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DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.71.11.3
How to Cite:
Shumakova, S., Gordeev, S., Nabokov, R., Buhaiova, V., & Borysova, A. (2023). The concept of the pilot project for the dual
format of training specialists: directorial education. Amazonia Investiga, 12(71), 40-53. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2023.71.11.3
The concept of the pilot project for the dual format of training
specialists: directorial education
Режисерська освіта: концепція пілотного проєкту дуального формату підготовки фахівців
Received: September 16, 2023 Accepted: November 10, 2023
Written by:
Svitlana Shumakova1
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2269-3149
Sergey Gordeev2
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5654-0837
Roman Nabokov3
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7276-3478
Viktoriia Buhaiova4
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2534-5430
Alina Borysova5
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3323-4463
Abstract
Considering global educational trends and
strategies, the specialists of the Department of
Directing at Kharkiv State Academy of Culture
(KhSAC) are inspired by the experimental
implementation of a dual-format professional
training program in the field of Performing Arts
(speciality 026). Such a precedent has not
previously existed in directorial education in
Ukraine. The introduction of the first educational-
professional program in Ukraine, “Directing for
Show and Art Projects”, in 2023 is an innovative
strategy for preparing professionals initiated by the
Department of Directing at KhSAC, which can be
considered the foundation for research and analysis
of the possibility for implementing a pilot project
for practice-oriented directorial education.
The research methodology is based on student-
centered and competency-based approaches,
principles of pedagogy concerning the determinism
of theory and practice in the educational process, all
directed within a systemic approach. The
conceptualization of the pilot project involves a
dual form of education alongside the analysis of the
1
PhD in Art Studies, Associate Professor, Kharkov State Academy of Culture, Kharkov, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID:
HWQ-8023-2023
2
PhD in Art Studies, Professor, Honored Artist of Ukraine, Head of the Department of Directing at the Academy of Arts, Kharkov
State Academy of Culture, Kharkov, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: HLP-5160-2023
3
PhD in Art Studies, Associate Professor, Kharkov State Academy of Culture, Kharkov, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID:
HKW-2713-2023
4
PhD in Art Studies, Honored Cultural Worker of Ukraine Associate Professor, Kharkov State Academy of Culture, Kharkov,
Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID: JVO-4403-2024
5
PhD in Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor, Kharkov State Academy of Culture, Kharkov, Ukraine. WoS Researcher ID:
AAI-4677-2020
Shumakova, S., Gordeev, S., Nabokov, R., Buhaiova, V., Borysova, A. / Volume 12 - Issue 71: 40-53 / November, 2023
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standardization principles in training that envisages
achievement of a new level of professional
competence for competitive specialists.
Methodological approaches and pedagogical
modeling have been reproduced with the purpose of
further development of educational standards and
competency requirements that align with the
descriptors of the National Qualifications
Framework.
Keywords: innovation, concept, dual, form,
education, labour market, pilot project,
conceptualization, organizational structure,
director, training of professionals, specialists,
performing arts, professional training,
standardization.
Introduction
The new education paradigm in the context of
contemporary socio-cultural challenges
anticipates modernization of foundational
principles for the achievement of a qualitatively
new level of professional training, enhancing the
level of competence for new era professionals
able to meet the demands of the labour market
and trends of the global educational system.
Today, reforming of the educational sphere in
Ukraine has entered its most active phase, which
can, without exaggeration, be considered a
national achievement. From the inception of
educational reforms, dual education (from Latin
dualis — double) has emerged within the unified
educational structure as a subject of particular
attention — an educational approach that
combines academic training with the acquisition
of specific qualifications (on-the-job training at
workplaces in institutions, organizations,
enterprises of the professional sphere). The
introduction of dual education naturally bridges
theory with practice and is one of the most
progressive forms of acquiring professional
competence and educational development of
learners, respectively preparing future
competitive specialists for the labour market with
its contemporary demands (Kharkiv State
Academy of Culture, 2023; Buchynska et al.,
2021; Buchynska et al., 2020; Ministry of
Science and Education of Ukraine, 2021).
According to the National Doctrine for the
Development of Education in Ukraine in the 21st
century, the Strategy for the Development of
Higher Education in Ukraine for 2023–2032,
(Order No. 286, 2022), (Law of Ukraine
2145-VIII/2017, 2017), (Law of Ukraine 1556-
VII, 2014), and other legislative documents, the
enhancement of professional culture in the
dimensions of professional competencies’
mastery constitutes a substantial vector for the
evolution of contemporary education. In the
medium-term perspective, the dual model of
education in Ukraine, poised to occupy a
significant position, is perceived as a
precondition for a considerable enhancement in
the quality of labour resources’ professional
training that is demanded by a society.
