Programme of the Future Studies is based on multidisciplinary modules, skills, internship programme, final paper and academic writing. 

Obligatory activities include regular module attendance, academic writing, internship programme and writing of the final paper.

In order to bring students together into a coherent group, encourage socialisation, better communication and coordination between them, the Belgrade Open School promotes and helps various optional activities: psychological workshops, computer course, winter school of teamwork, basketball and table tennis tournaments, movie marathons, theatre visits, parties, cycle of student lectures, etc.

Students’ obligations

Students who are admitted to the Future Studies sign a Schooling agreement with the Belgrade Open School. Under the agreement, the admitted students take the following obligations in accordance to the programme in which they will participate. The obligations of the admitted students are:

• Regular class attendance;
• Active class participation;
• Participation in the internship program;
• Write the final paper;
• Pay the partial student participation in the total amount of 19,200 dinars (with the VAT included) for the entire academic year. The entire sum may be paid in six equal monthly instalments, 3,200 dinars each (with the VAT included).

 Regular class attendance and students’ class participation are monitored and recorded by the associates of the Department for Advanced Undergraduate Studies.

The teaching process in DAUS

The teaching process in DAUS is organised on the principles of open communication, multidisciplinary and interactive approach to teaching with an aim to develop the will to learn and ability of critical thinking in the students. DAUS intends to educate young people in order to make them capable of dealing with problems even outside of their field of expertise and also in the best way to use the acquired knowledge in practice in their future professional environment.

Teaching is realised through lectures, panel discussions, workshops, trainings and simulations. Internship programme, and tutorial work that accompanies it, present a specific form of work.

Lectures

Lectures serve to introduce students to the problems that will be discussed. Lecturers have 30 minutes for introduction. The following 60 minutes are intended for discussion between the students and between the students and the lecturer. Students actively participate in the lectures and are free to interrupt the lecturer at any time to ask questions or influence the course of the lectures they attend. In order to prepare themselves for the lectures students in advance receive the written materials and bibliography related to the topic.

The DAUS professional team chooses lecturers bearing in mind the link to the topic and professional qualifications of lecturers. Student evaluations influence the choice of lecturers to a great extent.

Panel discussions

Panel discussions are what makes the School dynamic and make sure that it keeps pace with progress. They promote dialogue and connect theory to everyday experience. They usually cover topics that provoke different opinions in both academic and professional audience. Two or three experts on the topic are invited to confront their opinions and debate with students (participants). Panel discussions are a very popular teaching method in the Belgrade Open School.

Workshops

Workshops are organised for smaller groups of students. There are different types of workshops, but for the purposes of DAUS students psychological, creative and problem-solving workshops are being used. Each workshop is goal-oriented, covering specific topics based on specific set of rules that must be followed by both lecturers and participants.

Trainings

Instructors provide basic pieces of information by using in advance prepared tables and charts with specific data and presenting a variety of tasks that need to be solved. Students are taught to comment, and listen to other comments while presenting results. The training consists of an introductory presentation, creative games, questionnaires, specific tasks and commenting in relation to what was done in terms of teamwork, decision-making and negotiation.

Simulations

Simulations are a set of exercises for students based on “uncomfortable” or “difficult situations” they might face in their future careers. Simulations consist of three main phases: preparation, in which the lecturer sets the rules, realisation and discussion, in which the solution of the simulation is analysed (based on video material). The great advantage of this method is that it can be implemented with people coming from different educational backgrounds.

Internship and tutorial work

The internship programme offers the BOS’ students an opportunity to acquire practical knowledge and gain work experience at the institutions with which the Belgrade Open School has an arranged cooperation in terms of student practice. Students have a possibility to suggest an institution at which they would like to intern, but still need permission from the BOS for it. The internship programme lasts from one to three moths depending on the type of work or research the student does. During this period, students choose a tutor from the institution at which they intern. Tutor helps their work and supervises their research until the end of their internship. The final result of the internship programme is the final paper.

Writing of the tutorial (final) paper is the basic form of work of an educationally subordinated individual. Each student is expected to choose a tutor depending on the interests they would like to explore. The role of the tutors is to improve students’ knowledge in specific areas and prepare them for future scientific work. All students are required to submit papers as the final result of the tutorial work. Recommended papers are published in the collection of papers of the Belgrade Open School.

Lecturers

Tutors, module coordinators and lecturers are all lecturers at universities or expert associates of scientific institutes and also prominent individuals, engaged at scientific and social work. Lecturers are invited on the basis of the students’ interests and evaluations, Belgrade Open School’s program schedule and module coordinators’ opinions. While they are involved in the educational process of other departments at the BOS as well, they are mostly involved with the Department for Advanced Undergraduate Studies. Currently, the BOS has no lecturers employed permanently.

Instructors

Instructors are members of the BOS professional team, BOS lecturers and some alumni who have been through trainings in the country and abroad in order to be able to conduct trainings and simulations.

Professional team

The professional DAUS team comprises of young professionals who have both worked and participated in the NGO sector for several years. They are responsible for creation and realisation of the Department for Advanced Undergraduate Studies programme.