Preparatory Program for Adult Educators

Preparatory Program

for the Certification of the Educational Competence of Adult Educators

for the Examinations of EOPPEP

"When you plan for a year, sow wheat.

When designing for a decade, plant trees.

When planning for a life, train and educate people "

Guanzi (Chinese proverb) , c. 645 BC

Teachers

VASILIKI BRINIA
Scientific Director,Certified Instructor of Adult Educators by EOPPEP
EDIP, grade A ', Department of Informatics, School of Information Science and Technology, AUEB

GIANNOULA VOUKELATOU
Dr. Psychologist, Certified Instructor-Multipurpose Instructor of Adult Educators by EOPPEP

General Context

The Program is in conjunction with the AUEB's eLearning "Digital Technologies in Education" program and the Undergraduate Teacher Education Program, a comprehensive framework of innovative training in the field of Pedagogical Science Economics provided by Athens in connection with primary, secondary, post-secondary education, adult education as well as the training of human resources of companies in the context the organization and implementation of in-house training programs.

The Program aims at the successful preparation of candidates as adult educators for the examination and certification procedures for their admission to the register of certified adult educators of E.O.P.P.E.P. and at the same time their additional scoring in trainers' announcements in IEK, SDE, KEK, KDVM etc but also their recruitment in the training departments of the companies.

Since September 2017, the certified educational competence is a necessary qualification for all instructors who teach in non-formal funded programs of non-formal education (article 39, law 4342/2015 - Government Gazette 143A / 09-11-2015). The certification of educational competence is granted by EOPPEP after participation in certification exams that include a theoretical and a practical part.

The certification of educational competence is required based on law 4186 (Government Gazette 193 / 17-09-2013) for the recruitment in the Public Vocational Schools of the country (Government Gazette 2844 / Β / 2012), as well as for the teaching in co-financed programs (Second Chance Schools, Lifelong Learning Centers etc).

Also, the seminar is scored on the announcements regarding the training in adult education structures and is considered an important qualification for teaching to private bodies that provide vocational training and training to adults by participating in co-financed NSRF projects (in-house training programs).

In order to formulate the structure of the Preparatory Program for the examinations of the Educational Adequacy of the EOPPEP Adult Educators, the wide long-term experience of the teachers in the adult education and in the EOPPEP exam examinations were taken into account, the principles and values ​​of the adult education and the innovative educational techniques of adult education with the aim of success in the examinations of EOPPEP.

The program includes 150 hours of training and combines e-learning with live training (with Skype capability). The learning in the program takes place taking into account the educational needs and the expectations of the trainees as well as their pre-existing knowledge and experiences which constitutes the innovation of the Program.

Specifically, the experiential learning is sought and promoted as an innovation in the training of adult educators through educational techniques that are used that aim at the interaction of the trainees with each other, with the teaching material and with their instructor in real learning conditions during the live meetings. Skype feature).

Target Audience

The seminar is addressed to those interested in participating in the Educational Adequacy exams of the EOPPEP Adult Educators and do not have at least 150 hours of experience in adult education in the public or private sector.

Applicants for the Program can be the AUEB Teacher Education Program graduates, as well as graduates of HEIs and TEIs in the country and abroad with recognition from DOATAP, holders of postgraduate and  doctoral degrees interested in specializing in in-house training.

According to the specifications of the national certification system of EOPPEP, educational competence is considered a "horizontal skill", ie the competence in a specialty, e.g. economy, management, computer science, etc.,is not certified, but the competence in knowledge and skills in order for an instructor to be able to teach adults in structures and programs of non-formal education e.g. IEK, KEK, SDE, Lifelong Learning Centers, intra-operational educational programs, etc.

Units

The procedure of the Certification examinations, according to the Decision of no. 65 / 24.05.2013 Meeting of the Board of Directors of E.O.P.P.E.P. includes the following evaluation criteria for prospective adult educators:

1. Theoretical Part Assessment (Written exam test).

2.Practical Part Assessment (Micro-teaching - Interview).

