the potential to enhance student learning experiences and improve the effectiveness of teaching in vocational colleges.

This study suggests utilizing digital teaching resources, specifically color U3 nephogram, to enhance the effectiveness of Engineering Mechanics classroom instruction. To establish this approach, the research team created a finite element model based on a challenging problem. By collecting and applying numerous digital materials, we conducted a teaching experiment with 37 students. Results of the evaluation indicate that the experiment improved the quality of instruction and significantly increased students’ interest. The color nephogram proved to be an intuitive and clear tool for helping students grasp abstract concepts and complicated mathematical calculations. Finite element technology allows access to a large number of digital resources and its facilitates innovation in the teaching of Engineering Mechanics.