Learning Cultures in Universities (LECU): Promoting exchange in teacher training between Switzerland, Albania and Kosovo
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Content of this page
Profile
- Project leadership
- Samir Boulos (PHZH), Mònica Feixas (PHZH), Heinz Bachmann (PHZH, former employee)
- Project team
- Sabrina Marruncheddu Krause (PHZH), Amira Berzi (PHZH, former employee), Sandra Lang (Zurich University)
- Organisational unit
- W-IB (Internationale Bildungsentwicklung)
- Project phase
- Completed (1.1.2017 – 31.12.2021)
- Project type
- Service project
- Funding
- State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
- Participating institutions
- University of Teacher Education Schwyz; Schaffhausen University of Teacher Education; St.Gallen University of Teacher Education; University of Teacher Education Zug; University of Geneva; University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland; University of Gjilan “Kadri Zeka”, Albania; Luigj Gurakuqi University of Shkodër, Albania; University of Tirana, Albania; Aleksandër Xhuvani University of Elbasan, Albania; Educational Development Institute (Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth), Albania, University of Pristina, Kosovo; University of Mitrovica “Isa Boletini”, Kosovo; Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Kosovo; Kosova Education Center (KEC), Kosovo
Description
The project LECU aims to foster collaboration among universities of teacher training in Switzerland, Albania and Kosovo. The project focuses on developing competencies in higher education pedagogy within teacher training. Participants discuss the latest research findings and share their experiences of competence-based teaching in higher education. Central to this is the link to practical application in the day-to-day teaching activities of higher education institutions.
To this end, the LECU project is implementing the following measures:
- Establishing a network of around 30 lecturers from universities of teacher training and education experts from the Ministries of Education in Albania, Kosovo and Switzerland and developing a joint exchange and continuing professional development programme
- Collaborative development of a bilingual handbook on higher education didactics in practice (Albanian–German) with colleagues from Switzerland, Albania and Kosovo
- Organisation of three network meetings in Switzerland, Albania and Kosovo, and publication of a joint final report in book form
In this way, LECU creates opportunities for lecturers in teacher training to exchange ideas and network, promotes transcultural learning, and deepens experience in educational development cooperation.
LECU is a project of the Department for International Projects in Education.
Project outcomes
An image gallery with 8 images follows.
For LECU, the existing links between the Department for International Projects in Education and Albanian and Kosovar universities, which were established through previous projects, proved to be extremely valuable. This enabled contact to be established with various higher education institutions and participants to be selected for the LECU network within a year.
A total of four network meetings took place in each of the project countries in turn, following a cyclical pattern with alternating periods of individual work. Additionally, trios comprising members from the various project countries were given time to work together on a topic of their choice. These trios played a crucial role in facilitating international exchange within the networks. Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, several online network meetings and webinars were held during the autumn semester of 2020 and the spring semester of 2021, and the project duration was extended by one year.
A wide range of publications for teacher training
The handbook “Competency-based teaching and learning in higher education – essentials”, edited by Heinz Bachmann and published by the Centre for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education at the Zurich University of Teacher Education (PH Zurich), was reviewed and assessed by Albanian-speaking colleagues before being translated into Albanian by LECU participants. The work of the trios was published in an anthology entitled “Learning through International Exchanges in Teacher Education: Experiences with the Learning Culture in Universities (LECU) Project in Albania, Kosovo and Switzerland”. Alongside individual contributions, the anthology contains a description of the network project and an overview of the education systems in the participating countries. It also features a concluding chapter analysing academic exchange within the LECU framework using qualitative social science methods and the Value Creation Framework by Wenger-Trayner & Wenger-Trayner. Both this anthology and the Albanian-language handbook on higher education pedagogy are available free of charge in the PHZH Repository. The latter is also available on the IPE-Textbooks platform.
A follow-up project for deeper collaboration
In November 2021, after five years, the LECU project was brought to a close in collaboration with the SINAN network project at a public symposium held at the PH Zurich. Participants from both projects wish to deepen their academic exchange. Considerable interest was expressed in Swiss and international partner universities jointly developing and delivering modules as part of the follow-up project Peer Exchange Network in Teacher Education (PEER-Net). This will give lecturers and students the opportunity to gain experience in international teaching and collaboration.
Publications
Bachmann, H., Wüest, Y., Zellweger, F., Feixas, M., Zimmermann, T. & Hanke, U. (2019) Mësimdhënia dhe të mësuarit e orientuar kah kompetenca në arsimin e lartë – Ide themelore.
Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich.
Boulos, S. & Feixas, M. (2022) Learning through International Exchanges in Teacher Education: Experiences with the Learning Culture in Universities (LECU) Project in Albania, Kosovo and Switzerland.
DOK insight, Volume 1. Zurich University of Teacher Education.