About the Pedagogical, Psychological, Didactic and Methodological Training Programme
The Pedagogical, Psychological, Didactic and Methodological Training Programme is one of the lifelong learning programmes offered at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. The Programme has a long tradition, dating back to the 1979/1980 academic year, and is based on the Faculty’s core study programmes provided by the Department of Pedagogy, Department of Psychology, Department of Croatian Language and Literature, Department of German Language and Literature, Department of English Language and Literature, and Department of Information Sciences.
Mission: The Pedagogical, Psychological, Didactic and Methodological Training Programme prepares future teachers and professionals who will apply and further develop the teaching competences acquired through the Programme in their educational work at primary, secondary and higher education institutions.
Programme Objectives:
- to acquire the teaching competences required for teaching in primary and secondary schools and higher education institutions by applying an interdisciplinary approach
- to enhance social competences: planning and working together with pupils and students, strengthening communication and cooperation, and promoting a relaxed working atmosphere
- to enhance personal competences: mastering the new role of the teacher as a moderator and adviser, and promoting individual and group learning processes.
Online Teaching
Contemporary models of education increasingly incorporate the internet, which offers numerous possibilities for the use of technology and thereby broadens the scope of teaching and learning. The use of various tools and applications enables not only the delivery of teaching content but also the development of the social and interactive skills of teachers and participants. Recognising the benefits of different media in learning and teaching, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences has acknowledged the value of virtual teaching. Therefore, online teaching within our training programme is organised both in a hybrid format and in independent online groups.
In the hybrid teaching format, some participants attend classes in the classroom while others participate online. This form of teaching has its own specific features, primarily the dynamic involvement of participants in solving various written and oral tasks, which enables multidirectional classroom communication and active engagement of all participants. In this combination of classroom and virtual environments, participants become active and creative collaborators. The various forms of interaction achieved in hybrid teaching contribute to stronger connections between teachers and participants, as well as among the participants themselves. Teaching also takes place in real time, allowing teachers to gain valuable insight into the achievement of learning outcomes and participants to receive useful feedback on their progress.
Online teaching involving only “online participants” also takes place in real time. Its specific feature is that it further encourages the development of various competences expected of all participants, ranging from technical skills to methodological, social, communication and media competences. This form of teaching focuses on personalised learning transformed through various digital communication tools and online applications, with full attention given to the participants. This means that the design and delivery of teaching are guided by participants’ interests and needs. The virtual environment of online teaching makes it possible to adapt teaching and learning to participants and to decide how to select tools and configure an environment that best supports the planned learning outcomes.
Online teaching within our training programme enables active online dialogue and the involvement of participants in the teaching process by raising their hands, communicating in writing through the interface and communicating orally by activating their microphones. It also enables participants to take responsibility, develop autonomy and work independently on teaching content.
The IT system enables audiovisual communication between participants attending classes online and teachers delivering classes in the classroom at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. The entire organisation of online teaching is supported by the professional team and IT system of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. The Moodle learning management system is used for distance learning and is supplemented by the BigBlueButton videoconferencing tool. BigBlueButton is an open-source tool that enables web-based communication and collaboration among Moodle users and offers desktop videoconferencing features. Participants access classes through the Moodle distance learning system. User accounts are created for participants attending classes in this way, allowing them to log in to Moodle and access classes via the relevant link.
Live teaching includes video from a webcam, audio from the wireless microphone worn by the teacher and from the microphone available to participants in the classroom when they wish to comment or ask questions, as well as the presentation prepared by the teacher. The BigBlueButton application enables the entire class to be recorded and viewed later. Moodle is also used to provide learning materials for participants, publish announcements and administer online examinations.
Contact
Programme Head:
Professor Marija Sablić, PhD
e-mail: msablic@ffos.hr