Since the foundation of the University of Novi Pazar in 2002, the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences, the Faculty of Humanities of that time with the Departments of Diplomacy, Journalism and the branch for preschool children, has provided students with adequate knowledge in the mentioned fields. Since 2005, this branch has formed a Psychology Department in response to the great interest of future academics for this study program. In the past decade, the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences has successfully carried out the teaching classes at separate higher education branches in Pancevo and Subotica, and since 2014 in Presevo.

The study program at the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences is represented on two levels, through the Underground and Master studies. Students enrolling in the mentioned study programs are mainly from Serbia (Sandzak), and from the surrounding countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia. The teaching process at the University is carried out by eminent experts from all over the region, thus quality conditions have been created for presenting and acquiring knowledge through the most up-to-date methodical and methodological patterns that have been proved to be the most acceptable one at the universities in the environment, and in the spirit of the principles of the Bologna Declaration. Up to now, —– generations of students have graduated at the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences and since the graduates of our University have found employment in the state administration, court, preschool and school institutions, artistic and cultural institutions, etc. The University, and thus our department enter the second decade of its existence and work, and have already given significant results in the field of science, education and have made Sandžak along with Novi Pazar the center of recognition, not only in Serbia but also in the wider region, and in the world.

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF DEPARTMENT OF PEDAGOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES FOR THE PERIOD OF 2015-2020.

Introduction

Higher education enables and facilitates the overall rational, economic, scientific and cultural-artistic development of one district, region, and the entire country as a whole. It is a step in the direction of progress and general improvement. Dynamics and proactive areas of higher education respect the educational needs of population, and provide opportunities for individuals to acquire a high education under equal conditions, to continuously educate themselves in a lifelong education and thus affect the number of residents with higher education. From the aspect of the educational structure, the establishment and working of the International University of Novi Pazar have led to a decrease in the number of young people who go to study outside of Sandzak, which is the stoppage of the “brain drain” process, the financial savings in the crisis period, as well as the assurance that the acquired knowledge and experience are going to be dedicated to their district and their community.

Education requires quicker changes in educational profiles in terms of adaptability of market conditions and the needs of the economic development of our region. The development strategy of the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences predicts the possibility of correlation between higher education and regional economic, and cultural progress. The draft strategy includes the following phases: planning, organizing, implementing and supervising of implementation in the next five-year period. In order to better implement the strategy, it is necessary to clearly define: goals of strategic development, organization structure, bearers of activities in realization of goals and tasks, implementation deadlines, as well as control and supervision in the overall implementation of the development strategy.

Areas of strategic planning

In the areas of strategic planning, we have predicted the basic fields of activity, the work of the Department for Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences is based on, which are:

• Mission and vision
• Strategy of Quality Assurance
• Strategy of the development of the teaching process
• Swot analysis
• A strategy of professional and competent improvement of a teacher
• Mobility of teachers, associates and students
• Publishing activity
• Strategy of Public Relations and Marketing

1. Mission and Vision

The mission of the International University of Novi Pazar, and thereby the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences, is to achieve high quality in the education of students. Future pedagogists and educators will be ready to respond to all the challenges of their profession with their expertise knowledge and experience and represent the fresh driving force of progress and the development of a knowledge society, in the community in which it acts. In the accomplishment of its mission, the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences will act as a high-school institution in the spirit of academic and ethical values and principles, respecting the universal human rights and freedoms, and it will be a place of critical thinking that respects the culture of diversity, tolerance and cooperation at all levels of activity.

The vision of the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences implies a desire and effort to be a leading and prestigious academic educational-training institution for profiling pedagogues, educators and psychologists, and as such it would be recognizable in the region and in international frameworks. The study programs should achieve quality and efficient education in the concept of lifelong learning. The Department should strive to become a dynamic institution that promotes the mobility and development of creative research personnel in a planned and organized manner, forcing and promoting talents and respecting the intellectual energy of each individual, including teachers, assistants, and students. Therefore, our vision is to continuously improve the teaching process through the attainment of high academic standards and adequately take full responsibility for the quality of their own work, action and advancement.

2. Strategija obezbjeđenja kvaliteta

Strategija obezbjeđenja kvaliteta na Departmanu za pedagoško–psihološke nauke zasniva se na preporukama dva osnovna dokumenta, i to:

• Pravilnik o samovrednovanju i kontroli kvaliteta
• Akt o samovrednovanju

Ovim dokumentima, koji se naslanjaju na ”Zakon o visokom obrazovanju” član.15,  utvrđuje se i definiše način realizacije, obezbjeđenja i unapređenja kvaliteta nastavnog procesa, naučno-istraživačkog rada, udžbenika i nastavnih sredstava, upravljanja, logistike i finansiranja, na Departmanu za pedagoško–psihološke nauke. U tom smislu predstoji kao prioritetan zadatak izrada i usvajanje Strategije obezbjeđenja Departmana, kao i Pravilnika o samovrednovanju i kontroli kvaliteta.

