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Finnish early childhood education (ECE) is defined in education policies and research as an activity with an emphasis on pedagogy as a holistic and Nordic model of education. Pedagogical competence can be viewed as a special expertise of teachers responsible for the implementation of pedagogy in ECE. However, it is unclear how a teacher's pedagogical competence is defined, understood, and implemented in pedagogical practices and policies. Previous studies define pedagogical competence from different, often narrow, perspectives and various skills have been defined to be a part of teachers' pedagogical expertise. In this study, we aim to take a closer look at how teachers' pedagogical competence is defined in research literature in Finland. As our method, we use a narrative literature review of research papers published between 2010 and 2020. We were able to identify fourteen different definitions of pedagogical competencies that could be categorized into three main categories: (a) meta-competencies, (b) professional competencies, and (c) practical competencies. In summary, we argue that pedagogical competence is often narrowly understood. To implement high-quality ECE, teachers' pedagogical competence should be considered broadly and wholly. Particularly, the shared values and reflection of ethical questions are essential for supporting children's development and learning through holistic education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measurement of multiple competencies of students is getting more emphasis in undergraduate education validating the need for work-ready graduates. We developed the objective structured laboratory examination (OSLE) to measure the practical competencies of final year biomedical science students. This paper analyses the impact of OSLE on students' practical competencies and the utility of OSLE. A total of 63 students (89%) from two different cohorts (BM1 and BM2) were recruited to give feedback on OSLE using a structured questionnaire under three themes viz., prior learning, administration and feedback. Open feedback was obtained from both faculty and students. Reliability of different components of the questionnaire was established by Cronbach's α. Correlation between OSLE score and cGPA (cumulative grade point average) of each student was calculated using Pearson correlation coefficient. Cronbach's α value for all the three domains ranged from 0.6 to0.9. Students' perception of OSLE was generally positive with a median of 4 in a to 5-point Likert scale (4 = agree). Feedback from students and faculty indicated that OSLE motivated the students to improve their practical skills. Interestingly, there was no correlation between OSLE score and cGPA of the students reiterating the different competency sets used by skill assessment versus knowledge assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, in education in general and in higher education in particular, there is no more pressing problem than the organization of the educational process in the context of a pandemic that all universities in the world are facing. Also, there are no universal recipes for how to organize educational and scientific processes in a university without losing quality. The authors share their experience on how to restructure the work of teachers with students in the context of distance communication, organize the work of an educational portal, conduct training sessions, internships, state final certification, create motivational remuneration for the teaching staff. The article concludes that the challenges of the pandemic to higher education made it possible to find algorithms for interaction between students and teachers in the online environment, showed the need to improve the methodological qualifications of teachers, motivational and psychological support for participants in the educational process, accelerate the development of digital resources.

Modern information technologies have opened great opportunities in the ways of obtaining education. For example, on the Internet you can study in the best universities, at the best courses, from the best teachers. However, legitimate questions arise: is distance learning effective? Is it possible to remotely master practical skills or only courses in the humanitarian direction «fit» into the format of online learning? The article describes the experience of launching and maintaining a mass open online course aimed at mastering students with practical skills in the AutoCAD graphic package. The obtained results disprove the myth of the insolvency of distance education provided that the basic principles of effective teaching are observed

This essay will address a general philosophical concern about autonomy, namely, that a conception of autonomy focused on freedom of the will alone is inadequate, once we consider the effects of oppressive forms of socialization on individuals’ formation of choices. In response to this problem, I will present a brief overview of Diana Meyers’s account of autonomy as relational and practical. On this view, autonomy consists in a set of socially acquired practical competencies in self-discovery, self-definition, self-knowledge, and self-direction. This account provides a distinction between choices that express unreflectively internalized social norms and those that are the result of a critical ‘self-reading’. I conclude that this practical conception of autonomy makes much higher demands upon nurses (and patients) than has previously been thought. In fact, if nurses are to be expected to genuinely promote autonomy, they are going to need specific training in counselling-type communication skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]