2024-03-05 11:12:54

REPORT ON PROFFORMANCE+ WEBINAR ON INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY - ADDRESSING DIVERSE STUDENTS' NEEDS

150 higher education academics from the European Higher Education Area countries participated in the fifth PROFFORMANCE+ thematic webinar on Inclusion and Diversity - Addressing Diverse Students' Needs, held on 28 February 2024. Four innovative practices were presented. All of them were truly inspiring and innovative in supporting teaching and learning.

The practices ranged from an innovative foreign language teaching and testing practice to the use of learning and assessment online tools. The teachers in peer testing sessions selected the tool used and then evaluated it in peer sessions after live use. An undergraduate psychology programme, PHARI, which focuses on professional satisfaction and mental well-being was also introduced. Participants learned about an attempt at a new assessment method in international legal education, where students were given problem-solving tasks instead of reciting lexical knowledge, and even used their textbooks to do so. Finally, a service-learning method developed in Croatia that focused on evidence-based nursing practice, practical knowledge and clinical skills was presented. Nurses work with different groups of users (patients) – the homeless, people with lower financial status, minorities, and the underrepresented. The general objective of the course was to increase the number of future nurses with acquired practical knowledge and skills for solving specific social problems and community development.

Speakers have been selected from the PROFFORMANCE Teaching Excellence Database which contains another 120 international good practices. After the overview presentation pitches, participants could deep dive into specific aspects of the methodology of their choice, and get more information from the speakers on the implementation, transferability, and adaptation of the presented practice for different fields of study. The breakout room sessions later served as opportunities for networking and future international collaboration.

We also presented the PROFFORMANCE Assessment Tool. Participants could test its new statements developed in the horizontal area of inclusion and diversity. Participants were also provided with an update on the ongoing development of short courses on the thematic areas of the Assessment tool and the relevant horizontal areas. They were allowed to express their needs and opinions on the future short courses.

Why is it useful to participate in the webinar series?

The PROFFORMANCE consortium is organizing a webinar series in 2024 that focuses on four priority areas: digitalization, inclusion, internationalization, and sustainability. Through this series, you'll have the chance to learn from international good practices and gain inspiration to develop your own. 

In autumn 2024, the consortium plans to hold the 2nd round of the PROFFORMANCE International Teacher Award Call. While the main categories of the previous call of 2022 will remain the same (Student-centred course design, Innovative teaching and learning, Assessment of students, Impact with and for society), the main priority area chosen by the applicants will weigh more scores during the evaluation. 

Teachers or teams of teachers who teach in higher education institutions of a consortium partner country (Austria, Czechia, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Serbia) can apply with an already implemented (or being implemented) good practice that has tangible, adaptable outputs. More information about the call will be circulated in due time.

To stay up-to-date on the call, the upcoming webinars, or PROFFORMANCE products, please check out the PROFFORMANCE project website, follow us on LinkedIn or subscribe to our newsletter.