3. Secondary Assessment of Practical Part.

The structure of the Program includes the evaluation data of the candidate adult educators while the thematic units of the Program are called "Vertebrates" following the terminology of the relevant Ministerial Decision 2844 / 23-10-2012 according to which in the Framework of the Adult Teacher Training Program :

a) Instructor training programs have a modular structure. Each independent vertebra should include one or more learning outcomes.

b) The monitoring of each vertebra includes material study and elaboration of one or more tasks and final examination test as well as participation in face-to-face meetings, with the aim of continuous improvement / feedback of the trained adult educators.

c) At least one of the vertebrates will include an experiential application of educational methods and techniques, in order for the certified adult educators to become familiar with the basic processes of adult education, but at the same time to prepare for the process of evaluation and certification of their educational competence by EOPPEP.

The "value" of the program 

Numerous research findings document the need to educate people on positive approaches through lifelong learning programs. Specifically, the program promotes the following benefits for those who attend:

• The main orientation is the systematic cultivation of communication between instructor and adult for adult educators, through experiential activities such as the organization and implementation of micro-teaching as a key component of EOPPEP examinations.

• Candidate adult educators themselves create new knowledge about their subject matter and its teaching in adult education through collaboration with their instructor.

• The instructors of the program are viewed as mentors with pedagogical orientation. This means that they are there to listen any need or concerns that arise and to guide / animate the EOPPEP examination of the candidate adult educator with a personalized approach.

• The program has been structured to fully meet the requirements of the examinations of EOPPEP. In this context, and after studying the modern trends of the time, there is a shift in the learning process, from theory and mechanistic learning, to experiential learning and discovery learning. Focusing on the learner.  Candidate adult educators gain experience through specially designed workshops, in which they are invited to participate and present a teaching in their subject matter. This experience enables prospective adult educators to realize their strengths, to transform theory into practice, to improve their teaching skills and to "correct" what they need to succeed in the examinations of EOPPEP.  In addition, the experience of teaching in real conditions gives important self-confident prospective adult educators for their success in the examinations of EOPPEP but also the adoption of innovative active educational techniques in the educational process during their educational practice in the field of adult education.

• Finally, those who want to get acquainted with the field of adult education and do not necessarily want to deal with this field, do not lose out on their participation in the Program. Everything else, the activities of the Program, are based on the development of important social skills for the individual both as a complete personality and as a professional entity. Time and stress management, working on projects and managing them, speaking in front of an audience (public-speaking), collaboration, teamwork, developing leadership skills that teaching cultivates, are just some of the skills that every employer looks for in a resume and that in the program can be developed by any adult training candidate who will attend.

Why watch it ?

The purpose of the Program is to provide knowledge and skills through the appropriate educational preparation of trainees so that they are able to participate with adequacy and success in the certification exams for adult trainers of EOPPEP. The emphasis of the Program is on experiential learning so that participants have the basic knowledge of adult education which they will use experientially in the design and implementation of their micro-teaching (Skype is offered).

The learning objectives of the program are the following:

For the trainees to be able to :
• Mention the characteristics of adult learners and the conditions of adult learning.
• Understand adult learning theories.
• Utilize active educational techniques by choosing them aptly and appropriately according to their subject matter.
• Utilize the dynamics of the team in their teaching.
• Create the appropriate learning climate by creating teamwork, interaction and communication.
• Contribute as adult educators to the support of socially vulnerable groups.
• Understand the role of the adult educator as a multidimensional role.
• Try through their educational role for their self-improvement as well as for the multi-level support of their trainees.
• Design and implement a micro-teaching in their subject matter (Skype feature is offered).
• Successfully participate in the certification exams for adult educators of EOPPEP.

This program meets the requirements to be recognized in EOPPEP in accordance with applicable law, for the certification exams for adult educators organized by EOPPEP. Those who have attended a seminar from an institution, public or the wider public sector (Law 4386/16 Article 67) have the right to participate in the examinations of EOPPEP.

Certificate of Attendance

The trainees who will successfully complete the program are awarded a Certificate of Vocational Education and Training, which is accompanied by a Supplement to the Certificate, which contains details on the subject of the program, the thematic units attended by the trainee, and the training methodology followed.

You can see the relevant link to apply here.