The Ministry of Education and Science of
Ukraine, in partnership with the Representation
of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, State
Institution “Scientific-Methodological Centre for
Higher and Vocational Pre-Higher Education”,
Ukrainian Marketing Association, and the
Federation of Employers of Ukraine, is creating
conditions for the proliferation of the dual form
of education.
Within the framework of the system for training
qualified personnel, initiatives to introduce the
dual form of education in institutions of
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vocational higher and pre-higher education have
become relevant as an experiment conducted by
the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine
since (2019). By the decree of the MESU (Order
No. 991, 2019), the composition of the
participants in the experiment was altered,
significantly expanding the list of educational
institutions, specialties, and enterprise partners
involved.
The objective of the experiment in Ukraine for
the years 2019–2023 is the development of
methodological approaches to the organization of
dual system of education, which is constructively
beneficial for both the educational system and
professional prospects of students. The national
context requires adaptation of the existing
international experience to Ukrainian realities,
precluding the creation of a unified approach to
the organization of dual education system for all
specialties (Ministry of Education and Science of
Ukraine, 2022; Pieshkova, 2018).
The focus of the author's research interest is
concentrated on the issues of professional
training in the specialty 026 “Performing Arts”
within the context of the increasing relevance of
dual education. This approach identifies
powerful motivational potential, increasing the
employment prospects for future specialists by
minimizing inconsistencies and bridging the gap
between the production and educational sectors
in the training of professional personnel.
In the professional training by specialty 026
“Performing Arts”, within the context of the
discussed theme of dual education, there are
certain contradictions between:
− the objective societal need for modern
professional adaptation of future specialists
and the actual state of complete absence of
any development in this aspect of the
problem pertaining to the professionally-
focused dual format of education in the
training of specialists for the field of
performing arts;
− the potential possibilities of the educational
process for professional adaptation of future
specialists in the field of performing arts
within the framework of dual education
through the joint interaction of higher
educational institutions and cultural-artistic
organizations and institutions, and the
current absence of effective methods for
their implementation.
Consequently, at present, the full implementation
of a dual form of education in the professional
training of future specialists in the field of
performing arts is complicated by a series of
circumstances.
Firstly, the issue concerns the lack of
development in the organizational and
methodological foundations for implementing
practical part of professional training (i.e., on the
basis of the educational institution); secondly, it
involves the ambiguity in defining the
proportional parameters of theoretical and
practical components in professional training;
thirdly, identified causes for the difficulties in
implementing the dual education system are
absent; and fourthly, there is uncertainty in the
mechanisms of its implementation, which overall
unfolds the integrity of the problem field
components.
The purpose of the presented scientific
exploration is to analyse and forecast the
strategies for implementing a dual education
system (defined by the Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine as one of the main forms and a priority
direction for the development of higher
education in the country) to the professional
training of personnel in the field of performing
arts that enables perpetual renewal of the content
of professional education, adaptation to changes
in labour market, enhancement of professional
level of specialists with contemporary thinking,
motivated to attain their own creative and
business goals.
Literature Review
The analysis of contemporary scientific research
indicates that the proposed theme of dual-format
professional training in the specialty 026
“Performing Arts” remains completely
unexplored in the scientific discourse — there
has not even been an attempt to formulate a
similar problem, necessitating its comprehensive
study. Dual education, as a complexly structured
scientific problem, predominantly resides in the
focus of foreign scientific research explorations,
only beginning to gain attention in domestic
theoretical developments. Among the relevant
scientific publications that do not expand the
thematic research horizon of dual education
issues, it is important to distinguish works that
interpret the dual format both in terms of its
significant advantages and certain drawbacks, as
well as those that substantiate the specifics of its
implementation.
In the study “Ready? Steady? Grow! Readiness
for Participating in Learning in Dual Education”
by J. De Groof, E. Daniels, D. Gijbels, E. Kyndt,
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B. Wille, and P. Van den Bossche, it is
emphasized that workplace learning within the
framework of dual education should attract
heightened attention, as this form of education
actualizes the issue of youth unemployment and
enhances the individual employment of young
professionals. The work accentuates the problem
of learners’ readiness to make a decision
regarding dual learning, and it is determined that
readiness to participate in workplace learning
remains practically minimal. The research is
aimed at distinguishing criteria for assessing:
readiness to participate in dual education; current
approaches to the introduction of dual education
in the context of “maturity and readiness to
participate in workplace learning”, “motivation
for readiness for workplace learning”, and
“clusters of competencies related to workplace
learning” (De Groof et al., 2022).
