doc. Mgr. Pavel Dvořák, Ph.D.

At the Faculty of Science, he works as an associate professor at the Institute of Physics and Plasma Technologies. He currently also serves as the Vice-Dean for the Concept of Education. He is involved not only in research but also in the development of study programs in the field of physics. For many years, he served as the chair of the doctoral program committee in Physics. He is the author or co-author of approximately sixty scientific articles.

 

What falls under your agenda as Vice-Dean for Education Development?

My agenda is mainly about developing teaching, which is closely tied to discussions about both the content and the format of our courses. It includes supporting teachers, evaluating student surveys, working with programme boards, and recognizing both outstanding teachers and students.

 

What will you be focusing on the most in the coming months?

The Dean wants to initiate a broader discussion about teaching at the faculty and has asked me to help facilitate it. So I’d like to meet with programme guarantors and go through a range of questions related to teaching with them.

Of course, the primary focus is on the content of our courses, but also on how they’re delivered. Every field is evolving quickly, so the question is whether our teaching keeps up with that development and remains modern and relevant.

When it comes to teaching methods, I think there are plenty of ideas nowadays on how to engage students more and motivate them to be active participants.

 

What topics do you consider key in the area of teaching at the faculty?

For teaching, the essentials are clearly meaningful course content, the expertise of teachers, and their willingness to pass knowledge on to students. Also, respect for students combined with a certain level of academic rigor.

Alongside these core aspects, we’re now also opening up the question of efficiency. I really value the diversity of courses we have and the fact that programmes are tailored quite individually. I certainly wouldn’t want to suppress that in the name of efficiency.

That said, I’d like to ease the burden on teachers. Efficiency could be improved by adjusting the structure of courses, especially electives with very small numbers of students. A few years ago, accreditation rules changed, meaning students now have more compulsory courses and less room for electives. We may not have fully reflected that shift.

Many electives go very deep and are highly specialized. The idea was that students would take several of them to gain both breadth and depth but often they simply don’t have the capacity for that. Instead of running several courses with just three students each, we could teach one course for a larger group. That could save effort while also giving students a broader overview.

It also surprises me that more than 80 % of these small-enrolment electives are offered every year. If they’re not required, don’t feed into other courses, or don’t have another strong reason to run annually, they could be offered every two years instead.

 

What specific ideas would you like to explore to improve teaching quality?

One idea I’d like to explore is whether, in some key courses, two different lecturers could alternate between odd and even years. Of course, this would initially mean more work, since a new teacher would have to prepare their lectures.

On the other hand, it would mean that the course has built-in backup. For example, in case of illness. It would also give the teacher a colleague to discuss the course with. And students repeating the course would get a different perspective, which can be refreshing and valuable.

It’s just an idea – I don’t want to impose it on anyone just like the other ideas I’ve mentioned, but I’d be glad if it caught on somewhere at the faculty.

 

Supporting teachers is also part of your role. What would you like to focus on?

Sharing good ideas, experience, and practical tips - that’s something that’s already started to develop even without my involvement. A community of active teachers is beginning to form at the faculty. That kind of exchange makes a lot of sense to me, and I’d like to support it.

 

What do you think makes teachers’ lives more difficult?

At the faculty, teaching is mostly done by experts, which I see as a big advantage. People who are both researchers and teachers bring not only a teaching perspective, but also deep subject knowledge.

But this dual role also creates what is probably the biggest issue – teachers are simply overloaded. I’m not sure what can be done about that. I can’t add more hours to the day.

What the faculty can do, though, is treat teachers with respect and think carefully about how much administrative burden it puts on them, and whether all of it is really necessary.

Another thing that won’t create more time but can help indirectly is when teachers feel that their direct supervisors are aware of and appreciate both their research and teaching.

These things don’t solve the problem, but at least teachers know their work is valued.

 

Student motivation can also be a challenge. How can we engage students more?

Many teachers struggle with how to motivate students not just to absorb information, but to be active, think independently, look for connections, and consider different perspectives.

Some students naturally do this, but getting more of them to engage deeply is a major challenge – for any teacher, and therefore also for a vice-dean.

Again, sharing good ideas can help here. There are teaching approaches that encourage independent work and critical thinking.

 

Can foreign universities serve as inspiration for teaching development?

They can, but you usually won’t find much on their official websites. I once looked at the structure of physics programmes at top universities and was surprised how similar they are to ours.

Real inspiration tends to come more from meeting and exchanging experience with colleagues – whether from abroad or from our own faculty. So I definitely welcome suggestions from both staff and students. If you have ideas, you’re welcome to share them – in person, by phone, or by email.

 

How are you settling into your new role so far?

Every day brings something new – things I don’t yet understand and want to get to grips with. For now, it’s mostly organizational matters.

I think once I get into discussions with programme guarantors, the questions will become more substantial – and I’m looking forward to that.

For many years, I worked as a teaching representative and also chaired the doctoral programme committee in plasma physics. In both roles, I dealt with teaching organization – but at a different level, within a field I know well, with people I know.

The vice-dean role is different. It’s a change, and it brings new challenges.