3. Strategy of Quality Assurance

The strategy of quality assurance at the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences is based on the recommendations of two basic documents, namely:

• Act standard on Self-evaluation and Quality Control
• Act on self-evaluation

These documents, which rely on the “Law on Higher Education”, Article 15, set down and define the method of realization, assurance and improvement of the quality of the teaching process, scientific research work, textbooks and teaching aids, management, logistics and financing at the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences. In this regard, the preparation and adoption of the Strategy on Securing the Department, as well as the Act standard on Self-Evaluation and Quality Control, is a priority task.

4. Strategija razvoja i inovativnosti nastavnog procesa

Svjesni smo kako samo visoko motivisani i visoko stručni kadrovi (nastavnici, saradnici i asistenti) mogu osigurati plansko i neprekidno poboljšavanje i primjenu kvalitetnijeg sistema obrazovanja vaspitača i psihologa, kao i ostalog prosvjetnog kadra. U tom smislu, preduzećemo sve potrebne aktivnosti kako bi se kopletno nastavno osoblje posvetilo da omogući kvalitetan ambijent studentu. Za nas je student na prvome mjestu. Trebamo biti posvećeni praćenju: rada studenata, uslova studiranja, uspješnosti studiranja,stvaranja uslova za praktičnu primjenu stečenih znanja i vještina, te stvaranja svestrane i kompletne ličnosti koja će moći da odgovori na zahtjeve društva u 21. stoljeću.

U pomenutom kontekstu pred nama je stalno praćenje i osavremenjivanje sadržaja postojećih studijskih programa, kao i kreiranje novih smjerova i studijskih programa, koji će biti prepoznatljivi za studente ali i društveno i ekonomsko-finansijski opravdani, te usklađeni s potrebama tržišta rada u Sandžaku i Srbiji. Neki studijski programi na Departmanu za pedagoško–psihološke nauke nisu preživjeli, poput smjera za ”žurnalistiku” i dr. Neki novi se nameću kao potreba i nužnost, poput smjera za ”socijalnog radnika”, ili iz oblasti primijenjene psihologije, poput smjera ”porodični psiholog-savjetnik”. Otvaranjem master i doktorskih studija u narednom periodu naš Departman će dobiti novi zamah, osnažiti svoje kapacitete, te omogućiti prohodnost studenata kroz sve nivoe visoko-školskog obrazovanja. Doktorskim studijama se dovršava vertikala studiranja.

5. Strategy of development and innovation of the teaching process

We are aware that only highly motivated and highly qualified teaching staff (teachers, associates and assistants) can provide a planned and continuous improvement and implementation of a more quality education system for educators and psychologists, as well as other educational staff. In this sense, we will undertake all necessary activities so that the complete teaching staff dedicate themselves to provide a quality environment for the students. For us the students are in first place. We should be dedicated to follow up: a students work, study conditions, study success, creating conditions for the practical application of acquired knowledge and skills, and creating a versatile and complete personality that will be able to respond to the demands of the society in the 21st century.

In this context, we constantly monitor and modernize the contents of existing study programs, as well as creating new branches and study programs, which will be recognizable for students, but also socially and economically-financially justified, and adjusted to the needs of the labor market in Sandzak and Serbia. Some study programs at the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences have not outlasted, such as the branch for ‘Journalism’ and others. Some new ones are imposed as need and necessity, such as the branch of a ‘Social worker’, or from the field of applied psychology, such as the branch ‘Family psychologist-advisor’. Initiating the master and doctoral studies in the future, our Department will get a new beat, strengthen its capacities, and enable student mobility through all levels of higher education. Doctoral studies complete the vertical of studying.

