Duration of the project:
Lead partner:
University of Ljubljana
Project partners:
University of Primorska
University of Maribor
Faculty of Information Studies in Novo mesto
Principal investigator/researcher:
Prof. Tomaž Deželan (SICRIS, ResearchGate)
Team at UP FHS:
Prof. Darja Barlič Maganja (SICRIS, ResearchGate)
Prof. Sabina Ličen (SICRIS, ResearchGate)
Prof. Matej Plevnik (SICRIS, ResearchGate)
Prof. Jernej Rošker (SICRIS)
Link:
The purpose of the project Innovative Learning and Teaching for Quality Careers of Graduates and Excellent Higher Education is to improve the quality of higher education by introducing more flexible, modern forms of learning and teaching. Through its activities, INOVUP helps to improve teaching competencies of higher education teachers and other employees.
Teacher trainings and other events, establishing multipliers and preparing didactic materials will ensure the transfer of knowledge on innovative and flexible forms of teaching to Slovene higher education teaching staff, also from teaching practice from abroad. The latter will help to gain and improve knowledge, competencies and skills of future graduates that are relevant for a successful integration of young people into society and the labour market.
INOVUP follows strategic guidelines and objectives defined in fundamental European and national documents regarding higher education.
As part of the Strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training (ET 2020) four common EU objectives are defined for addressing the challenges in education and training systems until 2020:
- Make lifelong learning and mobility a reality;
- Improve the quality and efficiency of education and training;
- Promote equity, social cohesion, and active citizenship;
- Enhance creativity and innovation, including entrepreneurship, at all levels of education and training.
Pursuant to the guidelines of the strategic framework, the Resolution on the National Higher Education Programme 2011–2020 defines quality and excellence, diversity and accessibility with support instruments of internationalisation, diversification, study structure and higher education funding as fundamental objectives of the Slovene Higher Education Area in 2020. The quality should enable all an internationally comparable and recognised higher education, employability and mobility in Europe and beyond. The social dimension should enable equitable access to higher education and unhindered completion of studies.
The INOVUP project, selected under the Public Call of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, entitled “Innovative and Flexible Forms of Teaching and Learning”, is co-funded by the European Union from the European Social Fund and the Republic of Slovenia. The project falls into:
- Priority axis 10: “Knowledge, skills and lifelong learning to enhance employability”;
- Investment priority: 10.1 “Enhancing equal access to lifelong learning for all age groups in formal, non-formal and informal settings, including through career guidance and validation of acquired competencies”;
- Specific objective: 10.1.3 “Promoting flexible learning pathways and supporting high-quality career orientation for school-age youth at all levels of the education system”.
Planned project activities:
- Implementation of trainings and creation of multipliers, which will help to introduce more flexible and innovative forms of learning and teaching in Slovene higher education institutions. At workshops, higher education teachers and other employees learn how to use modern forms, methods and approaches of teaching, resulting in improved key competencies of students for lifelong learning. Multipliers are trained at foreign higher education institutions and disseminate the gained knowledge into the Slovene Higher Education Area.
- Analysis of the situation, which is carried out for all project partners and interested higher education institutions in order to define the current situation regarding the promotion of innovative pedagogical approaches, methods and forms of teaching. Based on the analysis and other project activities, a strategic document of the training of higher education teachers and other employees for teaching in higher education in Slovenia will be prepared by the end of the project.
- Establishment and operation of the Project Council for expert and substantive monitoring of project implementation as well as promoting strategic alliances between consortium partners. The Project Council is responsible for the implementation of activities in accordance with the latest findings in higher education didactics.
- Preparing materials on higher education didactics from all fields of study, considering the results of the carried out situation analysis and the use of the established modern, flexible and innovative forms of teaching and learning, disseminated by trainers and multipliers. The latter will enable further realisation of modern, innovative and flexible forms of learning and teaching, the establishment of a training system as well as continuous professional development of higher education teachers in pedagogy.
- Raising awareness of the importance of higher education didactics. Through various events and national consultations as well as by publishing expert material on the web page, the consortium is extending modern, flexible and innovative forms of learning and teaching to the Slovene Higher Education Area as well as to other sectors of education.
