Support and Staff Development Policy of the MSc Media and Refugee/Migration Flows

The Department of Communication and Media Studies recognises that the staff members of the MSc "Media and refugee/migration flows" are its most valuable resource and also that their skills, commitment, and ability to be supported and developed are fundamental to the achievement of its objectives. It therefore recognises that it has a responsibility, in collaboration with individual stakeholders, to encourage and support the development of its staff.

Staff support and development is defined as the set of institutional policies, procedures, and practices aimed at developing staff knowledge, skills and competences and thereby improving the effectiveness of the individual and the institution.

In this context, the components of particular importance for the Department, with regard to staff development, are the following:

providing appropriate employment conditions with a focus on teaching and research,
offering opportunities to promote the professional development of teaching staff,
encouraging academic activity, so as to strengthen the link between education and research,
encouraging innovation in teaching methods and the use of new technologies,
encouraging the development of the quantity and quality of research work conducted by members of the academic unit,
implementing quality assurance procedures by teaching and other staff (compliance with attendance, performance, self-evaluation, further training, etc.),

Among the main objectives of the Department and the MSc is to support the teaching staff, within their capabilities and competence, in the following:

the use of ICT in teaching and learning
strengthening the adoption and use of modern and effective teaching and learning practices, including evaluation
the development of student support skills
supporting their research and academic activities

The Department and the MSc aim to have the University play an active role in staff development through the Centre for Teaching and Learning Support (KE.DI.MA), which through an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental approach and by continuously monitoring developments in the field of university education, aims to promote innovative methods and practices for the development of pedagogical and teaching training of the teaching staff of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and to ensure an effective educational process.

Through the creation of support structures, the organization of educational activities, the participation in networks, the encouragement of synergies and the undertaking of initiatives towards the staff and the academic units of the Institution, the Centre is oriented towards the pedagogical awareness of the academic community and the joint effort for the continuous improvement of the academic work offered to the student population, to ensure continuous support of the teaching and learning process and the provision of specialised services in this direction, surrounding the teaching and pedagogical work of instructors, according to the always developing European Area of Higher Education and the principles of Life-long Learning.

The Director of the MSc and the members of the Coordinating Committee help their staff to develop their performance and effectiveness, as the development of individual potential and professional advancement are inextricably linked to the aims and objectives of the MSc and the Department, through the organisation of various activities such as courses, peer discussions, conferences and seminars, self-study, training by other staff, etc.

Finally, the MSc, in the context of its support to the instructors, depending on its financial capacities, takes care of the supply of equipment for use by the instructors during teaching and the allocation of resources for the development of up-to-date educational material, contributing at the same time to the updating of their scientific knowledge and their scientific development.