RSU Vice-Rector for Studies Tatjana Koķe Has Never Been Afraid of Work and Responsibilities

What is it like to be the Vice-Rector for Studies at one of the largest universities in Latvia? What can you compare ir to? 

If you want to be in charge of your own life, you cannot be at the whim of circumstances and conditions, you have to shape it yourself. It is definitely like climbing a mountain.

I must admit that I have never shied away from difficult assignments with high responsibility in my work. Therefore, when I was invited to work at RSU after serving as Minister of Education and Science, I came with a clear commitment that I wanted to invest my accumulated knowledge, skills, and experience, including professional contacts, into developing RSU.

RSU has always stood out in Latvia for its well-organised, rich studies, and important research. Investment in high-quality studies and research is growing rapidly, and it is very gratifying that the prestige of RSU has grown not only locally, but also internationally.

When you started working at RSU in 2013, you said in an interview that you often want to achieve more than you actually can. Is there any unfinished work that you have started at RSU?

In today’s fast-paced world, including in what is called the traditional academic environment, it is impossible to enjoy the satisfaction of achievement for too long. External and internal factors change and what was seen as being progressive yesterday is no longer producing the expected results today.

An example of this is the study quality criteria that were introduced at RSU in 2015. Developing these criteria, we achieved an atmosphere of mutual interest between students and lecturers. The senior students worked hard to propose a selection of data-based criteria, the lecturers added their own perspectives to the criteria, and the administration invested heavily to ensure that the institutional criteria were achieved and improved. It has to be said that whenever there is an accreditation visit for a study direction at RSU, the experts always highlight the infrastructure that supports the study process, e.g., library resources, internet access, and so on. However, you can never finish modernising and improving the study process. New products that use artificial intelligence have recently been emerging at a very high rate, and we need to be able to make use of them in a rational and productive way in our studies and research. This is an area that will rapidly change both the academic environment and its practices in the near future. I hope that the internal consolidation of RSU, for example in the social sciences, and by integrating the Latvian Academy of Sports Education, will play a positive role and create new opportunities.

What are the most significant changes you have managed to implement in the study process?

A determined focus on reducing drop-out rates. This has included strengthening students’ sense of responsibility for the commitments they have made and lecturers’ interest in their progress, as well as to encourage lecturers to feel responsibility for their routine tasks, such as posting grades on the e-studies platform in a timely manner. Incidentally, we have long since abandoned any “paper” documentation, which not only saves resources but also increases transparency.

Having students fully involved in bringing up and resolving issues in the study process is important to me. I am convinced that university studies are not just about learning a specialty, but about enriching one’s life experience, and developing and strengthening one’s personality. By this I mean that

lecturers should not only teach and set expectations for their students, but also create an environment where students can express their strengths without being afraid to reveal weaknesses, so that there is an opportunity for growth. With emphasis on engagement, inclusion, not just learning things by heart.

The introduction of scholarships from the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation has intensified the process of modernising study programmes both for individual lecturers as well as in cooperation with experienced colleagues, as the idea was to strengthen the continuity of good practice, as well as to integrate international experience.

We have gradually moved away from fragmented study programmes and have discontinued one-credit courses. In order for students to be able to understand and apply learning outcomes, they need to be clear and integrated, not only applicable in one specific situation, but rather transferable to a wider context.

Strengthening lecturers’ pedagogical skills has become a normal, everyday professional necessity thanks to the meaningful work of the Centre for Educational Growth. The team at the centre are an important part of RSU.

18 September 2015. Prof. Tatjana Koķe (centre) on stage in the Great Hall at the University’s 65th anniversary senate meeting.

The pandemic stimulated the rapid introduction of information technologies in studies. I remember 13 March 2020 with great satisfaction, when we watched a lecture by prof. Voldemārs Arnis on Zoom together with my colleagues from the IT Department Zigmunds Zitmanis, Jānis Laizāns, and colleagues from the Centre for Educational Growth. I can say with confidence that RSU was the first and probably the only Latvian university that did not interrupt the study process at the onset of this unknown challenge. Of course, this was possible thanks to the investments we had made previously, both in purchasing the Panopto platform, for example, which lecturers actively used to record their lectures, and thanks to the timely provision of all the necessary equipment. A lot of work has been invested in the continuous improvement of the study process, and it is undeniable that there are areas where RSU was ahead of its time and was therefore able to face the challenges quickly and in a smart way.

