Didactics of Biology

The institution defines the learning objectives of the study programme such as student's abilities at the time of completion of the programme and the main learning outcomes.

The graduate of the third degree of university study in the field of Didactics of Biology knows the history and development of the field in an international comparative framework, as well as its perspectives, theoretical foundations and methodology. He knows the standards, principles and methods of scientific work in the field of pedagogical and didactic research, can systematically analyse didactic problems and situations and propose solutions. The graduate has skills in the use of digital technologies at the level of current knowledge and is able to transform knowledge from the scientific system to the didactic one. At the same time, he has an extensive professional knowledge of pedagogy, psychology, didactics, biology and other natural sciences, engineering and social sciences, which serve as a starting point for planning and conducting research and development, and creating new knowledge in the field of biology didactics. The graduate of the study program independently plans, designs, organizes and evaluates research. He can work with national and international source databases and has an overview of the latest scientific knowledge in the didactics of biology in an international context. He can design his research project, manage research and research team, but also works as a member of the research team and participates in an international cooperation in the field. Thanks to his experience with the interdisciplinary nature of didactic research, he can cooperate and coordinate interdisciplinary research teams. He can bring and formulate innovative and new research topics and problems. Based on its findings, he can design, verify and implement new research and working procedures in the broader context and possible consequences of the proposed solutions, create new knowledge within the field, and complement and refine the scientific language in the field of study. In formulating research plans, conducting research and interpreting its results, he looks at the social, scientific and ethical aspects.

The graduate of the study program is actively involved in the scientific communication in the field of study, regularly publishes the results of his research and participates in the development of the field on an international scale. He is characterized by a high level of academic writing and scientific and publishing ethics. He presents the results of research to the professional community in the Slovak Republic and abroad and also is able to transform them into recommendations for social practice, such as curricular documents, educational concepts or educational policies. He actively participates in the public discourse concerning the issue of Biology teaching, which presupposes that he has acquired professional knowledge and developed presentation and communication skills. He is capable of positively influencing public opinion and socially engaging in the benefit of fulfilling the goals of the development of the didactics of Biology and the quality of biological education.

The graduate of the study program is characterized by independent, creative, critical and analytical thinking, which can be flexibly applied in terms of theoretical, empirical and applied research. He demonstrates the skills of metacognition, self-education and postdoctoral studies.

The institution indicates the professions for which the graduate is prepared at the time of completion and the potential of the study programme from the point of view of graduate's employability.

The graduate of the third degree of university study in the field of Didactics of Biology has acquired theoretical knowledge, practical skills and abilities that entitle him to pursue a highly qualified profession:
•    researcher and assistant professor in Disciplinary Didactics (Didactics of Biology) at faculties preparing teachers for lower secondary education, secondary education and upper secondary education,
•    research, methodical employees in Disciplinary Didactics for departmental research, development and methodological institutions,
•    project worker in Disciplinary Didactics for departmental research, development and methodological institutions,
•    managerial and conceptual employees of the state administration in the field of education,
•    an inspector in the field of education,
•    a local government specialist in the field of education.

Evaluation of the study programme graduates employability.

The graduate of the third degree of university study in the field of Didactics of Biology has acquired theoretical knowledge, practical skills and abilities that entitle him to perform:

•    highly qualified professionals of an assistant professor and researcher - Didactics of Biology,
•    work in applied didactic research,
•    work of a conceptual, project and program worker (or manager work) in state administration,
•    an inspector in the field of education,
•    a local government specialist in the field of education.

Our experience with the employment of graduates is very positive, as they have all been employed in professions that correspond to the profile of a graduate of this type of study. Graduates of the study program have found employment as an assistant professor - didactics of Biology at universities in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. They have also made a name for themselves in renowned educational journals. In addition to the university environment, the graduates also worked as highly qualified experts at the National Institute of Certified Educational Measurement, where they prepared standardized tests and necessary methodologies to create tests for testing students' knowledge and skills in Biology for lower and upper secondary education.

Successful job positions of our graduates of the 3rd degree of university study, their work activities, research and publishing activities, guarantees that the doctoral study in Didactics of Biology is set up optimally and prepares future graduates who can compete in the labour market.

For individual study plans, the institution states the requirements for completing the individual parts of the study programme and the student's progress within the study programme in the given structure:
- Number of credits for compulsory courses:  20
- Number of credits for compulsory optional courses: 10
- Number of credits for optional courses and scientific part: 165
- Number of credits for the dissertation exam and Number of credits for the dissertation defence: 45