A study visit to the Royal College of London and the London School of Economics and Political Science on the topic of Professional Development of Academic Staff in the field of Higher Education was held on September 2nd-5th 2018; within the Erasmus+ Action – Support to activities of the national teams of Higher Education Reform Experts (HEREs). The Delegation of Montenegro was represented by Prof. dr. Danilo Nikolić (the Rector of the University of Montenegro) and Biljana Mišović (representative of the Ministry of Education).
The goals of the study visit were to expand the knowledge and exchange experiences on various institutional practices in the professional development of academic staff, the functioning of Professional Development Centers at universities, as well as positioning professional development in the context of overall assurance and the improvement of the quality of higher education.
The visit also aimed to estimate how the practices at the Royal College of London and the London School of Economics and Political Science are applicable to other national or institutional contexts.
“The new concept has called into question the traditional relation between professor and student. The resulting changes in institutional practices are complex and we are facing them even today. They have led to stimulating innovative teaching and teaching methods, which are still transforming in accordance with the technology development”, said Rector Nikolić on the topic of the study visit.
During the visit, it was discussed on the topic of how to direct the appropriate professional development of academic staff that will contribute to well-being of all students at one institution.
Bearing in mind that at the University of Montenegro, its strategic development directions will be determined in the upcoming period, where, among other things, a significant segment will be the development of human resources and the quality of the teaching process; the experiences exchanged during the study visit will be of great importance for more clear and more precise determination of the directions of development of the University.