Another example comes from the field of doctoral studies. In 2018, the Ministry of Education and Science encouraged RSU to develop interdisciplinary doctoral programmes under the specific support objectives (Specifiskie atbalsta mērķi) 8.2.1. Thanks to the fact that as early as 2016 Prof. Aigars Pētersons, then Dean of the Department of Doctoral Studies, introduced combined lectures and even some study courses for all doctoral students, e.g. Pedagogy of Higher Education Institution, cooperation and teamwork made it possible to establish and license two study programmes in 2022; one in healthcare, combining medical, pharmacy, and psychology programmes, and one in the social sciences, combining political science, sociology, economics and management, law, and communication. I highlight this, because

agreeing on a common goal and the tactics by which to achieve it, as well as pooling a team’s resources early and in a forward-looking way, not only brings immediate results, but also serves as a driving force for development in prospective tasks.

What was the most difficult during these years, and what helped you to get through the difficult moments?

It is not my habit to divide work into difficult and easy tasks. If you understand and are confident about your tasks and responsibilities, and you have the support of your colleagues, you just have to get on with it.

The most difficult period almost every year is negotiating with the Ministry of Health, and now for some three years also with the Ministry of Education and Science, on the allocation and distribution of scholarship places. It is very reassuring when we are heard. For example, several years ago, the scholarship allocations were agreed on for the Health Management programme, which is now running very successfully. The sixty scholarship places allocated for social sciences are also a success.

Being supported and accepted during difficult times makes a huge difference.

When I started as Vice-Rector for Learning [now Vice-Rector for Studies – ed.], it was very important for me to be accepted into the family of medical professionals as the field was unfamiliar to me. It was important to be able to lead, coordinate, and drive medical studies and the whole field of healthcare forward. Experienced professionals with a lot of authority were very helpful and supportive of me. I am very grateful to them for that! Another very important source of support and inspiration was, and still is, the professional and productive cooperation I have with the RSU Student Union (Studējošo pašpārvalde, SP). I have won the RSU SP’s Friend of the Year Award twice, which I think is the highest possible award and recognition for a Vice-Rector for Studies. Having this attitude helps me overcome difficulties and gives me strength to move towards solving difficult issues and achieving a positive result for everyone involved.

9 October 2020. Prof. Tatjana Koķe was awarded Friend of the Year at the annual RSU Student Union Golden Horseshoe Awards.

Which of your character traits have been the most useful to you in your work at RSU?

Having respect for other people, including myself, my sense of responsibility, my diligence, enthusiasm, and my sense of humour.

What is the biggest life lesson you have learnt in this role?

To get things done, you need to have evidence-based arguments and work with your colleagues.

What have you learnt about yourself during your time as Vice-Rector?

That the attitude of your colleagues is empowering and gives energy.

What moments have moved you the most during your years at RSU?

I have always loved working with students, giving lectures, and organising seminars and discussions. I have gained a lot pleasure and satisfaction in my work with doctoral students at RSU – when you see and feel that what you say is being taken into account, that the doctoral students perceive, develop, and demonstrate how the ideas you have discussed are implemented. When I supervise doctoral students in the Pedagogy of Higher Education Institution course, I am able to identify “stars” every year who are worth stimulating and guiding. They, in turn, make a valuable contribution to how the course is implemented; Ņikita Bezborodovs, Karina Palkova, Ieva Bikava, Olga Kiseļova, and others come to mind.

What do you think makes for a successful and accomplished life?

This is a philosophically complex and at the same time simple question, because everyone has their own vision and expectations of what success and accomplishments are. I will not be original if I say that there are three factors: 1) A stable, loving, and respectful family, where you understand one another without words; 2) An interesting job where you can be fulfilled and constantly learn, improve, and see satisfactory results with a salary that enables you to fulfil your dreams, aspirations, and hobbies with close friends; 3) A sense of security in the broadest sense. We felt the lack of security during the pandemic and now with the war in Ukraine, and we are and will continue to feel the consequences of both on an individual level as well as in society.

27 August 2020. RSU Vice-Rector for Studies Prof. Tatjana Koķe addresses the participants of the second season of the School of Junior Academics at the opening event in the Kalvelis Auditorium of the RSU Institute of Stomatology.

Is life a bed of roses?

I know that there are four seasons. Roses bloom beautifully in the summer if we have cared for them in spring, autumn, and winter. This same attitude can be applied to your future. If you want to see roses and smell their beautiful fragrance, you have to put in the work. But if you focus on the thorns and the pest, then this is all you see. In the speech I give at graduations, I often emphasise the Greek philosopher Plutarch’s insight that the inner world can change the outer world, but it requires wisdom, experience, and patience.

What will you devote your time and energy to in the future?

Work somehow always finds me. I am the Chair of the Senate of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, which I have not been able to devote enough time to because of my workload at RSU. I am working on a project to develop an online dictionary of educational terms, which has both challenges and opportunities for improvement. And I want the two RSU doctoral students I supervise to obtain their doctorates in the foreseeable future.