Self-evaluation Report

7.6. Academic staff

There are 57 members of the teaching staff are involved in the implementation of the study programme in total, out of which 44% have doctoral or habilitated doctor’s degree. 18 members of the teaching staff or 32% study in a doctoral programme, furthermore – half of the doctoral students have completed the theoretical part of their studies.

Table 13

Table 14

• 
  The Institute of Education and Home Economics implements the scientific project funded by the Ministry of Education and Science “Professional and further education for the rural areas of Latvia within the European Union context”, the project leader is the director of the Institute of Education and Home Economics Professor B.Briede.
  
• 
  In the autumn of 2005 there was approved the project, submitted for the open tender of the European Social Fund. The implementation of the project (wthin the framework of the activity, financed by the ESF (3.2.6.3.) “The support for the implementation of the practical training for the students of professional and higher education”), was started on November 1, 2005. The aim of the project is to improve the quality of students’ practical training “The innovative and traditional provision at the base schools of pedagogical practice for the qualitative professional education of future teachers of household and information technologies within the modern educational process”. The project will be concluded on July 31, 2006. Project leader is the lecturer of the Institute of Education and Home Economics I.Andersone. The following members of the teaching staff of the Institute of Education and Home Economics at the Latvia University of Agriculture are included in the working group of project - I.Katane, I.Apsite, Z.Beitere, A.Pridane, U.Pekša. Project funding is 8500 LVL.
  
• 
  In order to continue the started process, there was developed and submitted a new project “The innovative and the traditional in a modern school” at the beginning of 2006. The project is related to the organization of students’ practical training and it could be started at the beginning of 2007. The duration of the project is planned for 18 months. The possible maximum of financing, which could be received for the implementation of the project, is 25000 LVL.
  

Academic staff has publications in all scientific directions and research approbation in scientific conferences and seminars as wellas in practice.

1. The thesis by Irēna Katane (defended in 2005) contains rural school education environment evaluation model and it had been tested in seven rural schools of Latvia. That experiment allowed to get optimal valuation of concrete school work and was acknowledged by external eksperts as an untraditional approach to school self-assessment.

2. Results of education ecology researches are being implemented into study process of Bachelor, Master and Doctor’s degree programs and in the course Didactics of tertiary education.

3. Assoc. prof. I.Katane and prof. L.Pēks have issued the first work in the set of IMI monograhic issues’ Education Ecology. Title of the work: Eduaction ecology: crossdisciplinary direction in the research of nowadays education. Jelgava, 2006.

1. 
   I.Andersone and I.Katane manage the project Innovative and traditional in nowadays education process for becoming pedagogues, household and IT specialists qualitative professional education supply at base schools of pedagogical practice. The project relates to European social foundation activity Support of vocational and higher education students teaching/learning practice realisation (activity 3.2.6.3) since 2005.
   
2. 
   IMI staff has been participating in two Leonardo da Vinci projects since 2003: Development of career advisers education programs,partner countries: Austria, Denmark, Latvia, Finland (lect. T.Sēja – project manager); Leonardo da Vinci Language Competencies Project: CLIL.Axis (assoc. prof. A.Zeidmane).
   

4.ESF national program project Supply of career education programs in education system (lect. T.Sēja - manager) in co-operation with the University of Daugavpils, University of Latvia, Liepāja Pedagogical Academy et al. Master study program and methodological supply has been worked out on the basis of the research.

5. Two research projects on farmers, foresters and entrepreneurs continuing education quality evaluation and future forecasts have started in co-operation with the Ministry of Agriculture (Rural Development Department)

Research direction Getting of competence in rural environment.

1. LLU research project (planned for three years) Nr. 2005/2 05.2 Professional and continuing education for the rural areas of Latvia in the context of EU. 2005 - 2008. – manager Baiba Briede (participate doctor students L.Alondere, Z.Beitere, A.Feldmane, L.Krastiņa, A.Ostrovska, S.Reihmane, I.Soika, N.Vronska); academic staff I.Katane un L.Pēks. A few planned results: the model of young people career development promotion for the rural secondary vocational education establishment; substantiation of rural educational establishments activities for promotion of continuing education of various rural social groups; proceedings on professional (vocational) and career development problems in rural areas, et. al.

2. Maija Sirvide in her thesis (defended in 2003) worked out the model of agricultural advisers’ continuing education and it has been introduced in LLKC and acknowledged by the Ministry of Agriculture. The advisers’ competence levels worked in the frame of the model serve as a basis for systemic organising of continuing education and substantiation of the content of advisers education. The salaries of advisers are determined according to the competence levels.