The rationale for the orientation of dual
education is found in the work “The dual
training, a new approach to vocational education
and training” by I. Molina, which posits that
long-term youth unemployment in our country
currently remains at a high level, as does the
overall unemployment rate. Despite efforts in
accordance with the recommendations of the
European Union to create a system of vocational
education with an integrative approach to
learning, this goal’s achievement is still in the
future. The problem is concluded in the
inefficiency of the vocational education system
and integrative learning. A crucial prerequisite
for the effectiveness of vocational education and
the employment of young specialists is that the
vocational training system must originate from
the labour market itself. Companies can identify
the real needs in training and the competencies
that future specialists need to acquire (Molina,
2016).
In the work “Dual education – Pupils
enforcement in the Slovak Practice” by
F. Olsavsky and S. Trel’ova, a range of problems
associated with the implementation of dual
learning in the educational process is illuminated.
It is proved that many organisations emphasize
the lack of suitable candidates for open positions
amid a relatively high level of unemployment.
The authors identify the needs of employer
companies and reveal the issue of certain
enforced employment involvement present in the
dual education system (with coercion considered
from various perspectives). The authors
comprehensively highlight a series of limitations
caused by dual education, as well as its
advantages (Olsavsky & Trel'ova, 2016).
In the publication “Implementation of Dual
Education Elements into Electrical Engineers
Training” by S. Soshenko, K. Sizova, and A.
Shmeleva, the ways of implementing dual
education, its advantages for both the enterprise
and the educational institution are studied. The
authors of the work characterize the elements of
dual training for learners; argue for the
implementation of current technologies in dual
education, which positively influences the
development of the educational process and
ultimately contributes to enhancing the prestige
of the educational institution; justify the
necessity of pedagogical support for participants
in the dual program. Concurrently, the authors
emphasize that the implementation of a dual
program presupposes the creation of a new
teaching position—student consultant. A
prerequisite for its effectiveness is that the
consultant is attuned to the needs of companies,
originating from the labour market itself, as
interested companies define the real training
needs and competencies required by future
specialists (Soshenko et al., 2019).
Methodology
The methodological foundation of the research
involves student-centered and competency-based
approaches, principles of pedagogical science
about the determinism of theory and practice in
the educational process, guiding the analysis of
the investigated dual form of training in the
specialty 026 “Performing Arts” within the
framework of a systematic approach. This
enables the theoretical substantiation of the
subject of study as a dynamically developing
structure that is integrated into a unified
educational system.
The system approach enables the realization of
analytical perspectives concerning the innovative
idea of simultaneous forming in learners an
integration of theoretical knowledge with
practical professional competencies of the basics
of the executed professional operations. In this
context, a significant process is the formation in
future specialists of a spectrum of certain actions
with broad vocational orientation, facilitating
rapid adaptation of graduates in a production
environment.
An integrated system of interrelated empirical
research methods (source analysis method,
analysis of the internal correlation structure of
dual education, problem-analytical method, and
synthesis of descriptive method with the
generalization of scientific-analytical
recordings) facilitates the definition of
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conceptual foundations of the dual form of
professional education in the specialty 026
“Performing Arts”. This system also enables the
identification of typical and distinctly expressed
characteristics of the subject under study as
something that evolves infinitely according to its
inherent laws within the context of global
educational trends.
Research Stages:
First stage. Comprehension of the sources and
theoretical-methodological foundations of the
research. Analysis of statistics and normative
materials on the investigated issue of the
potential dual form of professional training in the
specialty 026 “Performing Arts”.
Second stage. Systematization and
generalization of research materials (with the
implementation of a survey method for learners
at a certain stage) aimed at identifying structural
characteristics and conceptual foundations of the
dual form of professional education in the
specialty 026 “Performing Arts”, and adapting
the theoretical component of learners’ training to
the practical component of the profession.
Third stage. Pedagogical modelling of the
duality of the educational process within the
Graduating Department of Directing at Kharkiv
State Academy of Culture in the professional
training of future directors, with the aim of
further development of the educational standard
and requirements for competencies and learning
outcomes, aligned in accordance with the
descriptors of the National Qualifications
Framework.
Results and Discussion
Contemporary education, motivated by the
modern progress of society, necessitates
openness to innovative processes. In turn, the
continuous development of the production
environment imposes cutting-edge demands on
the labour market, leading to the demand for
modernization of the educational environment
(Prystaia & Kabatsii, 2021).
Despite Ukraine holding globally the fourth
position in the number of citizens with higher
education degrees, the quality of future personnel
training often does not meet the expectations of
stakeholder structures, which present specific
professional requirements to job applicants (a
fairly high percentage of graduates find their
diplomas “collecting dust”). Employers
complain that even master's degree holders are
not ready for professional activities within the
necessary scope of their chosen specialty,
necessitating the retraining of learners to master
professional competencies in practice (Order No.
286, 2022).
