Quality-Based Cooperative Technical Teacher Training

Overview & Synopsis

Hungarian higher education is in transition from the stage of elite training to that of mass education. At the same time, according to monitoring surveys, the output efficiency level of secondary school students has decreased. These aspects, combined with the narrowing resource base due to the worsening demographic conditions, call for the renewal of global higher education and particularly technical teacher training. The authors are hoping for a breakthrough in the following items: quality-based approach in training and the organization, learning-centered philosophy instead of teacher-centered philosophy, new types of study materials and evaluation strategies, modular and credit-based curricula, and cooperative training. In this article, the authors discuss the modular and credit-based curriculum and cooperative technical teacher training program developed and introduced at Dunaujvaros Polytechnic (DP) in Hungary. The program provides students with the opportunity to train for two professions simultaneously; engineering or technical teaching. They believe that this pilot program of model value can offer useful experiences for the development of Hungarian higher education.