The background and the goals of EUDORA project

“High quality teacher education for high quality education and training” ranks top on the (education) policy agenda in the Member States of the European Union (cf. Lisbon process).

Research-based teacher education and best educated teacher educators seem to be necessary conditions that this target can be met. 

EUDORA, the European Doctorate in Teaching and Teacher Education may be seen as a both necessary and concrete measure to materialise this target in a European learning environment.

The consortium developing EUDORA, the European Doctorate in Teaching and Teacher Education, has set ambitious targets aiming at substantial improvements of teacher education. Considering most recent research on teaching and teacher education as well as outcomes of research and development work done by the European Commission supported  “Thematic Network on Teacher Education in Europe” (TNTEE), and in co-operation with a number of already established national research schools in the field of educational sciences, EUDORA focuses on the following  three major issues:

·        Development of a European study programme / curriculum at postgraduate level (cycle III) in the field of teaching and teacher education leading to

- a professional doctorate (upon  completion of 180 ECTS credits) or

- a PhD (240 ECTS credits).

At both highest academic and professional level (“state of the art”), this modularised curriculum should enable graduates to meet the enormous expectations (prospective) teacher educators are supposed to fulfil in our dynamic learning societies.

·        Development of a European learning environment for these studies by making provision of

- jointly offered quality assured modules in an international setting,

- ERASMUS Intensive Programmes (IP),

- student and staff mobility (OMS, TS), and

- co-operative research activities in multi-nationally composed learning groups in an efficient virtual learning environment.

·        Development of a European research school and a virtual European knowledge centre in the fields of teaching and teacher education.

EUDORA curriculum

EUDORA will provide a modularised curriculum for prospective teacher educators at which students may opt for two compatible routes:

·        a European professional doctorate in teaching and teacher education may be obtained after successful completion of 180 ECTS credits, and

·        a European PhD in teaching and teacher education after successful completion of 240 ECTS credits.

 In both routes the entry requirement is an academic diploma obtained in a cycle II (“Masters) programme with a minimum of 240 ECTS credits (cycle I and II).

The curriculum for a European PhD is divided into the following three basic components:

Students may opt for the following European modules each of a duration of 15 ECTS credits (420 hours of workload):

• Research in teacher education and teacher work
• Education research methodologies
• Comparative education
• Learner-centred methodologies of higher education
• @-learning in higher education
• Researching social inclusion and exclusion in education
• Mother tongue education in a comparative education
• Researching math education

Responsibility for the curricula of the domestic modules rests with the different EDIL universities

 Provision will be made for a European supervision of PhD thesis work, and for both independent and collaborative learning in multi-nationally composed groups in a virtual learning environment.          

Upon successful completion of the following requirements a European PhD in teaching and teacher education may be obtained:

• A minimum of 45 ECTS credits of European modules
• A minimum of 60 ECTS credits of domestic modules
• Positive assessment and public defense of a PhD thesis by a European panel