It is dual education that conquers this problem. It
aligns with the development of labour potential
and labour market demands for highly qualified
specialists (even as an experiment, within which
businesses can improve the quality of education).
The mismatch between the education system and
the real demands of the production sector and
labour market plays a fundamentally adverse
role, as it is the production sector that sets the
requirements for the knowledge and professional
competencies of graduates and demands the
competitiveness of the workforce (in the
“formula of educational interrelations”:
education → labour market → production, it is
production that plays a decisive role against the
backdrop of the need for specialists).
Even despite excellent education and high
professional competence, young specialists
typically have an insufficient understanding of
labour market behaviour strategies and the
implicit nuances of its operation, in the opinion
of employers.
The strategic tasks of education regarding the
reorganization of the existing system, the
introduction of innovative forms of professional
competence acquisition by learners into the
educational process, and the transformation of
requirements for the training of competitive
qualified professionals (Resolution 1341/2011,
2011), (Resolution 266/2015, 2015), (Ministry of
Culture and Arts of Ukraine, 2020; Ministry of
Education and Science of Ukraine, 2017),
intensify the urge to engage dual education
(Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine,
2019). This is in view of the experiment initiated
by the Ministry of Education and Science of
Ukraine to implement a dual form of education
aimed at the significantly improving interaction
between educational institutions and employers
— as a prerogative of practice-oriented learning.
The experience of Germany, the birthplace of
dual education, demonstrates that such a format
of collaboration between companies and
educational institutions is a guarantee for the
preparation of specialists in demand in the labour
market. It contributes to reducing the
unemployment level among recent graduates and
is considered a “bridge” that eases the transition
from education to work. Although the benefits
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for employers from implementing training in
companies under the dual education system are
quite apparent, not all Ukrainian employers are
ready for it (Нritchenko et al., 2023).
The contemporary labour market in Ukraine
demands highly skilled professionals capable of
engaging in innovative activities. Under these
circumstances, the issue of reorganizing the
system for training future specialists becomes
more crucial. This includes the integration of
new educational models into the teaching process
and the perfecting of mechanisms for interaction
between education and the labour market. The
resolution of this outlined problem relies on the
variability of the implemented models of dual
education for acquiring higher education.
The dual form of obtaining professional
education is based on the full-time mode and can
be combined with other types of institutional
form of education. The implementation of duality
can enhance the competitive edge of domestic
educational institutions. Studying the
educational experience of leading European
countries unveils the opportunities for
incorporating relevant pedagogical innovations
into the national education system, particularly
the experience of integrating certain elements of
duality into the educational process with the aim
of elevating the quality of professionally oriented
education to new levels. The exportation of the
German model (as the progenitor of the duality
concept) was implemented in seven European
countries (Switzerland, the United Kingdom,
Luxembourg, Denmark, the Netherlands,
Norway, Austria), with a considered, rational
approach to adapting certain components of it,
but not duplication of the German format of the
system or its components. In the Ukrainian
educational space, the dual form of training has
so far been realized only in the spectrum of
management, technical and economic specialties,
remaining, as of current moment, outside the
realm of professional training in artistic
specialties (Martseniuk, 2020).
According to legislative documents, the dual
form of learning, as previously mentioned,
envisages a combination of theoretical training in
educational institutions with practical application
of knowledge directly at the workplace, aimed at
acquiring the desired qualification level. This
approach is implemented on the basis of a
contract concluded with a stakeholder
(employer).
Dual learning, based on a contract with a
stakeholder's structure, includes: the order of
employment and corresponding payment for the
work of a student (as per normative documents,
training at the workplace involves performing
job responsibilities according to the labour
contract); the scope and expected results of the
student’s learning at the workplace (possibility of
career growth); the obligations of the higher
education institution and the employer in terms
of executing an individual educational plan at the
enterprise (the possibility of choosing
educational disciplines and forming a flexible
individual schedule of classes); the procedure for
assessing the learning results obtained at the
workplace (the results of practical work are
included in the student’s assessment and rating).
The concluded contract is the foundation for
training under the dual program, which does not
envisage short-term periods of staying in
different structures, but systematic training
according to plans developed by the chosen
structure, which is responsible for the
professional training of the student from
admission to graduation, whose status is an
intern. Ukrainian legislation prohibits the stay of
an intern at the enterprise for more than three
months, in other words, it is a student’s in-depth
integration into the production processes.
From the side of the educational institution, the
establishment of continuous interconnections
between the educational structure and relevant
institutions is facilitated. This includes
involvement of the qualified personnel from
production in the development of regulatory
documentation for the educational process and
teaching of specialized disciplines. Additionally,
it enhances the rating of the educational
institution among potential applicants, which
collectively contributes to the realization of the
educational environment functioning at the level
of the best European standards.
