About

NTNU

NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) has headquarters in Trondheim and campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund, with 41 000 students and 7400 full-time equivalent staff. NTNU has a main profile in science and technology, a variety of study programs and great academic breadth that also includes the humanities, social sciences, economics, medicine, health sciences, educational science, architecture, entrepreneurship, art disciplines and artistic activities. NTNU is committed to innovative education, especially increased use of learning methods with active student involvement and digitalization.

The Department of Teacher Education (ILU) provides research-based education relevant to the profession. The department educates students in the competences needed for primary and secondary education (grades 1 – 13), in addition to programs in Archive and Collections Management. Through these study programs, students gain high levels of skill in educational theory and practice, subjects and subject didactics, and develop the ability to think critically, act ethically and exercise professional judgement in their work.

The Department of Teacher Education increases knowledge about what constitutes quality in schools and in education. Our research is based on the principle of academic freedom and takes place in academic communities with high profiles in their respective disciplines. We have particular responsibility for research in teacher education, which includes profession- and discipline-oriented research, as well as artistic activities. The Department is an attractive partner for public-sector institutions and environments that want to contribute to innovation in education, school development and lifelong learning.

Vocational teacher education (VTE) carries 180 ECTS credits and is a group-based study that emphasizes the connection between professional subjects and vocational subjects, and includes supervised pedagogical and vocational practical training. It is a main principle that the study must be vocationally oriented and relevant, with roots in practice, both in professions and educational activities. In the three-year vocational teacher education, the dual nature of field of practice throughout the entire course of study. Vocational didactics is consistent throughout the education. This programme has approximately 30-40 students each year.

The Practical Pedagogical Education (PPE) programme, is for students who have completed a three-year professionally oriented university or college education, and with two years of relevant work experience after graduation, o who have a trade certificate, journeyman's certificate or equivalent, general study competence, two years of vocational theoretical education and four years of relevant work experience after graduation. The PPE-program has about 50-60 students each year.

The Master's in Vocational Didactics (120 credits) is particularly aimed at professionals who work with vocational training and competence development in schools, companies and public enterprises. The study places great emphasis on practice and on the development of, and reflection on, one's own professional practice. The study is based on the student's professional competence and the need for competence in industry or business. The master's program in vocational didactics provides students with a good basis for leading work with competence development and professional development. The program qualifies students for further specialisation, for example through research education (doctoral degree) in the vocational didactic field. The study also provides a basis for working with professional and administrative management of research and development work. This programme has about 5-15 students every year. All of the aforementioned vocational study programs are organized with three meetings per semester, each lasting 3-5 days. 

The Department of Teacher Education highlights inquiry, exploration and mastery and the use of varied and innovative approaches to work tailored to the distinctive character of eachsubject. Our programmes of study specify clear expectations and set high standards for the institution, the teaching staff and the students. We educate independent, critical and creative teachers who contribute constructively to strong professional communities. Students are given trust and responsibility. They have genuine involvement in the design of the programmes of study. They will thus make a valuable contribution to the work of DIVE.

Akdeniz

Akdeniz University was founded in 1982 as a higher education institution. It has currently a complement of 24 Faculties, 7 Institutes, 1 School, 1 Conservatory, 12 Vocational Schools, 4 Departmental Directorates, and 54 Research and Application Centres.

The primary mission of Akdeniz University is to provide education and scientific production at a universal level through high quality academic programmes, contribute to transformation of information to technology, meet the needs of society at the highest level in the fields of knowledge and technology as well as artistic, social, cultural and other areas..

The vision of Akdeniz University is to become a distinguished university which continuously enhances the quality of its work in the fields of research, education, art and technology; which is sensitive to the environment; which is entrepreneurial, and which is recognized internationally for its scientific work. There are 69,030 students, 4303 academic and administrative staff.

Akdeniz University, member of European Universities Association (EUA), attaches the greatest importance to internationalisation. There are 3030 international students coming from 110 countries. It has also Erasmus Extended University Charter and Diploma Supplement Label Award.

