On 08.06.2026, the first meeting of the Professional Group for Pedagogy and Social Sciences was held. At the beginning of the meeting, the group discussed and defined its competencies, responsibilities, and scope of work, in accordance with the mission of the Faculty of Education, quality assurance objectives, and the academic and scientific development needs of the staff. The meeting was chaired by Associate Professor Venera Vala Këndusi in her capacity as the group leader.

During the meeting, the following key issues were addressed:

1. Professional Development and Enhancement of Teaching Quality

The group discussed identifying the professional and research development needs of academic staff through questionnaires, focus groups, professional activities, and consultations with students. The importance of aligning professional competencies with academic and research advancement needs was emphasized, including the identification of training needs for professional development.

2. Planning Research Activities and Advancing Scientific Research

The group initially discussed identifying the needs, priorities, and resources required for the development of research activities in the fields of pedagogy and social sciences. In this context, discussions focused on defining the research areas of academic staff, existing capacities, opportunities for inter-institutional and interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as securing the necessary resources for the implementation of research projects. The need to create a joint action plan for the development and promotion of research activities within the faculty was also discussed.

3. Promoting Research and Student Involvement in Scientific Inquiry

During the meeting, the research work conducted with student involvement during the summer semester was evaluated, particularly within the courses Foundations of Research in Education, Curriculum Development, Education and Media, and other courses within the study program. Preliminary findings from student research projects were presented and discussed, highlighting the importance of their active engagement in the scientific research process.

Furthermore, the organization of a joint roundtable discussion with school principals, teachers, and representatives of other educational institutions was discussed. At this event, the results of research projects conducted by students of the Primary Education Program during the summer semester will be presented. In addition, the results of qualitative research carried out by students of the Preschool Education Program, focusing on topics of importance to early childhood education, were discussed. In this context, the importance of creating opportunities for the presentation and promotion of students’ research work was emphasized as a means of strengthening an evidence-based approach in the field of education.