“The European educational space combines
national peculiarities with the primary task in
ensuring the quality of higher education – the
modernization of methods for assessing the
preparation of students, monitoring their
achievements, where the main assessors are the
client and the labour market” (Нritchenko et al.,
2023).
The dual form of education, as a professionally
and practically oriented mode of learning, is
primarily based on the foundation of social
partnership, which is directed towards a new
model of professional training of specialists.
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he dual form of education is organized in an
educational institution in accordance with the
programs/standards of professional education in
specialties/qualifications and working curricula,
which are developed jointly with stakeholders
and approved in accordance with the procedure
established by law by the indispensable
agreement of stakeholders.
There has been no precedent in Ukraine for the
introduction of the dual form of education in the
specialty 026 “Performing Arts”. The
introduction of the first educational-professional
program in Ukraine, “Directing Shows and Art
Projects”, as an innovative strategy for training
specialists in the field of performing arts,
initiated by the Directing Department of Kharkiv
State Academy of Culture, in our view, can be
considered as the background for research
analytics on the possibility of implementing a
pilot project of the prerogative of practically-
oriented training of a professionally competent
specialist, forming high mastery in directing and
technologies of staging thinking as
improvisational-constructive creation.
The Directing Department plays the role of a
unique creative matrix that defines the integral
system of scientific interests and pedagogical
preferences of a unified research, educational-
methodological, and organizational centre for the
artistic-aesthetic education of future
professionals in stage directing and cultural-
artistic projects (show programs, large-scale city-
level celebrations, international theatre forums,
carnivals, and performances of spectacular art).
The challenges of the present encourage the
Directing Department to plan transformations in
pedagogical reality with the aim of enhancing
standards in the field of education and
technologies for professional training in
accordance with the European requirements.
In view of the recent emphasis on strategies for
reforming and enhancing the educational
environment, the specialists of the Department of
Directing at Kharkiv State Academy of Culture
— both theoreticians and practical educators,
who are professionals in the field of art of
directing and laureates of international and
national competitions — are inspired by the
challenges of experimentally organizing a dual
format for acquiring professional education in
the field of “Performing Arts” (Speciality 026)
within the educational-professional program
“Directing of Shows and Art Projects”.
This educational initiative encounters several
challenges, primarily the inconsistency of
professional education standards, educational-
professional programs, curricula, syllabus
content, and discipline programs with the
specific types of practical activities undertaken
by students as a part of the practical component
of their training aimed at adapting future
directors to professional activities. The curricula
of the Department of Directing at Kharkiv State
Academy of Culture should be formed integrally,
with all aspects customized to the practical
training at the student’s workplace.
Based on the analysis of this problematic
educational field, from the authors’ point of
view, the primary necessity of implementing a
range of effective positions is emphasized:
− monitoring of the labour market (identifying
stakeholders, multi-directional exploration
of the varying spectrum of interests and
demands of potential employers in the
sphere of performing arts) with the aim of
defining a set of requirements for the content
and outcomes of educational activities
within the specialty. This involves marking
the requirements of qualification standards
for the competencies (learning outcomes) of
graduates, ensuring the achievement of an
appropriate quality level of the professional
preparation for creatively thinking directors;
− implementation of innovations in the content
and technologies of education in the context
of specifying learning objectives and
outcomes. This includes updating the
curricula and programs of the Department of
Directing at Kharkiv State Academy of
Culture, taking into account the demands of
potential employers, adjusting the content of
educational components to meet modern
requirements, refining forms of control,
updating the educational process schedule,
and redistributing credits among different
content components;
− identification of competencies for future
specialists in the educational-professional
program, aligned with the demands of the
labour market, according to the framework
of qualifications and the curriculum;
− implementation and execution of the
educational program through close
collaboration with employers, whose
suggestions are correlated with its content;
monitoring of the effectiveness of the
program’s components with all groups of
stakeholders, and accordingly, updating the
programmatic competencies and learning
outcomes;
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− considering the interests and proposals of
students in the framework of forming
individual educational trajectories,
manifesting in the decision regarding
attendance of elective courses (adding
courses upon graduates’ requests, aimed at
forming comprehensive professional
knowledge and competencies — the
introduction of relevant disciplines into the
educational process is based on verbal
surveys followed by discussions at the
department meetings, where the educational
program is approved;
− introducing ongoing round-table discussions
as meetings with stakeholders for the
purpose of gaining experience in
professional interaction with experienced
specialists in directing;
− concluding bilateral agreements in
accordance with the current legislation in the
framework of dual education (with the
management of state and public cultural and
artistic institutions/organizations, creative
associations/unions and collectives, business
structures, event agencies, etc.) (with the
aim of further concluding tripartite
agreements with students);
− fostering cooperation between the
Department of Directing of Kharkiv State
Academy of Culture and profile
organizations (within the framework of
various professional-oriented events — from
organizing master classes, series of
trainings, long-term courses to the
introduction of advanced training and
internship programs);
− assistance of the specialists of the
Department of Directing in involving higher
education students in directorial projects of
various levels — staging of show programs,
city art projects, fashion shows,
performances, presentations, theatricalized
concerts, various genre and form festivals
and rituals, carnivals-parades, folkloric
shows, city creative art projects, television
projects.