3. L.Krastiņa, who has finished the theoretical course, has also finished the research about rural entrepreneurs (farmers et. al.) model of continuing education, putting stress on social competence. That research is also a serious contribution to the rural development because the experience and research results by Krastiņa are being highly evalated by the Ministry of Agriculture and LLKC in the process of planning education content and guidlines for rural inhabitant social groups.

4.In the frame of NOVA-BOVA network in co-operation with the Danish University of Education academic staff develop their competence in teachinh on tertiary education level taking as a basis rural developmental problems and usage of IT (doctor student N.Vronska, acad. staff I.Katane, B.Briede).

Research direction Life quality in the context of home environment/household/home economics (as well as didactics of exat subjects

Four projects in the field of consumer sciences: SOCRATES/ ERASMUS – 3 CONSUMER CITIZENSHIP NETWORK (CCN) 2003-2006-2009, 25 European contries (assoc. prof.V.Dišlere and assist. prof. I. Līce – participants); SOCRATES/ GRUNDTVIG – 4 CONSUMER EDUCATION FOR ADULTS- NETWORK (CEA – N) 2003-2006-2009, 14 European countries (assoc. prof. V.Dišlere – participant of the steering group); Nordic-Baltic project, Consumer Education in the Baltics, Phase 2, 2003- 2004; countries: Norway, Sweeden, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia (assoc. prof. V.Dišlere – leader of the group from Latvia); SOCRATES/GDRUNDTVIG-2 Empowering Rural Consumer 2004-2007, countries: Latvia, Estonia, Austria (assoc. prof. V.Dišlere – project manager).

Research results in household: subject didactics for left-handed pupils (doctor student who finished theoretical course E.Pelša). Methodological model of textile teaching for the development of creative skills for elementary school pupils (Dr. paed. I.Līce)
Academic staff and doctor students improve scientific competence in the following activities and organisatins:

1. Co-operation with The Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre in research and carrying out professional development programs.

2. staff and students Exchange programs. Co-operation with EU higher education establishments in Socrates/Erasmus programs: Helsinki, Munich, Fulda (University of Applied Sciences) (Germany), Metropoliten (London) universities un Laurea Politechnikum (Finland) (coordinator assoc.prof. V.Dišlere), as well as Agrarpadagogische Akademie Wien (coordinator lect. T.Sēja).

3. IMI organise scientific research conferences Rural Environment. Education. Personality regularly and issues reviewed proceedings.

4.Doctor Studies Department of LLU organise international scientific conference Science for Rural Development where is a section for doctor students and academic staff of pedagogy. Reviewed proceedings are issued.

5.Academic staff and doctor students have a guaranteed possibility to publish articles in the journal Journal of Science Education (ISSN 0124 - 5481) www.colciencias.gov.co/rec Journal cited ERIC and ERA data bases. Baiba Briede ir its support and consultative committee member

6.Academic staff are members of three large international pedagogical organisations:

1. 
   International Organization for Science and Technology Education - IOSTE;
   
2. 
   International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE);
   
3. 
   European Network of learning and teaching in Agriculture and rural development www.enter-enter./net/organisation.html
   

Academic staff choice, renewal and politics of continuing professional development.

Academic staff is chosen according to the scientific directions and courses. Academic staff must work in one of scientific research directions - Dr. paed. Do research in directions determined by IMI. Choice of academic staff is considering 10 criteria mentioned in item 7.6.2. it is very important nowadays that academic staff is not only a narrow course teacher but able to participate in designing study courses, manage projects, do research successfully and he or she needs also bureaucratic competence. Choice also is based on the principles of education ecology: development of heterogenuous (versatile education, experience, age, gender, etc) and sustainable social environment. It means that academic staff needs multisided competence and flexibility. Average age of academic staff – 50 years. The program needs also yanger staff and we have to promote persons with doctor degrees to stay at the University. IMI try to support financially the staff’ members participation in conferences with publications in proceedings and courses or seminārs of professional development. Seminārs for academic staff in research methodology are organised in IMI regularly as well as there are lectures on the themes relating to the research directions of IMI. IMI supports academic staff work at schools, councils, commissions, etc.

Directory: zinojumi
zinojumi -> Self-evaluation report
zinojumi -> Department of sociology and psychology
zinojumi -> “Automobile Transport” Professional Master study program in “Automobile Transport”
zinojumi -> Teacher speech therapist

Download 4.21 Mb.

Share with your friends: