Continuous teacher training

Teacher education at a higher education institution (HEI) can be organised in different ways, depending on the goals, content, available resources and preferences of the participants. It is important to ensure a variety of formats to make education accessible, effective and flexible. In addition to the HEI itself, teachers at HEI can receive education from the University Computing Centre (SRCE, more information at the link), the Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNET, more information at the link) and the Coursera and edX platforms.

Below is an overview of the types of education for teachers at HEI, with a brief description, examples of activities and advantages.

1. Live education (face-to-face) takes place physically, in a classroom or workshop.

• Examples: Workshops on learning outcomes, teaching methods, evaluation.
• Strengths: Direct interaction, group work, immediate feedback.

2. Online education takes place via the internet – it can be synchronous, asynchronous or combined (e.g. synchronous online education in which recordings are made for participants who cannot participate in real time).

• Examples: Moodle courses, Zoom workshops, webinar series.

2a. Synchronous education takes place in real time, with participants and the lecturer present simultaneously.

• Examples: Video conferences, online workshops, live webinars.
• Advantages: Possibility to ask questions and discuss, feeling of shared learning.

2b. Asynchronous education takes place in such a way that participants access the content in their own time, without time limits.

• Examples: Recorded lectures, e-courses, forums, quizzes.
• Advantages: Flexibility, adaptation to individual pace, 24/7 availability.

3. Individual education which consists of independent training with mentoring, consultation or a guided plan.

• Examples: Creation of e-courses with the support of e-mentors, consultations with a methodologist.
• Advantages: Tailored to specific teacher needs, deeper learning.

6. Group/mass education is intended for larger groups of teachers, often in the form of workshops, seminars or MOOC courses.

• Examples: Cycle of workshops on digital tools, mass online courses for teachers.
• Advantages: Exchange of experiences, networking, standardization of practices at the institution level, large number of participants at once.

7. Blended models that combine the advantages of live and online education, i.e. synchronous and asynchronous elements.

• Examples: Online module and live workshop with practical creation of e-colleges.
• Advantages: Flexibility and interaction, application of what has been learned in practice.