The paradigm of training for educational and
professional program “Directing Shows and Art
Projects” enables the goal achievement: to
prepare specialists who possess comprehensive
knowledge, basic and professional competencies
in the field of performing arts and contemporary
event technologies. This approach is aimed at
enabling students to acquire skills in scientific
research, applied and innovative aspects within
their professional field, and the ability to solve
complex professional tasks in specialized
production activities. The definition of
competencies and program outcomes for
academic disciplines is implemented in
compliance with the matrices of educational
program correspondence.
The sequence of acquiring competencies and
program results of training is determined by the
structural and logical scheme of training
specialists in the field of directing: the program
outcomes of learning are defined by the Higher
Education Standard through:
− establishing the optimal volume of all types
of educational work (with the prevalence of
individual over lecture-based activities,
including mandatory professional course
work involving the development of the
student's own artistic project and
qualification works);
− choosing effective teaching methods and
forms of assessing students’ educational
achievements, applying appropriate
methodologies, technologies, and tools
(involving students in cultural and artistic
projects at city and international levels
through the Department of Directing);
− compliance with the requirements of the
standard regarding the functioning of the
quality assurance system for educational
activities.
Discussions on the content and quality of
teaching academic disciplines occur in the form
of semester surveys and written questionnaires
for students from the Department of Directing.
The remarks, suggestions, and wishes expressed
by the students are taken into account in the
process of improving the curriculum, forming
syllabi, and working programs of academic
disciplines (see the scheme). Monitoring
students’ opinions on the quality of the learning
process allows to adjust curricula and syllabi
with the aim of acquiring competencies inherent
to the specialty, which in turn updates and
enhances the educational process itself
(Alieksieienko, 2023; Buchynska et al., 2021;
Prystaia & Kabatsii, 2021).
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Fig. 1. Survey of students from the Department of Directing, KhSAC concerning the modification of
educational and professional programs to enhance their competitiveness in the labour market.
Do we have to conduct training in your program
in a dual form of education?
• Yes – 66%
• No – 12%
• Difficult to answer – 22%
Consequently, there should be an expansion of
the list of speciailties and professional training
programs.
In the process of creating a dual educational
program, a key position is assigned to the
schedule of the educational process.
We propose to introduce a dual program from
the second year, with a phased block system of
education:
− one month of practical professional work
followed by one month of classroom
learning;
− (aligned with the thematic-disciplinary
content blocks of the courses).
Accordingly, we propose to distribute practical
and theoretical components in the ratio of
training hours:
− 1st year: 100% theoretical-practical
components taught at KhSAC;
− 2nd year: 70% theoretical, 30% practical at
production from the 4th semester;
− 3rd year: 40% theoretical, 60% practical at
production;
− 4th year: 40% theoretical components, 60%
practical at production.
Fig. 2. The Ratio of Theoretical Training to Practical Training for Educational Program Students by
Academic Courses.
It should be emphasized that the organization of
a dual educational program as a certain educational experiment involves the corrective
diagnosis of such components of professional
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competence as motivational, active, reflective,
cognitive, and value-based, upon which the
process of mastering a profession is based.
These components, from our perspective, can be
considered systemic in forming competence —
the ability to think professionally and
systematically.
Professional “capability”, accordingly, is
associated with the rationalization of educational
components and pedagogical-educational
framework based on them, which should
sensitively respond to internal and external
changes in the professional sphere.
Dynamic transformations of the labour market
stimulate significant changes and the emergence
of the latest methodological approaches to
academic disciplines. These disciplines shape
integral, general, and specialized professional
competencies in professional training for the
specialty 026 “Performing Arts”. Specifically,
the disciplines of the regulatory training cycle
develop general skills of critical thinking and the
using modern communication platforms. The
professional disciplines’ goal is to enable the
learner to acquire abilities and tools for creative
professional activities, event technologies, with
the objective of achieving planned staging
purposes and organizational results. The
disciplines of free choice are aimed at training
specialists with a broad outlook for the further
practical implementation of the acquired
knowledge in professional activities. The design
of educational components’ content is carried out
in accordance with the requirements of the
modern labour market and the provisions of
relevant program documents regulating the
training of specialists in the field.
