Teachers have different opinions on teaching, and they often place the content of their subject at the forefront, but they do not necessarily pay enough attention to the forms and methods of work. Research shows that the way of teaching is reflected in the knowledge students acquire and in how well they understand it, their motivation to study and, last but not least, in their participation, which are all highly important in science. Despite this, however, higher education teachers do not usually find this to be a matter of great importance. Most of them have not attended didactic training sessions in the past, although this is a permanent obligation of their job. They often feel that they gain all relevant knowledge through experience. The quality of pedagogical work depends on the teacher’s personal perception of the importance of this field.
The planning of training sessions for higher education teachers and other employees in higher education didactics takes this divide in perception into account and tries to present the field of teaching so that teachers see it as useful. The project follows strategic guidelines and objectives defined in fundamental European and national documents regarding higher education, which include the following key objectives: improve the quality and efficiency of education and training, make lifelong learning and mobility a reality and enhance creativity and innovation at all levels. The project is run in a partnership between three public Slovenian universities and a private faculty.
Firstly, we plan to implement training sessions and create multipliers. At workshops, higher education teachers and other employees learn how to use modern forms, methods and approaches of teaching, resulting in improved key competences of students for lifelong learning, while multipliers are trained at foreign higher education institutions and then disseminate the gained knowledge into the Slovenian Higher Education Area. The training sessions are designed for various fields and targeted at individual groups of participants. Furthermore, every type of training is carefully evaluated and appropriately supplemented or modified when necessary by the providers before its next implementation, so that its content stays current and relevant. Training sessions are provided by experts in didactics, pedagogy and andragogy as well as multiple experts in special pedagogy. Some providers are experts in individual content areas that are related to teaching.
Training sessions cover the teaching methods and an array of various forms of pedagogical work with students (work with large and small groups, forms of lectures, active and independent work of students, experiential learning method, etc.) as well as general knowledge of the procedures for planning, implementing and evaluating the results of the pedagogical process. They are mostly prepared in the form of workshops for smaller groups. Discussion between the training providers and participants is encouraged. Participants usually receive the materials, but individual consultations are also available. Training sessions are conducted live, where participation is limited, and remotely, where there is usually no such restriction. Organised in coordination between the consortium partners, the training sessions are prepared by local professionals employed at higher education institutions, while some are conducted by external and foreign providers.
In addition to this project, there are also some, perhaps less conspicuous, but also important activities. One is analysis of the situation, which is carried out for all project partners and interested higher education institutions in order to precisely define and promote innovative pedagogical approaches, methods and forms of teaching. The aim of the project is also to prepare a strategic document for the training of higher education teachers and other employees that will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the quality of pedagogical work at the tertiary level. Another important activity is the preparation of materials on higher education didactics based on the results of the situation analysis and the use of the established forms of teaching and learning, disseminated by training providers, which can form the foundation in establishing a system for higher education teacher training and continuous professional pedagogical development.
Upon evaluation, most participants have shown a willingness to participate in the training sessions and a desire to acquire useful practical knowledge. Teachers’ wishes are also considered in the planning, which is why the INOVUP project’s momentum can be expected to further strengthen going forward.
Dr Matej Urbančič (matej.urbancic@ff.uni-lj.si), University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts
