The Matrix, Staff Development and Quality Assurance

HRADILOVÁ, Alena. The Matrix, Staff Development and Quality Assurance. In XIV Cercles international conference 2016: Enhancing Learners´ Creative and Critical Thinking: the Role of University Lanuage Centres. 2016.

Basic information

• Original name: The Matrix, Staff Development and Quality Assurance
• Name in Czech: Matice, vzdělávání zaměstnanců a zajištění kvality
• Authors: HRADILOVÁ, Alena (203 Czech Republic, guarantor, belonging to the institution).
• Edition: XIV Cercles international conference 2016: Enhancing Learners´ Creative and Critical Thinking: the Role of University Lanuage Centres, 2016.

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Presentations at conferences
• Field of Study: 60200 6.2 Languages and Literature
• Country of publisher: Italy
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• RIV identification code: RIV/00216224:14640/16:00093355
• Organization unit: Language Centre
• Keywords (in Czech): matice; další vzdělávání; kvalita
• Keywords in English: matrix; staff training; quality

Abstract

Masaryk University Language Centre (MU LC) has substantially expanded both in the number of students and staff and become the largest LC in the Czech Republic. This brought a necessity to adjust the organizational structure of the LC in order to enhance quality of cooperation and communication at various levels of the structure in terms of simplifying LC management, exploiting LC pedagogical expertise and maintaining high quality of language education. It was decided that the LC would be structured on a pattern of an adjusted matrix model whose structure provides for communication across the various levels of the LC and enables information to reach the intended audience via several avenues, thus making cooperation of various staff members possible. The paper concentrates especially on means that help to develop both internal and external teacher training via the matrix and special interest groups within its pedagogical section. The system helps the LC teachers to meet not only in the traditional way according to the languages they teach and their language specializations but also according to their interests in teaching methodologies or according to their needs as researchers. These platforms enable teachers to find colleagues with similar interests and to start networking. Inspirational cooperation with University of Helsinki Language Centre helped to embed these strategies into MU LC everyday life in order to ensure quality of staff and pedagogy. -going feedback on the change as well as the latest developments in the LC matrix structure is used to illustrate how these novelties help the teachers in personal and professional development and how sharing know how, pedagogical expertise as well as hands-on classroom experience are perceived as crucial in case pedagogical quality should be maintained.