Career-Ready Project-Based Instruction for CTE Educators

This non-credit professional development course is designed for Career Technical Education (CTE) educators and instructional leaders seeking to strengthen career-ready instruction through Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Work-Based Learning (WBL) practices. Offered by UCLA Extension’s Education Programs, the course aligns with the LAUSD Standards for Career Ready Practice and emphasizes authentic, industry-connected teaching strategies that promote student engagement, agency, and postsecondary readiness. Participants will explore research-based instructional frameworks, including High Tech High design principles and the Deeper Learning Kaleidoscope, to design standards-aligned projects rooted in real-world career contexts. Through interactive workshops, educators will develop essential questions, project launches, collaboration and critique structures, exhibition models, and authentic assessment strategies tailored to their CTE pathways. The course culminates in a refined, classroom-ready project plan and reflective practice tools that support instructional sustainability, continuous improvement, and alignment with district and workforce expectations. This course may be taken as a standalone CEU offering or as part of a broader UCLA Extension professional learning series for CTE educators.