Description: The European Commission-funded PASCL Project (pascl.eu) gives an opportunity to volunteering higher education institutions to look into their performance regarding the implementation of student centered learning (SCL) and assist them in introducing SCL strategies at institutional level.
This training is the first step in the peer-assessment process, whereby future members of peer-assessment teams, and the representatives of the participating institutions are acquainted with and discuss the concepts, philosophies and practices on which the peer-assessment process is built upon (such as student-centered learning and enhancement-led evaluation), and the steps of the peer-assessment process itself in line with the European Standards and Guidelines. By this the project aims to train experts in conducting peer assessment visits in SCL (to be included in the European PASCL pool of experts) who will share their skills and knowledge on the national level and will contribute to the increasing awareness on the changes to be made in the learning and teaching culture at institutional level.
The first pilot training was held in Budapest in February 2015 and the first peer-review visits took place in spring 2015. The training to be held in Malta builds on the lessons learned in the first training and during pilot site-visits.
- ensure that both the teams and the institutions have a shared understanding of the goals and procedures of the peer-assessment process
- help members of peer-assessment teams prepare for the site-visits by sharing the experience from the first institutional peer-assessment visits
- ensure an understanding on the ways the meetings with the different members of the participating institutions should be facilitated
- help the participating institutions in preparing the necessary background materials and organize the meetings
- make both team members and participating institutions benefit in the best possible way from the process of peer-assessment
Trainers: PASCL project consortium members
Trainees: approximately 15 participants – faculty, staff, students. Priority is given to applicants who come from universities that volunteer to be peer-assessed during the project period. Individual applicants should preferably have a leading or active role and experience in institutional quality assurance, familiarity with European standards and procedures of quality assurance, prior involvement in peer assessment, and experience in writing institutional self-assessment or quality assurance reports.
Intended outcomes, follow-up activities: The training intends to develop or further enhance all participants’ ability to analyze SCL practices at their own institutions and propose improvements to them, as well as to share best practices in SCL at the national level. Some participants of the training will have the opportunity to carry out peer-assessment site visits to universities who expressed interest in hosting a peer review visit (next visits will take place in early 2016). As members of peer-assessment teams, trainees will commit to contribute substantially to the report that describes the practises, strengths and weaknesses of the institution with regards to the elements of student centered learning, and offer suggestions to peer-assessed universities on how they can make improvements in their teaching, learning and students’ involvement.
Eligible applicants
Applicants from EU and EEA countries, Turkey, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are eligible to apply for the training.
Financial conditions
Participation in the training is funded by the project with free accommodation and reimbursement of travel costs up to 350 Euros.
Application packages should include:
Applications and inquiries should be sent electronically to Central European University at the following address: highered_programs@ceu.edu with the subject line “application to PASCL training October 2015”