Starting in September 2025, MU launches an education programme focused on developing the pedagogical competencies of beginning teachers. Based on a new MU Measure, this training will be compulsory for some beginning teachers.
“Education is the most important role of the university, and in addition to the fact that monitoring and evaluating its quality will become increasingly significant within accreditations, it is also our internal need to ensure that students perceive that they receive an education at Masaryk University in a manner that meets the highest academic standards,” explained vice-rector for Studies and Quality Michal Bulant. In recent years, the topic of teaching quality has resonated more and more both internationally and within the Czech higher education environment. Its importance also emerged from the recent external evaluation of MU by the National Accreditation Bureau.
The quality of teaching at MU is conceptually and methodically overseen by the Quality Office in cooperation with the Pedagogical Competence Development Centre (CERPEK), which provides training in pedagogical competencies. Supporting teachers in developing their pedagogical skills is one of the main tools for improving teaching quality.
“For a long time, there was a notion that an expert in their field is also a good university teacher. Of course, the expertise of teachers remains crucial, but today we realize that a teacher also needs to be able to effectively convey their knowledge to students. Research confirms that well-delivered teaching is better experienced by both students and teachers,” said Director of the Quality Office Kateřina Oleksíková. “However, if we expect high-quality teaching from our teachers, we as a university must provide them with opportunities to develop their pedagogical competencies,” Oleksíková emphasized.
System of education
Currently, with the support of the KompassMUNI project, education programmes in pedagogical competencies are being developed for various groups of teachers. The intention is that within a few years, there will be a system of education in which every teacher can find education corresponding to their current position and level of experience. The first of these programmes is the , which is aimed at teachers with less than three years of experience.
For some teachers in this group, this training is compulsory from September 2025. The four-semester programme combines online and in-person activities. The obligation applies to teachers with less than 150 hours of teaching experience at a university or without equivalent education.
“We realize that introducing any obligation of this kind may not be enthusiastically received, but from experience we know that beginning teachers usually have a great interest in teaching well and are themselves looking for ways to develop in this area. In addition, we have really made sure that this training is manageable in terms of time and sufficiently flexible,” commented Bulant.
Training content
The Development of Pedagogical Competences of Beginning Teachers programme is designed to be easily combined with academic work. It is organized as part of lifelong learning, and participants will receive a microcredential upon completion.
“At CERPEK, we make sure that our offerings are not created ‘from behind a desk’, but that they reflect practice and the needs of future ‘users’,” explained CERPEK Director Petr Pokorný.
The format of the training may differ depending on the faculty where the teacher works. Individual faculties can include their existing educational events and activities in the programme. “We know that there are already many initiatives at the university where teachers share experiences and educate and support each other in teaching. It is definitely not our intention to replace these initiatives – on the contrary, we want to support them. Also, considering the specifics of each field, we believe that good teachers at individual faculties are best qualified to support their beginning colleagues,” added Oleksíková.
The education programme is open to all beginning teachers at Masaryk University, both employees and doctoral students, including those for whom participation is not compulsory. Interested parties can register via the Shopping Center. “Our main goal is for every beginning teacher at Masaryk University to receive effective support at the start of their teaching career. We believe that this will not only be because of the obligation, but because they will find it useful and important,” concluded Pokorný.
MU Measure No. 06/2025 is further developed and specified by the Quality Office Guidelines. Current information on compulsory education can be found in Portal. The current offer of training in pedagogical competencies is available on the CERPEK website.