Interpretation of learning and didactics in Budapest Business University’s teacher trainings

Abstract

At Budapest Business University there are two programs for teacher training: Vocational Technical Instructor is a Bachelor’s program, and Teacher of Economy is a Master's program. These programs were heavily affected by the societal and economic challenges of the recent decades, the changes brought by digitization, and the shifts in the number of students of vocational training institutions. The specific expectations for vocational educators to be aware of the latest trends. To properly reflect these changes on an institutional level we have also made adjustments to improve the quality of our training program to prepare our teacher candidates on constructivist learning theory, practical approach, project-based teaching, experiential learning, and the incorporation of prior knowledge. We implemented these concepts through workshop-style classes, discussions on specific educational situations and cases, and strengthening student collaboration and knowledge sharing. Didactics is not only a course in our program we also assist students in applying didactic knowledge in practice by embedding several subtopics of didactics within the frame of other classes. We aim to prepare our educators to be effective online and offline and to serve as a model for future teachers. The continuous development of our training program is an ongoing task for the institution and team, which is why we are considering several efficiency-enhancing changes.