Sentence:  Third , the significance of the vocational courses is that those enrolled are keenly interested in the work ; they realize the relevance of what they are learning to their future careers , and this sense of purpose is carried over to the academic courses which they are <WSD>studying</WSD> at the same time . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  be a student; follow a course of study; be enrolled at an institute of learning