 In conclusion, the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences, when it comes to the teaching process, would prefer:

• Quality and expertise of teaching staff
• Quality and efficiency of the teaching process
• Commitment to the success and quality of students from enrollment to the end of studies
• Active enrollment campaign for students throughout the year

6. Swot analysis

Swot analysis implies some advantages and disadvantages to the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences. They could be presented in the following way, in the shortest possible way:

Advantages:

• The first higher education institution for educators and psychologists in Sandzak
• A significant number of graduates of the Department work in public and other educational-training institutions
• Relatively young teaching staff who grew up at the International University
• Transparent enrollment with distinct criteria and rules
• Optimum equipped teaching space with modern teaching tools
• A library that raises a library fund daily and is adapted to the needs of teachers and students
• Cooperation with other Universities in the region and in the world, and the exchange of scientific experiences and students

 Disadvantages:

• Faster scientific and professional training of teachers and associates in teaching
• Increased cooperation with international educational institutions
• Extensive use of EU funds for education through various projects
• Permanent media campaign of the University in the animation of new students.
• Strengthening extracurricular activities (excursions, trips, promotions, stands)

7. A strategy for professional and competent teacher training

The demands of students and employers, as well as an entire society, that is, the political and economic environment as a whole, are highly competent and changing relatively fast. If the objectives of education remain the same, the strategies for their realization and implementation are constantly changing and require constant analysis. Good students, competent teachers, and donors and financiers of the University investing in the mission of this higher education institution can be attracted only by raising the quality of teaching and teaching staff. With its content, this strategy supports all the training cycles of teachers and associates for scientific and teaching activity, from their initiation, realization, control and evaluation till their closure.

The scientific-professional training of teachers and associates in teaching, in terms of their competence, is regulated by the legislation. The primary goal of scientific-professional training of teaching staff is reflected in the need of professional competence of teachers to deal with scientific work and realization of study programs of all three levels at the Department. The process of professional development at the individual level, at the higher education institutions, is limited to the criteria of the Ministry of Education, which stipulate the time of progress from associates in teaching to emeritus.

8. Mobility of teachers, associates and students

The main goal of the strategy is to indicate the usefulness of participation in the Mobility Programs, as well as the results that they can bring. Individuals participating in such programs have the opportunity to improve themselves professionally, acquire new knowledge and experience, learn foreign languages, meet and understand other cultures, make new friendships, and more. The mobility of teaching staff is a process of professional development at a foreign Faculty in the form of teaching, which can last from two weeks to one month. The mobility of students is of great importance in terms of staying at the University abroad, which can last no more than 1 year, so that students must be enrolled at least at the second year of the underground studies. It is an opportunity to get to know more about the educational space of the countries of the European Union, to acquire certain skills, learn a foreign language and gain experience of one country and its people.

9. Publishing activity

Within publishing activities of the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences, it is planned to publish textbooks and handbooks that will conclude study programs and their curriculum. This implies the teacher’s obligation is to cover his/her teaching subject with the appropriate literature of which he/she is the author, or obtain competent textbooks and other literature that will be available to students. Also, the continuous publication of scientific papers by teachers and associates in our and other reference publications will contribute to the strengthening and more qualitative work of publishing activities. In accordance with the development and innovation of new study programs, the capacity of the publishing activity of this Department will also be developed. In this context, a commission will be appointed to monitor activities and quality of the publishing activity, and adopt a work plan at the level of the academic year.

10. Strategy on Public Relations and Marketing

Regarding the strategy on public relations, the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences aims to create, maintain and present a positive image and prestige of these higher education institutions. A good reputation is achieved through consistent work, continuous realization of the anticipated taks, and confirmation of the basic principles of the proclaimed mission and vision of the Department. Public relations practice at the Department itself mobilizes all activities: it analyzes trends, anticipates possible consequences, it is consulted with management and head office on the application of planned programs. To put it simply, public relations and quality marketing build ‘a good voice’ and create a favorable impression of this institution. Marketing determines, anticipates and meets the customer’s services of the Department in a profitable way.

 In the process of internal information, arrangement and cooperation at the Department, the following forms of communication are used:

• Meetings and conferences
• Internal reports on the activities of the Department
• Internal training programs and improvement of interpersonal relations
• Publications of the institution – newsletters, act standards, brochures
• Periodical publication published by the Department for the purpose of informing students and employees of all major events and issues of relevance to our Department
• Billboards, posters, panels
• TV and radio shows

External communication channels include: press releases, reports, brochures and flyers, movies and video discs, web-sites, and lectures, seminars and other meetings.

Conclusion

The strategy on the development of the Department for Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences does not present the final strategy that is definitive. On the contrary, this proposal for the development of the Department in the next period will be supplemented according to the identified needs and development of the newly created climate at this educational institution. The essence of the strategy we proposed is based on continuous improvement of the conditions and quality of studying, the development of scientific research work, and the increase of work and living standards of students and teachers. It will also work on improving existing and developing new study programs. Therefore, the development of the Department of Pedagogical and Psychological Sciences should not be understood as a short-term focused action, but as a process that needs to be continuously worked on throughout the year.

Head of the Department:

                                                                                          Prof.dr. Mustafa Fetić