The Innovating Triangle in Teaching European Studies: Trends, Legal Regulations, Vocations

The Report to the European Commission on Improving the quality of teaching and learning in Europe’s higher education institutions (June 2013) and the activity from INOTLES project serves the starting point for this study. The title of the report has generated the basic question of this study – innovation in teaching is adopted under the influence of trends, it is supported/required by national legislation or it is just a vocation. In this regard, the first section contains an overview of the EU Group recommendations at high level for modernization of the higher education regarding on improvement of the teaching and learning quality. The second section analyses the policy documents from Moldova and the extent to which the Changing Paradigm of Teaching by applying innovative methods of teaching is supported at governmental/institutional level. The third section contains the data and the results of a sociological analysis on the assessment and the attitude of the teaching staff and students on the application and effects of innovative teaching methods. The conclusions maintain the idea that a teaching method is considered traditional or modern based on the comparison between the intentional or unintentional produced consequences. The exchange of experience, vocation/pedagogical tact is important in Changing Paradigm of Teaching