The «Diploma in Safeguarding of Minors» at the Pontifical Gregorian University: An attempt at answering the Pope’s call for an instructional renewal
Karolin Kuhn, Hans Zollner
The «Diploma in Safeguarding of Minor»s offered by the Centre for Child Protection at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome trains safeguarding professionals for the universal church. The program attempts to answer the current abuse crisis in the Church, as well as the Pope’s call for instructional renewal by employing a radically student-centered didactical approach. It aims at the holistic development of the entire person and the competencies needed for the practical application of knowledge and skills in a culturally sensitive way. The article spells out how pedagogical theory is put into practice by highlighting course structure, its instructional design, the roles of both students and teachers, and the importance of the learning portfolio as a unifying tool for reflection and evaluation. Drawing on the evaluation of the first course it also provides statistical reasons for the effectiveness of the new instructional design.
Keywords
Safeguarding, portfolio, instructional design,competence-oriented teaching.