We are proud and happy that on the day after World Teachers’ Day, our colleague Dr Tanja Možina received the Award of the Republic of Slovenia in the field of education for 2021 – for outstanding achievements in the field of ALE.
Tanja received the award for her in-depth research and development work on the conceptual construction of a comprehensive national ALE quality assessment and development system, which she successfully complements with continuous testing in practice. As the initiator, she designed the Slovenian model for quality assessment and development called OQEA at SIAE twenty years ago. The latter reflects her belief that educational organisations can systematically, objectively and comprehensively take care of their quality through self-evaluation – a central tool of the OQEA model. She has designed several tools, methods and guidelines to help participating organisations. The comprehensive approach includes, among other things, a collection of quality indicators developed for the ALE. The vast majority of Slovenian organisations that implement ALE programmes use this model.
Tanja carries out many lectures for practitioners to put this approach into practice. She sees this as an indispensable part of her professional work and development. Participants are aware of her outstanding lecturing skills and praise them. She often presents the results of her work at national and international events. As an expert, she participates in various commissions, working groups at the national level and in preparing strategic documents.
Independently or in co-authorship with other experts, she has written numerous research and development monographs, evaluation studies, manuals, complex teaching materials, articles and other contributions on ALE. She develops basic and further training programmes for adult educators dealing with quality issues in ALE. Many of Tanja’s professional ideas were implemented in practice. We developed a comprehensive procedure for awarding the green quality logo at her initiative. She has played an essential part in establishing the national network of quality counsellors in ALE and their role. The latter has been operating under the expert guidance and coordination of the SIAE for 15 years.
She is aware of the importance of the latest findings in the field of quality and therefore establishes and maintains connections with partners in various European countries. Her professional recognition and reputation in the international arena are also reflected in the invitations to participate in international events (e.g., she was invited by the OECD and the European Commission in the last two years).
In practice, Tanja’s visionary orientation is reflected in very concrete results. Educational organisations received ICT support, e.g., various computer applications that support self-evaluation – an online Quality Mosaic has recently been developed. Namely, her vision was to set up an online collection of recommendations, tools and good practices to help organisations set up and build their internal quality systems.
On Tanja’s initiative, we recently started using stories as a narrative tool in our work in the field of quality. As a result, the website Stories of Quality (in Slovenian) has been created and helps adult educators reflect on the quality of their work.
I will remember fondly the time when, together with practitioners, we paved the way to introducing self-evaluation and other approaches, which help adults to quality education, into practice. When I see now how what we sowed more than twenty years ago is bearing fruits and is in a way living its life, I feel that my work is meaningful.
For the last decade, she has also been responsible for developing the SIAE educational activity and training for adult educators. She appreciates teamwork. She guides and encourages us to express our ideas; she trusts us. Thus, we, the co-workers, can express our creativity and continually improve our work while also experiencing personal growth. She strives to create opportunities in the work environment so that we can learn, improve, grow professionally and develop. Tanja is a role model to us, and thus the members of her closest team are also proud of her receiving the highest national award.
Jasmina Orešnik Cunja (jasmina.oresnik.cunja@acs.si), SIAE
