Abstract:

Experiential and project-based learning approaches are increasingly recognized as effective strategies to connect classroom learning with real professional practice, particularly in technical and vocational education. In media and communication programs, this challenge has become more significant due to the reduction of opportunities in traditional media industries and the emergence of new forms of digital media production in online platforms and social networks. As traditional journalism and media outlets decrease their capacity to host trainees, educational institutions must explore alternative learning environments that allow students to develop professional competencies aligned with contemporary digital communication ecosystems.

This study presents an educational innovation implemented in a technical upper-secondary institution belonging to the Dirección General de Educación Tecnológica Industrial (DGETI), the largest public technical education system in Mexico. The project involved students from the Technical Media Communication program who participated in the multimedia coverage of the National Sports Meeting organized by DGETI, a large-scale educational event that brought together more than 3,600 student-athletes representing the 32 states of the Mexican Republic and competing in 11 sports disciplines.

The pedagogical design was structured as a real-world project-based learning experience in which students assumed professional media production roles. A total of 95 students participated in collaborative media production teams responsible for audiovisual production, sports photography, interviews, social media content creation, and immersive audiovisual recording using 360-degree cameras. The event coverage required coordinated media production across 45 sports fields distributed in seven sports venues.

The learning experience simulated authentic professional media environments, allowing students to develop technical, organizational, and collaborative competencies under real production conditions. Students participated in planning media coverage, conducting interviews with athletes and authorities, producing audiovisual materials for digital platforms, and editing multimedia content for publication through institutional social media channels.

To analyze the educational impact of the experience, a survey was administered to participating students. Seventy responses were obtained, representing a response rate of 73.7 percent. The results indicate strong perceived learning outcomes: 90 percent of respondents reported increased professional responsibility, 87 percent reported improvement in audiovisual production skills, and 85 percent reported greater confidence in working under real-time production pressure.

These findings suggest that integrating authentic multimedia production projects into technical education can significantly strengthen professional competencies, digital media skills, and collaborative learning processes while connecting classroom learning with real professional media practice.

Keywords:

Experiential Learning, Project-Based Learning, Media Education, Vocational Education, Multimedia Production, Digital Media Skills.