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Until recently, traditional teacher-centered (ex- cathedra) teaching methods have predominantly been used at all education levels in Southeast European countries. The implementation of Bologna process in the higher education system was expected to change the teaching methods and consequently, reinforce the interaction in the classroom that, according to numerous global surveys, leads to significantly better learning environment and learning outcomes. Innovative teaching methods serve not only to educate, but to inspire and motivate students to engage in learning. The roots of student-oriented approaches are aligned with the growing popularity of critical pedagogy and students’ beliefs that they ‘shouldn’t be fed with a fish but taught how to fish’. In Europe, learner-centered education was fully taken into account at the Leuven Ministerial Conference in 2009, i.e. ten years after the Bologna Declaration that set the ground for the deep reforms of the European higher education. Despite the (nominal) implementation of the Bologna process in South-eastern Europe, it is rather obvious that both the methods and the results still lag behind Western European countries and US. This research is based on three case studies of the simultaneous implementation of student- centered learning in following courses: Globalization and Albania, a country in transition (taught in Albania), Economic policy (taught in Croatia), and Intercultural management (taught in Serbia). They were delivered after all three course instructors completed the training for conducting Student Centered Discussion Courses and implemented the methods. The training was guided by Interactivity Foundation in Washington, DC within the faculty development program. Following constructivist theories of learning, new teaching method was introduced in the existing courses where previously traditional methods were mostly used, i.e. students were expected to be passive learners and listeners, rather than active players. Developing positive classroom climate supposed to serve as a cohesion factor so that students understand the importance of becoming active participants in the teaching situation. In addition to the strengths and weaknesses observed both by teachers-facilitators and students (anonymous surveys were used), this comparative study presents the lessons learned in the teaching method transformation process. It also highlights the common denominators in all three countries that, despite the differences at the institutional and course level, can most likely be attributed to a very similar legacy of the national higher education systems. Besides the information on the syllabi of the courses, the cases presented also include general and specific learning outcomes and the differences depending on the teaching methods, quality assurance mechanisms and evaluation techniques, clear notion on the changes introduced and results achieved. Furthermore, both lecturers’ and the students’ evaluation are presented and compared. In addition, the impact of the courses for the future professions of the students is discussed as well, in terms of both knowledge and skills acquired and improved. As already known, student-centered learning is not refrained to certain methodology only, its main leverage is considered to be the cultural shift in the institution applying it. Thus, this study contextualises its findings and as such provides the recommendations that could have broader resonance for the higher education institutions undergoing the transition from teacher to student- centered learning, or from traditional to 21st century classroom. |
