Sustainable Learner Centered Teaching, Advanced Recourses for Georgia and China (STAR) is the cofounded project by Euro Commission within Erasmus+ KA2 program. The aim of the project is to raise awareness about Learner Centered Teaching (LCT) and its implementation in the Georgian and Chinese HEIs. The change of paradigm in the higher education systems in the EU from teacher-centred to student-centred teaching was geared in 2012 as a result of the agenda developed by the Bologna Follow-Up Group meeting which put forward the idea for promoting studentcentred learning as a means of increasing the responsibility and autonomy of learners. This shift of paradigm was also a natural follow-up of the introduction of the ECTS system (as part of the Bologna Process) which was based on learning outcomes and the provision of comparable criteria ensuring the quality of education, its transparency and recognition. The key objective is to address the shortcomings in higher education across Georgia and China by systematically engaging HEIs in new practices with a learner-centred focus.
The main outcomes of the project
- The Manual on Learner Centered Teaching
- Online Platform
- Center for Professional Development (CPD unit)
The manual, elaborated within the project is dedicated for University teaching staff and includes not only detail theoretical information about the teaching approaches, but the best practices of the field experts involved in the project consortium. In the designing process of the Manual were involved the partners from Europe and China: Bulgaria (the University of Ruse, responsible for the manual), Portugal (University of Coimbra), Denmark (University college of Copenhagen), Czech Republic (Masaryk University, applicant university). The Manual is focused on the main 5 teaching methods, that were selected on the base of needs analyses from the partner countries. The teaching methods are below:
- Task based learning
- Project based learning
- Problem based learning
- Discovery Learning
- Learning Contract
All the methods are more or less known in Georgian Educational Area, but they are less used in the teaching practice.
The manual is available as the paper book (in the University library), PDF online version as well
The Manual in Georgian
Within the project the Online Platform was created, aiming to create an area for the interesting people where they have the possibility to get detailed information about the LCT, access on the materials and use the forum for the participant. in the format of forum, the users will be able to ask questions and get answers from the field experts and experienced teachers, also, share their experience and best practices. The platform is open for all the interested people and is available here (please note, that after first registration, the administrator has to confirm your registration and after you will be able to use the platform and forum as well).
Another outcome of the STAR project is Center for Professional Development, which aims to take care on continues professional development of Sabauni academic and administrative staff. The center offers the staff different trainings, that are selected on the base of the needs analyses. The main training is on LCT.
Project duration 3 year (2016-2019 )
The project meetings and events
First meeting of STAR project in Brno
Erasmus+ KA2 program STAR project’s
Training of Trainees and STAR project meeting in Tbilisi/Zhanjiang