Academic Staff Competence Model (COMPAC)

The project’s thematic objective is to promote the transition to the New Academic Career Framework and its establishment in higher education institutions and research institutions.

The scientific group will develop a competence model for academic staff based on theory and international practice research. The competence model will support the transition to the New Academic Career Framework in Latvian higher education institutions and research institutions. It will incorporate components aligned with university typology and stages of the academic career: competence assessment, identification of learning needs and professional development planning. It will be used for the development of institutional personnel policies, internal and external quality assurance and improvement.

The following activities will be carried out, during the implementation stages of the project:

• Conducting an analysis of scientific literature, documents, and international practices;
• Defining and describing competencies in accordance with the four levels specified in the New Academic Career Framework;
• Creating descriptions of performance levels and an assessment system that correspond to career stages and job competencies;
• Developing a tool prototype for assessing academic staff competencies and identifying learning needs;
• Developing descriptions and examples for the curriculum design of continuous professional development micro-modules aimed at enhancing academic staff competence;
• Developing guidelines and recommendations for the implementation of the competence model in higher education institutions and research institutes, planning higher education and research policies, as well as for the development of educational policy and legislative acts.

The Competence Model will provide support for:

• Representatives for academic staff in assessing their competence and identifying learning needs;
• Higher education institutions and research institutions in planning and refining systemic personnel policies – regular competence assessment and the organization of the professional development process;
• Educational designers of professional development training;
• Education policymakers in higher education and science policy planning in the development and implementation of laws and regulations;
• Implementers of internal and external quality assessment and assurance processes.  

The direct beneficiaries will be students of all levels, alumni, their employers, and society, as the project's contributions will directly enhance quality monitoring and improvement. 

Outcomes to be achieved

• Five original scientific articles in journals or conference proceedings included in the WoS/SCOPUS databases;
• One anonymously peer-reviewed scientific article in an international journal and collection, excluding conference materials;
• One publication of research results in a popular science journal and resources;
• Two conference materials - abstracts up to 1 page;
• One data set (newly acquired research data deposited in an open research data repository, promoting data reuse in accordance with "FAIR" principles -findability, accessibility, interoperability, reusability);
• Two practically applicable solutions at the level of educational institutions, founders of educational institutions and/or municipalities, as well as at the national level;
• One set of guidelines and one set of recommendations (including the necessary resources, including financial, impact) for changes in sectoral policies;
• Defense of 1 master's thesis in an established order, respecting the objectives and tasks of the programme;
• Defense of 1 doctoral thesis in an established order, respecting the objectives and tasks of the programme.