International Higher Education Teacher Award ^2024/25

The problem of a high level of educational and professional deprivation caused by a low level of preparedness and special needs of students is presented by the so-called conflict of career guidance. Deprived students of higher educational institutions have an internal conflict between the real role of a student in a given specialty and the desired role, which, for various reasons, is not implemented by them and is discriminated against. Deprived students do not have access to the knowledge they want to have (if they are aware of what they want at all). As a result, there is a lowered level of motivation, which affects the results of the educational process. The situation is aggravated among those students who have, in parallel, a high level of engagement in the field of sports, professional, family activities, suffer from addiction or have special needs. In some cases, this internal conflict damages not only a particular student, but also the entire educational process. As a result, most of the university graduates are professionally deprived. They either replenish the army of the unemployed, or work in a sphere different which they received knowledge from. Thus, we have a huge number of professionally unhappy people. They are forced to do spend most of their time in the field that does not give them satisfaction. As a result of our conducted researches, we have tested a new and alternative approach - the Concept of Professional Happiness, focused on building a “community of happy professionals.” The concept of educational and professional happiness is also introduced, as a state in which a person enjoys both the work he/she does and the assessment he/she receives from his environment. To develop this concept, the Methodology of Ambivert Education was developed, which is focused on reducing the level of educational and professional deprivation through a positive transformation of the internal career guidance conflict that occurs between the student's real and desired educational and professional identities.

Methodology

The strategic goal is to create and popularize a new type of inclusive education of ambivalent educations system in Georgia, and specifically on the basis of St. King Tamar University of Patriarchate of Georgia. An inclusive university represents a community of students, professors and administrators in which people feel free regardless of their gender, ethnicity, race, denomination, social origin or physical ability. All students should have the hope and belief that the University cares about their professional future, and that they have the opportunity to be employed in the future within the University itself and in the network of partner organizations of the Patriarchate. The idea of an inclusive university is based on the principle of diversity of university civil society. Of particular value is the system-centered, holistic approach, according to which the foundation of the education process is self-education, self-determination and the dominance of empathetic relationships. For the first time, the methodology of ambivert education (teaching-learning) focused on professional happiness, created by the author of the project and the head of the program, Doctor of Psychology - Alexander Rusetsky, was introduced. Students, free listeners (persons with disabilities), affiliated and visiting professors, potential employers, administration representatives and founders are involved in the implementation of the project. Our practical interest was to introduce a culture of inclusive education in this program. Different categories of the population have problems of admission and study in higher education, we decided to offer them the opportunity to get involved in our program as free listeners. We are very pleased that a group of people with disabilities agreed with our proposal and underwent the relevant preparatory course in August 2021. 6 people with disabilities were selected, they were offered a compulsory subject: "Self-knowledge and the path to professional recognition", as well as the opportunity to freely choose any subject of interest to them. It should be noted that the free listeners were brilliantly involved in the process, and presented interesting results at the end of the semester. The methodology of ambivert education consists of several methods: - The method of self-knowledge is the main mechanism for enhancing the introversive component of the educational process. It develops the skills of realizing his/her own deep interests, the culture of self-understanding and the formation of the desired picture of the professional future. - The method of conscious education makes it possible to correct the extraversive vector of education relative to the introversive vector, reducing the level of educational deprivation. Thus, there appears an orientation towards serving the desired professional strategy. - The method of settling the career guidance conflict contributes to a positive transformation and the achievement of a mutually beneficial strategy that satisfies the participants in the internal inter-role conflict through the formation of new derived roles. The method is focused on the student's achievement of a sense of joy from work activity in the framework of the educational process. - The method of ambivert teaching is focused on teachers who, while acquiring special skills, have the opportunity to more effectively regulate the learning process, relying on the introduction of the introversion component of ambivert education. The teacher helps the student in the process of self-discovery and helps to understand the true interests of the student and adapt his/her subject with it, as well as the entire educational process. Thus, the traditional process of knowing the external world is preceded by the process of self-knowledge. On the other hand, an ambivert teacher adapts his subject, accumulated knowledge and experience to support the student and create a common autonomous platform in the “teacher-student” system. The ambivert teacher thus contributes to the creation of a system of strategic cooperation with the student. The teacher's interest in student success creates additional opportunities for achieving results that are focused not only on the interests of the object and subject of education, but also on the interests of the entire society. - The method of university psychology, which aims to prepare psychologists for work in universities for psychological support of educational and research processes. In particular, training of psychologists-conflictologists who help professors, students and administration to solve the problem of career guidance conflict and educational-professional deprivation. For each of the above methods, there are corresponding methodologies and specific techniques. Partners/Responsibilities Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly - Georgian National Committee and its units: -International School of Metapsychology named after Barbara Kipiani: attracting personnel from the diaspora to the program; -The Academy of Professional Happiness: the methodological support of the program; -The St. Razhden Pedagogical Institute: attracting and working with teachers, popularizing the ideas of ambivert education among them. -International Center for University Diplomacy: supporting the foreign and international policy of the program. -Caucasus International University/Laboratory of Geopolitical Modeling: - support and modeling of the dimension of Caucasus cooperation of the Program. -Polish Institute of Labor and Employment: support of social projects focused on decent employment for persons with disabilities. -Modern Education and Research Institute: development of contacts and popularization of programs in the Greater Europe and Central Asia region -Behavioral Health Services of the Hudson Valley Newburgh: sharing experiences in clinical psychology and psychotherapy and international practices. -Tskhum-Abkhazian Academy of Sciences: scientific consulting support of the program. Among partners there are public schools, disabled persons civil society organizations.

