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Description
We are living in times of rapid change, continuous development and digitization of the society. It brings greater requirements on the orientation of people in this environment. This development also extends into the field of education, specifically the higher education sector, which affects the whole of society. The University of Finance and Administration will therefore focus on training their teachers, who must be taught to be experts not only in their field, but they also need to have professional knowledge in pedagogical and didactic skills. The main aim of the project is to increase competencies of university teachers, and this can be accomplished by using the methodology of sharing teaching, methodical skills, knowledge and competencies in bilateral teaching mobility. It will impact on increasing the educational base of university teachers, or competencies of the university teachers, especially in the area of pedagogical, didactic and psychological skills that today must be applied against the digital generation of college students. It is expected that the project participants will gain some experience in theoretical knowledge in an international university environment and also understanding of the modern system of education (knowledge is produced for humans and by humans). Using such training, university teachers will gain and improve their pedagogical skills at the level of soft skills (communication in particular) as well as hard-skills (especially ICT). In the long run, teachers supported by this project will be able to conduct adequate education in a modern environment, utilising cutting-edge methods and advanced approaches which will also allow a more professional approach to students.
Summary of project results
We live in time of rapid changes, continuous development and digitization of society. The development also affects the area of education and it is also very important to adequately respond and pay close attention to continual education. Therefore, the University of Finance and Administration (VŠFS) focuses on further education of its teachers, who must be experts not only at the lecture area, but they also need to developed their pedagogical competencies, knowledge and skills. For this reason, in 2019 and 2020 VŠFS implemented the European Economic Area (EEA) project focused on increasing the competencies of higher education teachers. The project reflects a high level of higher education in donor countries. Sharing competencies, knowledge and skills of the teachers in higher education among the project participants will also culminate in improving institutional co-operation. In the first place, the delegate of the Reykjavik University (RU) was a very important member of the International Teaching Week of VŠFS. The participants were involved not only in academic lectures but also in international classes. They also discussed variable topics in scientific groups or participated in a cultural program. In addition, the teachers built up a wide base for further cooperation. Thanks to the results gained, VŠFS will be closer to the Icelandic academic standards and international academic standards respectively. The RU also joined the preparation of a VŠFS’ scientific project focused on a comparison of Icelandic and Czech pension insurance systems. The participation of the Czech teachers in the Icelandic education contributed not only to developing of their competencies. In such kind of intensive cooperation one can recognize environment, culture or society which cannot be simply included among any criteria. The impacts of the project do not only affect the defined indicators, but they shape a modern teacher extensively.
Summary of bilateral results
Practical cooperation and professional transfers of methodical skills, knowledge and competencies of employees in the tertiary education from Reykjavik University to University of Finance and Administration (VŠFS) had a clear impact on increasing teaching competencies of the university teachers, as well as the expansion of competence of the university teachers of VŠFS. The impacts of the project do not only affect the defined indicators, but shape a modern teacher extensively. The benefits of these projects significantly exceed the original objectives.