Developing
teaching methods is part of the competency of the institutions.
Students are admitted to individual courses. When accepting the course,
the Hungarian Accreditation Committee ( Magyar Akkreditációs Bizottság) selects which field of study, and, more narrowly the branch of science
the teaching content of the particular course belongs to. There are of
course interdisciplinary courses, which concern several branches of
study.
Teachers enjoy a great deal of freedom in developing
and applying teaching methods, selecting the teaching materials, which,
however, must be in line with the curriculum already adopted.
Teachers
usually write and/or compile teaching materials themselves in the form
of textbooks, notes. Teaching materials useful for students of several
institutions usually enjoy priority when support for writing and
publication is applied for. In the case of publicly funded students
there is per capita support available to purchase textbooks and notes.
Knowledge
is generally handed over in every subject at lectures (such lectures
are held for 10-300 people, depending on the number of students in the
grade, but larger ones are more characteristic) and at small group
sessions (practical sessions, seminars, laboratory lessons, workshops).
Some courses are more theory centred, requiring less practice, and some
are practice oriented, where the ratio of practical sessions for few
students may amount to 50% of the full training time, and 40-50% of the
number of credit points required for the degree may be practical
lessons.
In larger institutions where training is being provided
in several courses belonging to the same area of training, the lectures
of some common general subjects are arranged for students of several
courses at the same time.
Depending on the nature of the course,
training may be supplemented by practical sessions outside of the
institution (e.g. manufacturing practice in a factory in training
engineers, or teaching practice in schools in teacher training).
Elements of ‘sandwich’ training are present also in Hungarian tertiary
education, mainly in the technical, economic, or agrarian area of
training, where a whole unbroken term is spent with an economic
organisation in accordance with the institution’s regulations).
At technical universities (
egyetem)
a special form of ‘sandwich’ training has come about, which is not
compulsory for each student. That training is also called alternating
training (alternáló képzés),
and it involves two terms over a training time of 5 years spent at a
major industrial plant by the most talented, and the most practically
minded students. In the second such term they prepare their project on
the theme provided by the company. During the time spent at the company
they will qualify for 60 credit points equivalent to work for two
semesters as if they were studying at university ( egyetem). These students have one tutor at university (
egyetem), and one at the company, and the student usually represents a bridge between the university (
egyetem),
and the company (the world of labour). Companies may become acquainted
with the students in the training period, and may select their own
replacement of engineers from among them.
The use of IT is increasingly widespread in Hungarian
tertiary education. Institutions equip their lecture rooms with special
audiovisual technology. It is particularly important to mention that in
technical education computer aided education is gaining ground. In some
technical courses e.g. CAD technology is in everyday use.
The
spreading of audio-visual material, teaching aids is greatly helped by
the fact that ever more institutions have their own IT centres, and
distance teaching (adult training) centres. More intensive expansion is
hampered by the rather limited financial resources of these
institutions. A possibility, however, that catalysis the process is
cooperation, and exchange of experience and of educational equipment
among units teaching identical courses at different institutions, and
cooperation with foreign institutions of tertiary education, designing
common curricula, and increasing teacher mobility among institutions.
The
teaching materials of multi-cycle system with help of EU sources were
revised, which enabled the preparation of new textbooks and
audio-visual materials.
The first cycle of multi-cycle system involves most of fresh school-leavers with a school leaving exam (
érettségi vizsga).
As tertiary education is becoming mass education, it is becoming
general to measure students’ level of knowledge right after their
admission. Courses are offered and launched for students who need
catching up with their studies; there are same courses at different
levels to advance knowledge at the most suitable level.
With respect to the method of teaching, a new task is
to ensure programmes that help elementary and advanced students at the
same time.
Institution:
Magyar Felsőoktatási Akkreditációs Bizottság 1065 Budapest, Király u. 16. Tel.:(36 1) 344-0314 Website:http://www.mab.hu
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