Tools, equipment, technology used

Mr. Levi Geonjian, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics, is responsible for the technical support of our socially oriented program. It is planned to digitize the ambivert education methodology in 2022 and adapt it to different categories of persons with disabilities. The modernization of the university site in relation to international standards for disabled persons is being considered (WebContentAccessibilityGuidelines (WCAG/2018) The policy of transition to electronic distance education in 2020-2021 has given us the opportunity to integrate citizens into the university community who have previously had difficulties accessing university programs via e-media, e-platforms - ZOOM, MESSENGER, GOOGLE MEET. Negotiations are conducted with the company brunomaster (https://brunomaster.com ) which will further enhance the use of a new generation reading device technology in the future. The information portal https://tiflo.ge/ provides information accessible for the blind and visually impaired persons. Initiators of this contacts are the disabled people participating in our program. They recommended the BRUNO reader device, which includes a "built-in" computer in a specialized scanner and is used as part of the staff equipment of libraries for the blind people. The remote service by the operator, is performed by AISMA device.

Outcomes and outputs, main results

The level of educational and professional deprivation decreased A positive transformation of career guidance conflicts and the creation of a high level of empathy between students, free listeners, teachers and administration. The results that we received in the fall semester of 2021 can be assessed by analyzing the opinions of professors, students and listeners, which are recorded on the video recordings of reporting conferences. The main and courageous decision was to attract persons with disabilities to the BA in psychology with the status of free listeners. This step opened up for them opportunities to receive non-formal psychological education. Therefore, the program began to simultaneously fulfill the function of formal and non-formal education. The invitees were given the opportunity to integrate into the university education system without going through (sometimes impenetrable bureaucratic barriers). The invitees had the opportunity to improve their knowledge in psychology through participation in the course "Self-knowledge and the road to professional happiness", and free participation in those lectures in which they had a special interest. Some of them revealed an interest in the transition from the informal system to the formal one. The proposed methodology of ambivert education allowed students and trainees to make important strategic decisions related to career development.

Lessons learnt

Throughout this and previous experiments, it has been proven that there are specific groups that create barriers. I-st group - students who are trying to get not knowledge, but a specific social status at the university. II-nd group - students who are engaged in other areas and, even if they have a desire to gain knowledge, they do not have the opportunity to do this, since their work takes up their time and energy, like the first category, they strive to get a diploma as soon as possible. However, unlike the first category, our method is effective with them if students understand the importance of communication with us. In this case, we also help them to resolve their career guidance conflict, complicated by additional employment or family situation. III-rd group - the bureaucratic apparatus, for which it is not the educational process and its results that is important, but those standards and stereotypes that it does not want to change. This is what creates the preconditions for the development of the “conflict of innovations”. IV-th group - teachers who are not interested in how much of the knowledge they provide will be used in practice, performing their functions mechanically. In the I-st case, we practice two approaches: 1. An attempt to popularize the methodology and change the attitude. 2. (conformist) The separation of this group from the rest and the creation of special conditions for them. In the II-nd case, communication with busy students brings positive results if together with them it is possible to solve a conflict of a more complex level. In addition to the role conflict between the actual role and the desired educational role, this category of students has another real role that gives the student a specific income and which must be reckoned with. Our proposed methodology contributes to a positive transformation of this conflict as well. In the III-rd case, all initiated initiatives are under constant threat of failure if the administration does not understand the need to implement the methodology. For this, it is advisable to carry out preliminary and scrupulous work with each subject that influences decision-making. In the IV-th group, we practice an individual approach and a special plan for adapting a particular teacher to changes. In order to avoid the "conflict of innovations", it is necessary to take preventive measures. At the Saint Tamar King University, full understanding and support was achieved from the administration.

