Excellence in teaching and learning

The objective: To support development of the structure which provides qualitative education and training contributing to the alignment with industry and VET

Skill mismatch leaves graduate’s unprepared for the market needs, this in turn necessitates close cooperation with the business community to develop approaches to teaching and learning that meet the needs of students, industry, and the society in general.

This DA addresses the need for learning environment characterized by a learning environment characterized teaching/learning methods and tools using modern information and communication technologies.

In this regard UPCO will serve as hub that will provide access to technological and digital know how with the aim to provide access to the latest knowledge, expertise, and tools to ensure the provision of support to companies in the implementation of trial ventures, testing and trialing with digital innovations. UPCO will explore the potential for excellence in teaching/learning, innovative entrepreneurship technology transfers on local and national level, maximization of applied leaming and the transfer of knowledge between the University and their partner businesses

Further, the intervention in developing quality assurance mechanisms and better promotion of the specific qualifications is needed. Introducing measures for quality assurance with regards to the qualification’s recognition is essential. In this regard, cooperation with stakeholders is a necessity and prerequisite to ensure that the offer is in accordance with the professional standards. Further, there is a need for supporting the access to training and qualifications, improving the quality in VET, established structured cooperation with businesses, promoting entrepreneurship, learning organization based on LLL principles.

During the piloting phase of the developed concept model, training modules (for piloting phase), will be selected and developed. The selected modules should support updating of HE and VET educational programs in line with labour market needs as well as contribute to the initial cluster/hub institutionalization. This will be done based on the analysis and feasibility of the training modules related to the existing capacities, interest of the stakeholders, sustainability beyond the pilot phase etc.

Action areas/activities:

To ensure an organizational design that allows the building and shaping of an institutional structure suitable for provision of expertise in sectors that are important and relevant in the acquisition of technology and knowledge for industry stakeholders, public needs and coordination of the activities within the UP units and between partners;
To develop quality management systems and developing quality assurance mechanisms including defining and developing the procedures for UPCO that ensure the quality of the end- product that is provided to stakeholders and collaborators;
To develop a website to better, organize and disseminate all information on institutes, and other structures with the focus on evidencing all activities at the University of Prishtina (delivered through the existing Faculties, Centers, and Institutes) especially those that are related to continuing education, LLL and existing cooperation with the relevant industries and stakeholders in the business community.
To update and develop higher education and VET educational programs in link with labour market needs, innovation and youth entrepreneurship;
To support continuous VET teacher’s/trainers’ development;
To identify needs and areas for cooperative training between VET, UP, and partnering enterprises with the aim to stimulate work- based learning and inventive pathways to qualitative education, training and smart development;
To provide learning environment characterized by innovative teaching/learning methods and tools using modern information and communication technologies;
Setting internal mechanisms of quality assurance for teaching and learning and ensuring the proof of quality in accordance with the special requirements for quality set by regulatory bodies;
Developing training modules including the development of a proposal for funds.
Piloting the agreed model for at list six months and the lessons learned should be used for further improvement of the cluster/hub model to better serve industry and VET under the framework for aligning training programs with labour market and smart specialization approaches;