The Programme on Developing Pedagogical Competencies for Teaching Staff in the Moodle VLE

Sukurta: 06 June 2024

The programme is based on the educational competencies approved by the Senate of Vilnius University and is essential for all University teaching staff (see Annex 6). All modules on educational competencies are developed and updated based on the feedback provided by lecturers and students through surveys and the recommendations of external experts.

The Programme on Developing Pedagogical Competencies aims to empower teaching staff to acquire the following competencies and skills:

to design and implement educational scenarios enabling students to achieve the intended learning outcomes of a specific course unit and study programme
to critically evaluate and continuously improve the content of course units and study programmes and their forms of delivery
to create a student-centred learning environment using active learning methods
to create a learning environment conducive to student diversity and needs
to develop and apply various forms of formative and summative assessment to evaluate the intended learning outcomes of a specific course unit or study programme
to supervise the research papers of bachelor, master, or doctoral degree students in accordance with the principles of ethics and respect for the individual, focusing on the provision of educational feedback
to use information technologies in a targeted way to promote student engagement and learning
to create a teaching portfolio and share best teaching practices with colleagues

The programme consists of a core module and 18 specialised modules:

Core Module: Planning, Developing, Teaching, and Assessing Course Units

This module is designed for both beginners and those wishing to go back over the foundations of their taught subject. During this module, you will revise the description of the course unit you teach, its structure, and the teaching strategies. You will define or update the competencies students will gain and the objectives of your course unit, as well as clarify the learning and assessment methods and how to ensure their coherence. Moreover, you will also gain an understanding of how to plan an individual class and discuss key aspects of assessment and feedback.

Introduction to Teaching and Learning at University. Teaching and Learning Theories. Educator Roles

Creating Your Teaching Portfolio

Have you ever wondered why it is so important for a teaching staff member to have a teaching portfolio (also known as a teaching competency portfolio)? How can such a collection of documents, information, and other various materials help teaching staff in demonstrating and proving their educational competencies and experience, planning the improvement of their teaching skills, as well as providing supporting evidence for recruitment, employment, or attestation competitions for their term of office, and applying for bonuses for their contribution to the study quality? The answers to these and other questions will be provided in this module!

Teacher-Student Interaction. Learning Motivation

Have you ever encountered situations where students start yawning, stare into the distance with their eyes glazing over, or can’t get off their phones during class? In such cases, teaching staff members can also find it difficult to stay motivated and go to work with a spring in their step. Can we truly make a difference? How can an educator not only be a knowledge provider but also become a source of inspiration?

Join the module ‘Teacher-Student Interaction. Learning Motivation’ to discover the basic principles and theories of motivation, as well as their practical application to your teaching and learning in real life.

Cooperative Studies

Join a module designed to help you understand and apply the cooperative study approach in your course units. The aim of this module is to provide insights and guidance for adapting course units to the cooperative study approach. In this module, you will learn about the possibilities for developing scenarios and action guidelines, while discussions will provide the precondition for modelling the use of the cooperative study approach in your own classes.

Developing Learning Materials

The key purpose of this module is to provide you with the necessary tools and support to develop engaging study tools that suit your unique teaching style, course topics, and learning objectives. In this module, you will have access to a wide array of resources (videos and other visual materials, textual information, and various interactive tools) to enhance the teaching and learning process and improve cognition.

Developing Learning Materials and Teaching in English

If you have international students or teach course units that are part of international study programmes, this module is just for you! You will discuss how to integrate the diverse needs of multicultural students into the general learning environment. Thus, developing learning materials in the English language is an integral part of this topic. In this module, you will learn how to develop and/or adapt learning materials for a diverse student audience.

Educational Models and Teaching Methods

Would you like to diversify the curriculum or breathe new life into your course unit programme? This module introduces different educational models and teaching methods, along with their specificities (concepts, structure, and key elements/steps), so you are sure to find some ideas to enrich your classes! If you want to learn more about a specific educational model, feel free to join this module for more in-depth training on your chosen topics.

Problem-Based Learning

Join the module designed to introduce or deepen your knowledge of problem-based learning! In this module, you will learn about the differences between problem-based and traditional learning, as well as the best practices of universities abroad. You will also find out how to prepare a description of your course unit based on the problem-based learning model, enhance student motivation, and assess their performance based on the assessment criteria when applying the problem-based learning approach.

