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Jiaoli Li from the EduArt Centre made a substantial contribution to the JBI collaborative project, which was published in the Research Synthesis Methods journal in October 2025. It is the first in a series of methodological projects being undertaken to inform the update of the JBI Umbrella Reviews (UR) methodological guidance.

The study titled „Data analysis and presentation methods in umbrella reviews/overviews of reviews in health care: A cross-sectional study“ provides valuable insights into the methodologies, methods, and characteristics of URs within health care. The findings reveal a strong emphasis on synthesizing quantitative data, with a growing interest in integrating qualitative and mixed methods evidence.

„JBI Umbrella reviews are a type of research study that synthesize findings from multiple systematic reviews on a specific topic. Methodological approaches for analyzing and presenting umbrella reviews results vary, and reviewers often adapt methods to align with research objectives,“ explains Jiaoli Li from EduArt Centre. „I could systematically study JBI working model and explore the shared research interests and methodological intersections between education and evidence-based healthcare as part of my internship at JBI Adelaide in Australia in 2023, together with my EduArt fellow Jian Du, who participated at the above mentioned study with his work in screening. This experience has helped me a lot in collaborating on the published study as such”, she concludes.

Selected findings of the study were presented at the Global Evidence Summit in Prague in 2024 by the leader of the study Cindy Stern from The University of Adelaide, Australia, and Jiaoli Li from EduArt – JBI Center of Evidence-Based Education&Arts Therapies at the Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic (article photo). The study is available here.

The Department of Science, Research and Doctoral Studies organized a professional educational seminar on October 9, 2025, entitled A Scientist in the Publication Jungle: How to Avoid Traps and Unethical Practices. The event, which took place as part of the faculty cycle Afternoon with Science, was intended primarily for doctoral supervisors and coordinators of science and research at individual workplaces, but other academic staff and doctoral students also expressed interest in participating. In total, the seminar was attended by about three dozen interested parties from among the employees and PhD. students, which indicates the topicality and importance of this topic across the academic community.

The educational seminar focused on a number of aspects of scientific publishing that are coming under increasing scrutiny in the current academic environment. The dynamically developing publishing environment brings not only new opportunities, but also a number of pitfalls. How to recognize a quality journal? How to establish fair cooperation with colleagues? How to resist the pressure for rapid publication production? These are the topics that were discussed by Petr Knecht from the Faculty of Education of the University of Ostrava, who shared valuable experience in the field of publication ethics and scientific integrity with the participants. An important point of the program was the so-called ten publication sins of a researcher, i.e. an overview of fundamental mistakes that researchers can make - from fabricating and distorting data to manipulating authorship shares to concealing co-authors, plagiarism or recycling texts.

The seminar had a highly interactive format, with significant attention paid to dilemmas that commonly arise in scientific writing and often have no clear solution. Through the Dilemma Game application, which allowed participants to solve ethical scenarios from the practice of scientific publishing, participants were able to discover the diversity of opinions depending on their personal preferences and level of experience, which only underlined the complexity of decision-making situations that scientists face.

The seminar emphasized that publishing is not only a technical skill, but also a question of ethics, credibility, and social and scientific responsibility. Significant attention was also paid to easy paths – i.e. practices that may at first glance lead to accelerated publication success through predatory journals, but in reality pose a serious reputational risk and a threat to trust in science as such. The emphasis is placed on checking journals in the Web of Science and Scopus databases and on being careful when choosing a publication channel. Strictly set rules of academic evaluation have paradoxically contributed to the spread of these practices, which often target less experienced researchers or institutions under the pressure of metrics and performance indicators.

At the end of the seminar, a number of practical recommendations were made on how to increase not only the quality of scientific articles, but also their reach and citation rate. A well-chosen title and abstract of the article play a crucial role - these parts often decide whether an editor or reviewer will open the article at all. The abstract should be understandable, structured and should clearly summarize the methodology and results. Participants were also recommended a strategy of thoughtfully citing relevant and recognized authors in the field, choosing journals with an impact factor and building author teams - a larger number of co-authors usually contributes to greater visibility of the output. The role of social media, conferences and open access, which can significantly support citation rates and the reach of publishing activities, was also discussed.

The event was met with very positive responses and fits into the broader framework of the UP Faculty of Education's activities to support ethical, high-quality and methodologically anchored research. It follows on from previous seminars dedicated to, for example, publishing strategy, working with databases or recording scientific outputs. The faculty wants to continue in this direction - in supporting academics and doctoral students, in cultivating publication practice and in developing a responsible approach to science that is based on expertise, transparency and ethics.

We thank all participants for their active participation and look forward to the next meeting within the Afternoon with Science series, which can be registered via the links below:

How to bring science closer to the general public? November 6, 2025, 2:00 PM–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1:00 PM, Dean's Office Meeting Room, Faculty Education, Olomouc

Generative Artificial Intelligence in Academic Activities, December 4, 2025, 2:00 PM–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠1:00 PM, Computer Room N23, Faculty Education, Olomouc

A meta-synthesis of the experiences of students with physical disabilities in inclusive educational settings — this is the main focus of a new study by the team of JBI Centre for Evidence-Based Education and Arts Therapies (EduArt) at the Faculty of Education, Palacký University Olomouc. The study was published this year in the prestigious academic journal Educational Research Review.