Adaptability and sustainability of the best practice (for other institutions)

The ambivert education methodology can be adapted in any higher education institution. One of the methods of this methodology was successfully tested in Ukraine (Zaporozhye National University for students - social workers). For the widespread introduction of this methodology into the education system, it is necessary to organize special training for teachers, as well as to popularize the methodology among representatives of university administrations and senior management of the education system. Additional investments are required to accelerate the implementation of the program. It is planned to hold a series of conferences, publish a monograph, a textbook, as well as organize a cycle of television programs. In April 2022, together with MERI (Belgium) and the Institute of Labor and Employment (Poland), it is planned to hold an international conference in Tbilisi - "Inclusive smart universities of the future: the role of ambivert education" For the implementation of the above ideas, the Academy of Professional Happiness was created. On the basis of the organization, retraining of specialists is underway, as well as training of new personnel.

Promotion of best practice

The team promotes best practice nationally and internationally at Universities and schools in Ukraine, Armenia, Kazakhstan – via participation in conference, public lectures, workshops, study visits. It is important that information about the methodology is disseminated to the English-speaking community in Western Europe and the United States. The same methods are used on national level, including public speeches, lectures, webinars, consultations. The methodology was introduced in the form of syllabi at Caucasus International University and St. Andrew the First-Called Georgian University of the Patriarchate of Georgia. Information is promoted via TV channel Salte, personal web-site www.rav2021.com. in 2022, the defense of the second dissertation of the author is being prepared, which is aimed at the presentation of the Theory of metacognitive management. Ambivert education will be presented in this theory as one of the methodological foundations.

Scope and impact

• Course/department level
• Faculty level
• Institutional level
• Cross-institutional level
• National level
• EU/EHEA/International level

Ambivert education has been introduced at the level of the BA program in psychology and we intend to create MA and Doctoral programs and receive cluster accreditation. The success of the implementation of the methodology determined the interest in further promotion and its adaptation for other faculties of this university, as well as other universities. The approaches of ambivert education are recorded in the monograph "Metapolitological Arsenal for Peacekeeping" and are presented on the personal website of the author www.rav2021.com.

6.1 Digitalization

• Innovative use of digital administration tools
• Digital skills development and assessment both general and profession-related, embedded in course design, in teaching and assessment

Reasoning: We are working to create an inclusive program and an inclusive university, and realizing the complexity of the task at hand, we strive to improve digital services “step by step”, making it accessible for any person. We are working on digitizing the Ambivert Education Methodology to enhance the capabilities of the methods that make up this methodology.

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6.2 Internationalization

• Outstanding practices of international online collaborative learning
• Developing students' multicultural awareness
• Courses implemented in international cooperation (projects, co-teaching, virtual/blended mobility, etc.)

Reasoning: We have created a program in which representatives of the diaspora (teachers) are integrated and intend to integrate persons with disabilities from the diaspora into it. Thus, the program itself will soon become international. The program, includes the syllabus "Directions and methods of Internationalization" elaborated and lead by the Doctor of international relations - Olga Dorokhina. We openly disseminate information about our success to our international partners.

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6.3 Inclusion and diversity, universal design

• Inclusive course design, universally designed divers activities to meet special students' needs
• Innovative teaching methodology for inclusion and meet diverse student needs
• Senzitivizing students to consider special needs when practicing their profession
• Course includes hints on how the services/products of the profession could be universally designed/inclusive

Reasoning: The program itself has become inclusive. We are focused on diversity and consider the Ambivert Education Methodology as a fundamental opportunity for integration of individuals into the university community who, for various reasons, do not have this opportunity.

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6.4 Sustainability

• Social entrepreneurship projects, service-learning in the topic

Reasoning: We invited professionals to the program who actually work as volunteers. In this sense, our program also has a charitable character. Team members' scientific research is embedded directly into the educational process, which saves time and provides additional incentive. We are part of a small non-profit university supported by a strong organization - the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church.

3.3 Public contact datas

Name	Email address	Website
Alexander Rusetsky	alex_scirs@yahoo.com