OUR TEAM
Project activities will be carried out by an interdisciplinary team composed of two working groups, WG1 and WG2, which will implement both separate and joint activities under the leadership of the project leader, Assist. Prof. Zrinka Fišer. All collaborators, except for lecturers Damir Rukavina and Željka Rosandić (employed at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Slavonski Brod), hold teaching positions at the Department of Teacher Education and Early Childhood Education within the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Slavonski Brod.
Project leader
Assist. Prof. Zrinka Fišer
Assist. Prof. Zrinka Fišer is employed at the Department of Teacher Education and Early Childhood Education within the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Slavonski Brod. She teaches courses in English for Specific Purposes, serves as the head of the graduate study programme in Early and Preschool Education, and is the (co-)author of several textbooks and manuals. She is the leader or a member of international multidisciplinary research groups (GLOB-E and NEED) and a collaborator on several projects (LIHTME and MultiplEYE COST Actions, CovidSocLab). Her research focuses on psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic topics, with particular emphasis on teaching individuals with learning difficulties. She holds a degree in Archaeology and English Language and Literature, and obtained her PhD in 2019 from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb, within the doctoral programme in Glottodidactics. She is a member of the editorial boards of the journals Education Journal and Metodički obzori.
Research team
WG1
Assist. Prof. Ivana Hanzec Marković
She was born in 1985 in Zagreb. She graduated in Psychology in 2009 and obtained her PhD in 2016 at the University of Zagreb. At the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Slavonski Brod, she teaches and serves as the Head of the Department. She is the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the journal Marsonia. Her main research interests include developmental psychology, educational psychology, socio-emotional development, and well-being.
Assist. Prof. Katarina Šarčević Ivić Hofman
She obtained her Master’s and PhD degrees at the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Zagreb, in the field of Educational Rehabilitation. At the University of Slavonski Brod, she serves as the Head of the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities and teaches courses in pedagogy and didactics for students with disabilities, as well as nonviolent communication. She continuously pursues professional development in the areas of Montessori pedagogy, sensory integration, PECS, and parent support programmes.
Assist. Prof. Anita Katić
She was born in 1974 in Osijek. She graduated in 1999, obtained her Master’s degree in 2006, and her PhD in 2012 in the field of natural sciences, specifically mathematics. Since 2024, at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Slavonski Brod, she has been teaching courses in algebra, mathematical analysis, and numerical mathematics. Her research interests include algebra, numerical mathematics, and discrete mathematics.
WG2
Assist. Prof. Matilda Kolić Stanić
Assist. Prof. Matilda Kolić Stanić holds a degree in Theology and has obtained her Master’s and PhD degrees in Institutional Communication. She worked as a spokesperson and Head of the Public Relations Office of the Archdiocese of Zagreb, and at the University of Slavonski Brod she teaches crisis management, communication, and research methodology at undergraduate and graduate levels. Her scientific research focuses on ethics in public relations, crisis management, and the application of artificial intelligence in communication.
Marija Lesandrić, PhD.
She was born in 1987 in Vinkovci. She graduated in 2013 from the Faculty of Teacher Education in Osijek, and in 2015 she completed professional training as a Montessori educator. In 2024, she obtained her PhD in Pedagogy and the Culture of Contemporary School at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. Since 2025, she has been employed at the University of Slavonski Brod as a Senior Assistant, where she teaches courses in didactics, teaching methodology of nature and society, and teaching strategies. Her research interests include didactics, teaching methodology, and alternative pedagogies.
Assist. Prof. Ana Mirosavljević
She graduated in Pedagogy and History at the University of Zagreb and obtained her PhD in Social Sciences at the University of Osijek. Her research and teaching focus on teacher education, professional development of teachers, as well as stress and burnout in the teaching profession, and she is also engaged in qualitative data analysis. She frequently reviews for international journals and teaches courses in pedagogy and research methodology at the University of Slavonski Brod. She has also participated in the HRZZ project IP-2018-01-8363.
Assist. Prof. Sanela Mužar Horvat
She graduated in 2008 from the Faculty of Teacher Education and obtained her PhD in the doctoral programme Pedagogy and the Culture of Contemporary School at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. Since 2023, she has been employed at the University of Slavonski Brod, where she teaches courses in the methodology of mathematics teaching, as well as mathematical culture and communication. Her research interests include pedagogy and mathematics. She has participated in the HRZZ project IP-2018-01-8363 and in the project “Effective Human Resources 2014–2020” funded by the European Social Fund.
Željka Rosandić, PhD.
She obtained her PhD in Philology in 2022 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, where she had previously completed her studies in English and German in 2001. She is employed as a Senior Lecturer in English and German at the University of Slavonski Brod, where she teaches courses in both languages. Since 2020, she has served as the Head of the Chair for General Subjects and Common Courses at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Her research interests include languages for specific purposes, applied linguistics, professional communication, and translation.
Assist. Prof. of Art Želimir Fišić
He graduated in Graphic Arts in 2002 from the Academy of Fine Arts in Široki Brijeg, earning the title of academic painter–printmaker and teacher of visual arts. At the University of Slavonski Brod, he teaches in teacher education programmes as well as in early and preschool education programmes. His artistic and teaching work encompasses painting, printmaking and combined techniques, intermedial approaches in visual arts, as well as art pedagogy and the methodology of visual arts education. He is actively engaged in artistic practice.
Assoc. Prof. Jasna Šego
She was born in Slavonski Brod. She is an Associate Professor at the Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Slavonski Brod, where she teaches courses in Croatian language and communication. She completed her undergraduate, Master’s, and doctoral studies in Croatian language and literature at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb. She also obtained a degree in Theology from the Institute for Theological Culture at the Catholic Faculty of Theology, University of Zagreb. Her research interests include the Croatian language, Croatian and world literature, rhetoric, and the relationship between literature and theology.
Assist. Prof. Zrinka Šimunović
Assist. Prof. Zrinka Šimunović obtained her PhD in the field of social sciences, specifically pedagogy, at the Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb. In her teaching, she delivers courses in music pedagogy and the methodology of music education. Her research focuses on contemporary education, digital competencies, and the application of technology in education, with particular emphasis on e-learning and music pedagogy. She is especially interested in the development of digital competencies among future teachers and early childhood educators in the context of 21st-century challenges.
Assist. Prof. Irena Krumes
Assist. Prof. Marija Karačić
Damir Rukavi8na, Mag. Cin.
Assoc. Prof. Ivana Rončević
OUR PARTNERS
Ibn Haldun University, Turkey
Royal Thimphu College, Bhutan
Spark Analytics, Serbia
Algebra Bernays, Croatia
Funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them.
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