Teaching and the Pedagogical Training of University Teaching Staff – Practice and Opinions under Slovenian Higher Education Legislation

Abstract

This study examines the teaching in higher education in Slovenia, with an emphasis on the pedagogical training and pedagogical qualification of university teaching staff. Various aspects of the latter were examined among 513 respondents. The results showed that university teachers attribute significant importance to pedagogical work (the term used in Slovenian higher education legislation), yet nearly half of them had never been involved in any kind of pedagogical courses. The other half of the respondents had participated in various kinds of pedagogical courses (i.e. ‘adult education’ or a pedagogical study programme for the primary and secondary level of education) and only 31.4% of all respondents had participated in higher education pedagogical training. At a higher education institution with well-defined criteria in the field of pedagogical work, the percentage of teaching staff without any pedagogical education is lower than in an institution with less defined conditions. In recent years, a growing number of various higher education pedagogical training programmes have been offered.

• teaching in higher education
• higher education pedagogical training
• pedagogical qualification

Notes

1. In the Slovenian Higher Education Act (OG RS 2012), the expression “higher education teachers” is used. It includes: full professor, associate professor, assistant professor and lector (language teacher); for professional higher education programmes, also: senior lecturer and lecturer. The target population of the survey was also faculty assistants who carry out the teaching process, namely assistants and instructors. In the paper, the following expressions are used for ‘higher education teachers’: university teaching staff, university teachers or teaching staff and teachers only.

2. High Level Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education: Report to the European Commission on Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning in Europe's Higher Education Institutions, Brussels, 18 June, 2013.

3. A large extent of the paper is based on the Slovenian legislation (as the basis for the research questions), where the term pedagogical work is used. Consequently, this expression is frequently used in the empirical part of our survey.

4. This survey is focused on first- and second-level educational study programmes. According to the Slovenian Higher Education Act (OG RS 2012), the classification is as follows: first level (professional HE study programmes, university study programmes), second level (master's study programmes, long non-structured master's study programmes).

5. UL 2012, UM 2012, UNG 2013a, UPR 2014a, UPR 2014b, UPR 2014c.

6. And the UNG's criteria do not include numerical scoring of the teaching and research work of university teachers.

7. At the UL textbooks are given up to 24 points, at the UPR up to 26.5 points are given for educational works, and at the UM study material is assessed up to 32 points.

8. Slovenian: Osnove visokošolske didaktike.

9. The paper was completed at the beginning of July 2014.

10. The International Standard Classification of Education – ISCED 1997 (UNESCO 2012) has 25 fields of education organised within nine broad groups. In the survey, nine groups were merged into six, as follows: 1) Education (14 Teacher training and education science), 2) Humanities and Arts (21 Arts, 22 Humanities), 3) Social sciences (31 Social and behavioural science, 32 Journalism and information, 34 Business and administration, 38 Law, 81 Personal services, 84 Transport services, 86 Security services), 4) Natural Sciences (42 Life sciences, 44 Physical sciences, 46 Mathematics and statistics, 48 Computing, 6 Agriculture, 62 Agriculture, forestry and fishery, 64 Veterinary, 85 Environmental protection), 5) Engineering, manufacturing and construction (52 Engineering and engineering trades, 54 Manufacturing and processing, 58 Architecture and building) and 6) Health and welfare (72 Health, 76 Social services).

11. Levels of study programmes: professional HE study programme (professional HE SP), university study programme (university SP) and master's study programme (master's SP).

12. Assistants on their first appointment and instructors do not need to demonstrate a pedagogical qualification (OG RS 2010).

13. The number of respondents who answered all the questions in accordance with the instructions (no missing values) was 381. Therefore, this was the sample size used for the statistical analysis for comparisons between the means of several variables.

14. In the empirical part of the paper, the expression »pedagogical courses« is used when talking about: i) ‘adult education’ after finishing a degree, ii) a completed pedagogical study programme, and iii) participation in HE pedagogical training.

15. ‘Adult education' is dedicated to graduatesof non-pedagogical HE study programmes who by law are requiredto havea pedagogical education and knowledge for teaching at the primary and secondary level or at higher vocational colleges in Slovenia.

16. In pedagogical study programmes in Slovenia, teachers for the primary and secondary level of education are educated.

17. HE pedagogical training includes: HE didactic, rhetoric, team working, e-learning etc. dedicated to university teachers.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Katarina Aškerc

Katarina Aškerc (1984) is a Professor of Primary Teacher Education, holds a bachelor degree in “Economics in Contemporary Society” and the professional title of Master of Science in Economics. She is a doctoral student of The Education of Teachers and Educational Sciences, Scientific Area Educational Science – Educational Policies and works as a Senior Counsellor at the Center of the Republic of Slovenia for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes.

Sebastian Kočar

Sebastian Kočar (1984) is a researcher in the Social Science Data Archives of the University of Ljubljana, a DwB project partner. He specialises in working with official statistical data, as well as in promoting the use of microdata in higher education. He holds a bachelor's degree in communication studies, is a scientific master's student of statistics and has extensive experience working with students on their research projects.