Within the professional training in the
educational-professional program “Directing
Shows and Art Projects’, we suggest the
following set of theoretical disciplines.
Let’s emphasize the primary necessity of
mastering practical skills in forming and
realizing a directorial concept, acquired through
studying educational components such as
“Fundamentals of Directing and Acting Skills”
and Directing Shows and Art Projects’.
Fig. 3. The logical scheme of educational components in the dual form of training of the educational
program “Directing shows and art projects” of the Department of Directing Kharkiv State Academy of
Culture (project)
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The theoretical block includes courses aimed at
mastering knowledge of the professional sphere
and assimilating the required cultural, historical,
pedagogical, psychological, and other aspects of
the activities of a director-producer, which we
regard as fundamental: “History of the World
Artistic Culture”, “History of the World Theatre’,
“History of Ukrainian Theatre”, “History of
Costume”, “Directorial Activities in
Contemporary Theatrical Art”, “Scriptwriting
Mastery”, “Event Technologies”, “Methods of
Organizing Shows and Art Projects”, “Mastery of
the Presenter”, “Innovative Technical Means in
Art Projects’, “Plastic Education of the Director”,
“Music and Drama Class”, “Scenography”,
“Musical Arrangement of Shows”, “Director’s
and Assistant Practice”, “Production Practice”,
“Fundamentals of Copyright”, “Stage Art in
Research Activities”.
The practical training block for acquiring
professional competencies (the ability to
effectively develop innovative art projects,
conduct performing and staging activities in the
field of concert and spectacular genres, artistic-
sporting spectacles, show programs, and other
forms of stage culture, according to the
educational-professional program — takes place
directly at workplaces. Among these, we can
consider such art institutions as theatres (both
state and private), philharmonics, culture
palaces, concert and entertainment institutions,
event agencies, schools of arts and aesthetic
education, cultural-recreational centres, research
and creative institutions of culture and arts.
It should be emphasized that relying on the old
content of the existing courses, even as
supplements to new program disciplines, is not
advisable (students should receive up-to-date
theoretical material, relevant to real-life
scenarios). Undoubtedly, it is necessary to create
a new curriculum in response to employer
demands, incorporating new academic
disciplines as its components. A portion of the
existing disciplines should be modernized;
however, they must be restructured not only to
meet the demanded competencies but also to
align with contemporary educational conditions
and methods.
These positions necessitate both synergy of
academic principles and the realities of the
artistic environment, as well as the opportunity
for educators to work with the most relevant
content within the confines of academic
disciplines. Thus, a model that allows learners to
understand the professional background of the
field, master the programmatic outcomes of their
education at the level of ingrained skills, and,
indeed, the set objectives, is created.
We propose to introduce the “teacher-expert”
model, in which the teacher is responsible for
theoretical and organizational parts of the
discipline, while the expert from the structure
where practical training is conducted ensures the
relevant professional and practical activity of the
student. It is crucial that, at the system level,
solutions should be found for adjusting programs
and ensuring their permanent relevance.
During the implementation of dual education, the
university and the employer become equal
partners, as the latter influences the development
and can significantly participate in the
elaboration of working and individual study
plans, assesses the results of each learner.
Therefore, mentor — a director/expert in the
event industry, structure where practical training
is conducted — plays a crucial role in the
organization of such training process. He
transfers the acquired experience and knowledge
to the students during practical training and
facilitates professional adaptation of directors in
the profession.
The development and updating of disciplines
based on the principle of dual education is the
substantive work of teachers of the educational
institution. When updating the content of
disciplines, it is important to maintain a balance
between academic (scientific) goals and practical
application of training. The purpose of education
is to prepare specialists who are genuinely ready
to work, can effectively build their careers, and
deepen their knowledge throughout their lives. A
working group should be formed around each
individual discipline from the lecturer of the
discipline and the director/experts of the
company, whose expertise is substantively
correlated with the content of the course. Such a
process is multi-stage, each worked out stage
must be jointly agreed.
A working group should be formed around each
individual discipline from the lecturer of the
discipline and the director/experts of the
company, whose expertise is substantively
correlated with the content of the course. This
process is multi-staged, each developed stage
must be jointly agreed upon.
The first step in developing a discipline is to work
out the expected learning outcomes, which are
formed as skills. They consist of examples of
professional tasks (or their elements) that
learners will be able to perform by the results of
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the course, and a correlation with professional
competencies and knowledge sections is added.
It is an important conceptual step that enables
understanding between both environments — the
professional (through the formation of practical
expected outcomes) and the academic (through
understanding how activities within the course
contribute to shaping the future specialist). At
this stage, collaboration between experts in
directing and teachers should occur.
