STRENGTHS

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Descriptions of learning outcomes contain data on course syllabi as well as knowledge and skills that students gain on study programmes.

Determination of student workload is quite realistic, is based on standards for calculated work hours that students must commit to an individual course, and is aligned with processes that other European higher education institutions are using.

According to students’ claims, co-operation with preschools and schools is good and enables them to learn from experienced teacher and caretaker colleagues.

Students

Information and communication among students is well organised. Students have opportunities for volunteering and gaining additional experience. Older students (on higher grade level) serve as mentors to younger students (on lower grade level).

Teachers

Students are satisfied with their teachers. They state that teachers have a friendly attitude towards them, readily help them, are open to conversation, and are accessible when needed. Students consider them experts in their fields and well organised. Students are motivated by their study.

Scientific and professional activity

The Faculty strives to become a scientific institution and has a strategy for which a certain amount of evidence exists for its implementation.

A certain number of young doctors of science are employed on the Faculty who have great potential.

Evidence exists that part of the employees deal with science and make an effort to fulfil the requirement for publishing in international journals.

It is also obvious that, even though the Faculty does not have a scientific license, there is evidence of the existence of international and domestic co-operation, a large part of which is carried out informally and among individuals. Although the Faculty does not have a doctoral study, part of the employees co-operate on the supervision of PhD students on other higher education institutions, in order to gain certain experience.

Resources are available for participation on conferences so that employees have certain opportunities for networking with other scientists outside the institutional and national context.

Employees have a mentorship system at their disposal.

Mobility

Certain number of courses in the English language and experience with guest lecturers from abroad may offer an opportunity for international co-operation and exchange.

A certain number of contracts about Erasmus have been endorsed which already enable teachers and students participation in mobility.

Resources: Professional services, space, equipment and finances

The Faculty does not have its own employees for technical and other kinds of support because those employees were transferred to the University which then provides those services to the Faculty. Available possibilities (building, equipment, etc.) seem aligned with our expectations and standards as well as international expectations and standards (up to two people share one office and each teacher has a computer at his disposal).

WEAKNESSES

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Management of the Faculty

The strategy for development, processes of quality assurance, monitoring and occasional revision of programmes and qualifications have shown to be only partly satisfactory because the management of the University, and not only the Faculty, is responsible for them. At the moment, there is no possibility that the Faculty can become a leading institution for educating teachers and caretakers because of limited financial resources. Life-long learning programmes are also faced with the same problem.

Study programmes

If national and European references are taken into consideration, teachers and students do not have adequate access to the most relevant and newest sources of scientific and professional literature.

Students

The Faculty has no evidence of maintaining contact with former students in order to actively monitor their employment and career accomplishments and use that information to develop study programmes.

Even though students’ opinions are being taken under consideration upon improving the quality of study programmes and academic life on the Faculty, there is no evidence of systematic establishment of channels for collecting such information, providing feedback to students, nor publishing results of such research or activities resulting from them.

Teachers

There is no established policy, agenda or action plan for the professional development of scientific-teaching staff. The panel did not see any evidence of analysis of employees’ needs in order to ensure an adequate level of scientific and teaching competencies, to support student learning and improve scientific and teaching activity on the Faculty.

Workload of teachers is almost completely composed of teaching, mentorship and consultations with students, but time invested in professional development, science and other academic activities is not acknowledge. Scientific staff need more time for scientific and individual work with students.

Scientific and professional activity

The Faculty did not produce a large enough number of publications in international journals with larger impact, nor does it have a large enough number of international and national projects.

Solving remaining problems with obtaining a scientific license presents a challenge for the Faculty. Budgetary limitations are making employment of a sufficient number of new scientific staff more difficult. These also prevent subscription to a number of more expensive journals needed for employees to improve their scientific work.

The Faculty does not have a doctoral programme. There are few professors in higher academic positions and problems exist with the number of soon-to-be retired professors.

Mobility

The Faculty had a serious lack of outgoing and incoming mobility of students and teachers, both domestic and international.

Students have limited opportunities for mobility – exclusively during the time of the final semester.

There are no conditions for attracting teachers and students from abroad. The Faculty lacks training and foreign-language courses.

The Faculty lacks a strategy as well as activities of co-operation among higher education institutions both domestically and abroad, within the scope of European programmes, bilateral contracts, joint studies, etc.

The Faculty needs to establish narrower co-operation and tighter connections with similar higher education institutions in the European context, and become a member of associations and international networks in order to encourage co-operation and participation in the work of the international scientific community so that exchange of achievements in education of teachers and results of scientific research can be enabled.

Resources: Professional services, space, equipment and finances

Certain important spaces are lacking, such as sports halls and facilities, or lecture rooms equipped for psychomotoric activities and art.

The academic and scientific library lacks recent literature and is very small. Students and academic staff need to have the ability to access scientific journals from home.

The Faculty is unable to financially support or encourage scientific work and projects, either in the necessary way or in an adequate amount. It also lacks a professional and detailed plan for the development of human resources for support staff.