In addition to extensive cooperation within Europe, the university has concluded scientific and cultural bilateral cooperation agreements with highly respected universities throughout the world. Akdeniz University also runs a wide range of international projects aimed at reaching as wide an audience as possible, while providing our students with new visions and benefits.

Karlstad

Karlstad University (KAU) is a mid-sized higher education institution based around two campuses in the Värmland region of central Sweden. A former university college (founded 1977), it was granted university status in 1999. It currently provides around 70 degree programmes and 900 courses within humanities, social studies, science, technology, teaching,
health care, and the arts. As of today, it has approximately 16,000 students and 1,200 employees (of which some 800 are academic staff).

Supported by the Central Administration, the university is organised around the faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences (HS) and Health, Science, and Technology (HNT), the Faculty Board for Teacher Education, the Karlstad Business School, and the Ingesund School of Music. KAU has particular strengths in Pedagogy, Materials Science, and Service Innovation.

The university makes systematic internationalisation efforts at all levels, and international mobility among staff and students is high. KAU is also active at the national, regional, and local levels, providing expertise in the utilisation of research and education, and in co-operation with a range of partners in wider society, from private industry to public bodies.
 
The vocational teacher training programme at Karlstad University, is a three or six semester pedagogical programme. The students are admitted to the program after validation of their prior learning. The students need documented work experience in a specific field to become a teacher in the corresponding vocational subject. All students fulfilling the requirements are admitted. Last semester there were 35 students starting their training.

The programme is offered as distance education, and the students meet at the university three times each semester. Each semester there are two courses offered in parallel, which means that the students can chose to study full-time by taking both courses, or half-time by taking one course each semester. All students taking the same course are in the same group regardless of study pace. It is common that the training lasts for longer than planned for some students. Due to the work situation many students start working as teachers during their education.
The content during the three semesters concerns different aspects of the profession, such as pupils’ development, learning and prerequisites, values, concepts of knowledge, history and organisation of the Swedish school system, teachers as leaders, evaluation and assessment of pupils’ knowledge as well as of their own work as teachers. The three semesters also include 20 weeks of practical work in schools, and at the end of the training, the students write an independent work, in which they discuss how to develop their teaching based on a scientific view. Three of the six courses in the programme include specific vocational subject-didactic studies.

Throughout the programme, there is an aim to integrate all parts of vocational teacher training. Because of this, teachers work in teams, and there is a mix of senior researchers, doctoral students, university lecturers, and vocational teachers working both in secondary schools and at the university as well as vocational teachers working as supervisors during practice. It is also important that senior researchers are involved in the programme and that those who do not hold a PhD get involved in research. It is as important for vocational teachers in secondary schools to be involved in university courses as it is for university teachers to improve their knowledge of current work and the school situation. This highly interwoven and dialogical system provides a sound basis for our participation in DIVE, especially our leadership of IO4, where we can emphasise the concept of values within a framework of interactive and adult-centred pedagogies.

TU-Berlin

The Department of Education for Sustainable Nutrition and Food Science of Technische Universität Berlin (TUB) has two missions: research and education. Research foci of the department include the development of appropriate learning tools and environments to enhance learning processes, vocational education and teacher education in the field of nutrition and home economics, including the effects of different training formats to increase sustainability competences in VET. Other research areas include: interventions to reduce food waste in households and other sectors, assessment of consumer acceptance of insects as food as an example of innovation acceptance, sustainable nutrition and consumption and howinsights from behavioural economics and educational approaches can support them, investigating consumers taste and how it is influenced by contexts, consumers’ (irrational) decision making behaviour and preferences for sustainable food, urban gardening and prosuming, biodiversity and a sustainable diet, sustainability of food production (fair, organic, local). In education, teaching for sustainable development is engrained in the department and its team, who strive to pass this on to the next generation of VET teachers. The department offers subject-matter didactical courses as well as subject-related courses for VET teacher students in the field of nutrition and home economics, as well as work study students (secondary school teachers).