The subsequent steps of the work are more
traditional and involve the development of the
thematic plan for the course. Each teacher in the
working group must present and discuss the
proposed plan and its correspondence with the
formed learning outcomes.
Subsequently, experts are expected to assist in
selecting the most relevant materials and
literature for the courses, and additionally, to
present practice-oriented tasks which the
teachers are afterwards encouraged to integrate
into the program.
The consequence of such collaboration is the
updating of working programs and course
materials by the teachers, as well as the
formation of a certain unity of skills and
knowledge, which further develops into a
detailed profile of the program’s graduate.
One of the key objectives pursued by the
program is to minimize the barrier and enhance
mutual understanding between the artistic
industry (with directing projects) and the
academy, i.e., to strengthen the relationship of
scientific and production developments.
The result of such collaboration extends far
beyond updated materials and working
programs: it lies in the systematic building of
trust and synchronization of two very different
and demanding environments to form a powerful
cohort of future professional directors.
Among the drawbacks, we can identify:
− students who choose this form of education
do not have holidays in the traditional sense
of the educational institution, only the
standard leave granted at the enterprise
where the practical training is conducted;
− the choice of specialization is made
immediately (by the traditional format of
education, students can ultimately choose
their professional specialization in the 4th or
5th semester, whereas in dual education, a
decision must be made immediately).
Overall, the implementation of dual education is
a guarantee of enhancing the quality of training
for contemporary creating directors, taking into
account employer requirements. Employers’
interest includes their desire to acquire highly
qualified workers who are maximally motivated
to work immediately after graduation, with an
immediate understanding of the principles of
staging and the realization of a directorial
concept. In turn, learners of the dual education
form have a greater chance of obtaining their
desired job.
Therefore, dual form of obtaining directorial
education in the educational-professional
program “Directing Shows and Art Projects” is
the implementation of competence and student-
centered approaches, against the background of a
focus on meeting the expectations of education
applicants — future directors of stage projects for
successful professional work. It involves forming
in them modern practical knowledge in the field
of directing, skills and abilities for professional
activity and teamwork in real workplaces and the
production environment, enhancing readiness,
facilitating and accelerating the transition of
directing department graduates from the
educational sphere to the labour environment. In
other words, it increases their overall
competitiveness in the artistic space and the
labour market.
Conclusions
Today’s new reality in the educational and
scientific sphere, both globally and in Ukraine, is
confronted with the challenge of combining
different training practices (through the lens of
coordinated interaction between theory and
practice) aimed at achieving the training of
competitive specialists at a global level,
integrating into the European educational and
scientific space to introduce a new innovative
level of educational quality in a European
dimension of learning.
The dual directorial education, we are interested
in, ensures a close interconnection between the
educational and production spheres; coordination
of pedagogical conditions for professional
training in directing in educational and
production environments. A graduate-director
acquires the ability for contemporary managerial
thinking and a system of specialized theoretical
and practical knowledge of the fundamentals of
the event industry and event technologies,
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mastering skills in professional planning,
organizing events in official, public, and private
life, particularly in developing concepts and
programs, forming and controlling budgets,
coordinating the work of subcontractors, and
evaluating the effectiveness of the conducted
event. Undoubtedly, dual education, as a “single
organizational whole”, is a form of education that
emerges as a product of social partnership against
the background of mechanisms of theoretical and
practical interactions directed towards preparing
highly qualified directors according to labour
market demands. The dual system ensures a
balance between the demand and supply of
professionals in the labour market and activates
the student’s business independence in the
directing profession.
The current scientific research suggests that due
to effective combination of theoretical and
practical training the level of preparation of
today’s graduates, who, in terms of their
professional qualities would meet the demands of
contemporary stage art and acquire professional
competencies defined by the educational
program/standard of professional education,
should increase. It is important to emphasize,
without any doubt, that practical training at a
stakeholder’s base will provide students with an
understanding of the details and nuances of the
directing profession, about which it is hardly
possible to learn from theoretical courses.
However, it is precisely the theoretical
component of education that should facilitate the
acquisition of such fundamental professional
competencies as the ability to think
systematically and creatively in the context of
independent authorial directorial work in the
field of various innovative forms of stage art, as
determined by the educational program/standard
of professional education.
As a result, the graduate will have the
opportunity to be employed in either public or
private sectors of various fields of activity,
choose the direction for further professional
growth that best matches their personal abilities
and expectations — their individual educational
trajectory — the personal path to realizing the
future director’s personal potential, taking into
account their interests, abilities, needs,
motivation, opportunities, and experience. For
this reason, future directors, within the
framework of education offered by the
Department of Directing of Kharkiv State
Academy of Culture, are provided with
conceptual, ideological, and specialized
professional support from teachers and the
academic community.
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