Stress Management and Communication in the Academic Community

The key purpose of this module is to empower and encourage academic community members to create a safer and less stressful working environment, as well as to communicate more effectively with both students and colleagues. This module presents several different strategies for stress management: general strategies that are easily accessed and implemented in practice, as well as specific strategies based on learning theories that focus on improving the teaching and learning environment. Each participant will be able to discover the most appropriate stress management techniques and apply them at their workplace.

Student Engagement-Based Teaching. Engaging Teaching Methods

In this module, you will try to identify the preconditions for student engagement and discover different tools for an inclusive learning process, which you will later try out in your own classes. You will learn how to identify, reflect on, and evaluate your own teaching experiences, styles, and techniques; employ student engagement and active learning techniques to enrich the educational process; choose appropriate resources on active learning methods and evaluate their suitability and effectiveness ; create a personal toolkit of methods for your course units; develop a conducive learning environment in the classroom; and put active learning techniques into practice.

Student Diversity and Individual Needs

Join this module, which aims to introduce the Vilnius University academic community to an inclusive higher education environment and culture and consider how student diversity, individual needs, and learning styles can impact the study process, the quality of studies, academic life, etc.

You will also learn how to recognise and meet students’ individual and educational needs, as well as how to make informed decisions to empower students with such needs.

Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning

Teaching staff members often strive for perfection in all aspects. Take a step back from the usual teaching methods and dive into experimentation. Your presentations don’t have to be perfect, and there’s no need to redo your recordings multiple times just because of a few longer pauses. In this module, we will embark on an adventure of experimenting and self-improvement! It is designed for educators with teaching experience who are open to trying new ideas. We will introduce you to the concept of inquiry-based teaching and learning, help you explore different types of this approach and how to integrate the gained knowledge into your course units.

Supervising Students’ Research (Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctoral Degree)

This module is aimed at teaching staff members of different disciplines and fields who supervise research papers of bachelor, master, or doctoral degree students. It is designed for both new and experienced supervisors who would like to develop their competencies for the quality and effective supervision of student research papers.

The purpose of this module is to improve the practice of supervising students’ research papers based on research data, self-reflection, and collegial discussion.

Distance/Blended Teaching Model. Hybrid Teaching (Beginner Level)

The transition of the teaching and learning process to an online environment, as well as the shift towards electronic teaching and learning tools, have brought specific challenges both to lecturers and students. In this module, you will learn more about the specificities of distance, blended, and hybrid teaching and learning while exploring the possibilities offered by electronic tools and channels. This module aims to help members of the University teaching staff acquire theoretical knowledge about the methodological specificities of distance, blended, and hybrid teaching and to improve their skills in planning and developing digital learning courses.

Distance/Blended Teaching Model. Hybrid Teaching (Advanced Level)

The ‘new normal’ is for teaching and learning to take place within an online environment. However, the shift towards this electronic environment and the plethora of available channels and instruments have also brought certain challenges, even to lecturers proficient in using digital teaching and learning technologies. This module aims to help members of the University teaching staff further deepen their theoretical knowledge about the methodological specificities of distance, blended, and hybrid teaching. It is vital that educators continue to improve their skills to stay on top of new developments so they can continuously update and improve their digital learning courses.

Feedback and Ways to Provide It

In this module, you will deepen your understanding of the importance of feedback as an integral part of any learning process. You will learn about the various ways of collecting feedback, how to plan it, and ways of delivering it to students. You will also discuss how to constructively interpret and use the feedback provided to teaching staff by standardised student surveys conducted at the University.

Planning and Organisation of the Teaching Process

Would you like to learn how to prepare for teaching a specific course unit, taking into account your students’ needs? If so, this module is just for you! You will not only learn about different teaching strategies and how to improve your practical lecture planning skills but you will also be encouraged to develop/update scenarios for teaching that can be used in your own classes.

Assessment: Fundamentals, Criteria, Methods, and Tools

PLEASE NOTE! All modules are open to the University academic community and can be studied independently. If you would like to take a module, please email Agnė Perminė, Training Manager at the Educational Competence Centre: .