Speakers at the International Andragogical Symposium

 

Roisin Sweeney

Roisin Sweeney is Manager of Programme Accreditation for Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).  She managed a range of education and training projects operated through number of institutions and organizations before she achieved her Master’s Degree in Education and Training Management from Dublin City University in 2005. After that, she managed further projects focussed on implementing recognition of non-formal and informal prior learning. From 2007 Sweeney managed the Further Education and Training Awards Council quality assurance approval process for education and training VET providers and later the development of VET education and training award standards at levels 1 to 6 of the Irish National Framework of Qualifications.  Through these activities she has represented Further Education and Training Awards Council at a range of peer learning activities in Europe related to quality assurance, recognition of prior learning and work based learning.

On establishment of QQI in 2012, she was appointed Manager of the Programme Accreditation Unit and is responsible for managing the validation of programmes at levels 1 to 9 of the NFQ. Since 2012  QQI has set out to promote the enhancement of quality in Ireland’s further and higher education and training; quality assure providers and support and promote a qualifications system that benefits learners and other stakeholders. She is also involved in the policy development activity of QQI across all its functional areas and is currently drafting a new validation policy for QQI. 

Erika Konupčíková

Erika Konupčíková is an Executive Director at Association of Adult Education Institutions in CR (AIVD ČR) which is a professional chamber and aims to promote the interests and needs of adult education institutions, concentrate professional capacities for solutions and development in the field, cooperate with the government authorities and other entities in preparation and implementation of legislative and other measures of adult education, organize events for professionals and the general public and represent members and their activities on domestic and international basis.

Erika Konupčíková studied Palacky University in Olomouc, first Peadagogical faculty – Teaching English Language and then Philosophical faculty – Andragogy and Adult Education.  Then she managed language courses at several companies and adult institutions and acted as a supervisor and methodologist for a group of adult education teachers. In 2005 she worked as a manager of a company, then she moved to academic sphere- at a private university she managed and supervised adult education programmes, implemented Erasmus programme and taught ESP. Besides she has worked on international projects within the Erasmus, Grundtvig and Interreg IIIA frameworks. The projects were all focused on adult education, mentoring and quality assurance.

Berislav Božanović

Berislav Božanović is a director of the Public Open University Vinkovci and the Linguapax Vinkovci school for foreign languages. After completing his studies of English and French language and literature at the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb he worked, among other things in teaching and translating while taking part in various forms of continous education. Since 2011 he has been the President of the Foreign Languages association at the Croatian Economic Chamber, where he has been working on organization of the professional public regarding issues relating to foreign languages education in the Republic of Croatia (quality, legislative framework and the recognition of academic activities for foreign language schools, monitoring the development and application of EU standards). Since 2012, he has been the regional coordinator for Lifelong Learning Week for Vukovarsko-srijemska and Brodsko-posavska counties.

Valnea Bressan

Valnea Bressan is EAQUALS (European Association for Quality Language Services) inspector responsible for monitoring foreign language schools in Croatia regarding their adherence to quality criteria that are mandatory for all members of this association, and consultant in the field of quality assurance in adult education. She received her BA in English and French language and literature from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb. After work experience in translating and teaching foreign languages she managed her own business English school. From 2002 to 2011 she was president and from 2011 Vice-President of the Foreign Languages association at the Croatian Economic Chamber where she has been responsible for quality issues in foreign language schools, curriculum development and coordination with state authorities.

Susan Sheerin

Susan Sheerin is an Eaquals Inspector and Member of the Eaquals Accreditation Panel. She has been involved with language teaching and learning, and with quality management, throughout a long career. Susan taught French and German in secondary schools, and later retrained to teach EFL. She has a Master’s degree in German and an MA in Applied Linguistics, and has had over twenty years’ experience of language teaching, teacher training, academic management and overall management responsibility.

From 2000 to 2010 Susan was Senior Lecturer and Director of the University of Sussex Language Institute, during which time she designed and taught a Master’s degree in TEFL. From 1986-2000 she was Academic Manager at the Bell School Cambridge. Her  experience, therefore, encompasses state schools, private language schools and the university sector, as well as intensive and extensive programmes in modern languages and ELT. In addition to her work for Eaquals, Susan currently works part-time as a freelance trainer and consultant for the British Council and for other bodies. She has a special interest in curriculum development, teacher development and learner independence, and has written a number of publications for ELT, including Self-Access (1990), Teachers Resource Book Series, Oxford University Press.

Andrej Sotošek, M.Sc.

Andrej Sotošek is director of Slovenian Institute for Adult Education, and has been head of this institute since 2008. He graduated at the Faculty of arts in Ljubljana in 1983, in history and sociology, and in 2000 he received a master of science degree at the Faculty of social sciences in Ljubljana. He worked as a teacher in Catering and Tourism Secondary School Celje and in Historical archive in Celje. From 1985 to 2001 he was working in Žalec Adult Education Centre, for first four years as a member of the professional staff, and then 12 years as a director. He also worked in the Regional Development Agency in Celje, where he was programme manager for human resources development, and from 2001 to 2008 he was secretary-general of the Association of Adult Education Centres of Slovenia.

He is a member of number of professional associations and bodies, among others a member of a National coordination for the field of adult education, National coordination body for harmonization in the field of vocational education, National expert group for operationalization of quality in field of education. He is also a member of a National group for strategic development issues in the field of adult education.

Ruth Jermann

Ruth Jermann is the Senior Advisor of the Swiss Federation for Adult Learning (SVEB). She is he head of the Main Office eduQua since 2000, coordinates nationwide the Lernfestival (Adult Learners’ Week) and works in addition in many EU-Projects. As Lifelong-Learner she went back to school after a short family time-out, became a Teacher of Kindergarten and took over a small but innovative Folk-high-school.

Dražen Maksimović

Dražen Maksimović, M.Eng. of Mechanical Engineering, has been the director of the Craft college - adult education institution in Zagreb, since 2009. He has gained his teaching experience during 19 years of work in the secondary vocational school. He has been continuously taking part in professional development activities in the field of adult education, and has received a teacher-trainer certificate in adult education through professional training in 2009 (CARDS 2004 project Adult learning). During his participation in the project Vocational Education and Training Quality Assurance Development in the role of external evaluator he gave a series of presentations that included elements of pilot implementation of self-assessment in vocational schools as a support to the modernization process of quality assurance system in vocational education and training in the Republic of Croatia and its strengthening in accordance with the best practices of the European Union. He participated in the development of the Development Strategy Of The Vocational Education System In The Republic Of Croatia 2008 - 2013 and the development of the Self-assessment manual. He has been implementing self-assessment in the Craft college and has worked together with many adult education institutions by taking part in EU projects.

He has been an active member of the Croatian Andragogy Society since 2009 and was a member of the expert team for the development of the Strategy of Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Croatian in 2014.