„We systematically analyzed qualitative studies from various countries, providing a deep insight into how students with physical disabilities perceive and experience inclusion. Mere physical presence in a mainstream school does not automatically mean genuine participation in education aligned with inclusive principles. The findings of the study offer a better understanding of the barriers these students face in mainstream educational settings, why peer relationships and adult support are important to them, and how the experience of inclusive education influences their self-concept and perception of independence,“  says Dagmar Sedláčková on behalf of the EduArt team. „Our study gives a voice to students who often face increased discrimination, marginalization, and who are easily vulnerable. Moreover, we have created one of the first qualitative systematic reviews in the field of education. The findings of this study demonstrate the need to continue a series of similar studies, focusing on other types of special needs, as well as the parents and classmates of these students," she adds.

The study by Sedláčková, Dagmar & Kantor, Jiří & Belkin, Liliana & Marečková, Jana & Smrčková, Alžběta & Du, Jian & Li, Jiaoli & Svobodová, Zuzana (2025), The Experiences of Students with Physical Disabilities in Inclusive Education: A Qualitative Systematic Review, published in Educational Research Review, Volume 49, Article 100715, https://doi.org/…715, was published in English and is available here. It may be beneficial for teachers, other educational professionals, researchers, and education policymakers, aiming to gain a deeper and more accurate understanding of the experiences of students directly affected by inclusion. The study shows that inclusion is both desirable and necessary, but it also requires a deeper transformation of the educational system.

A consortium of partners from 7 countries led by the Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc submitted a project called GRADEDuMath to the call of the prestigious European Union research and innovation program Horizon Europe in September this year. The project aims to improve mathematics teaching through evidence-based education. It wants to contribute to long-term and sustainable change in education systems across Europe.

“The Faculty of Education supports the research activities of our academic staff, which is why we are extremely pleased that this year we managed to prepare a high-quality project proposal with an international impact which we submitted as the main coordinator for the first time to the Horizon Europe program. It is a great challenge and experience for us, and we believe that the project will be financially supported and subsequently implemented,” said Michaela Hřivnová, Vice-Dean for Research, Development and Doctoral Studies at the Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc.

The project includes a creation of a study on mathematics teaching for primary school students. Its creators want to focus on a qualitative analysis of educational policy, necessary for the creation of evidence-based recommendations. The project should result in a guideline on the most effective educational strategies for teaching mathematics to primary school students, which can be used in other European countries where there are different educational contexts. The project also includes a communication campaign and the dissemination of awareness among school teachers, parents and the public, as well as among political representatives.

"In addition to producing high-quality research results, we would like to explore how to support the orientation of policymakers and practitioners in education towards scientific evidence. We want to achieve this primarily by applying effective methods for translating this evidence into practice that have not yet been used in education policy," said the project's principal investigator, Miloslav Klugar from the JBI Center for Evidence-based Education and Arts Therapies of the Faculty of Education. "The uniqueness of the project is the transfer of knowledge from the field of healthcare, where practice based on scientific evidence has long worked, to education," he added.

In the event of the project approval, the Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc will cooperate with the Austrian The University for Continuing Education Krems (DUK), the Italian Humanitas University (Hunimed), the Portuguese Polytechnic School in Coimbra, the Slovak University of Prešov, and partners from Britain – The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and Norway – Evidence-Based Research Network (EBRN), and last but not least with the Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic (NIKEZ). The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic and Comenius University in Bratislava have also expressed interest in the project results.

The project was submitted to the call Evaluation and use of evidence in education policy and practice (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-06), within the 2nd pillar of the Horizon Europe program – Global Challenges and Competitiveness of European Industry, Cluster 2 – Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society. Whether the four-year project will be funded will be known in approximately 5 months, once the evaluation process is complete. The Department for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc and the Project Service of the Palacký University Olomouc cooperated with the investigators in submitting the project.

JBI Center for Evidence-based Education and Arts Therapies of the Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc is part of the international organization JBI and in January 2025 achieved the status of a JBI Center of Excellence. It specializes in pedagogy, special education and art therapy. It focuses on the creation of systematic reviews, the creation of recommended practices and the implementation of the best scientific evidence into practice.

International symposium took place in August this year in London to reflect ethical, legal, social and cultural perspectives on sharenting and child safety online. It was organized by the Polish University abroad in London that carries out Horizon project called Guardian where Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc is a partner.

The symposium presented ongoing research and theoretical insights as well as outlined future research trajectories. Participants discussed challenges and recent advancements in the field of children’s online safety.

Representatives of the Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc shared their vision on practices of pupil’s Data in Czech Basic Schools, shared case studies from Czech scholl environment, explained pitfalls of using Artificial Intelligence from a pedagogical perspective. Last but not least they presented how New Informatics Curriculum is being implemented in Czech Primary Schools. From the Faculty, there were present: Pavlína Částková, Dominika Provázková-Stolinská, Jiří Dostál, Michal Sedláček.

The Guardian project is funded by the Horizon Europe programme through the MSCA Staff Exchanges instrument.  

It is being implemented by academic and non-academic institutions from four countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and Kenya. The coordinator of the project is the University of Silesia in Katowice. A member of the consortium is the Faculty of Education of the Palacký University Olomouc. 

This year, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Researchers' Night in the Czech Republic with you. Together, we will meet again in more than 50 cities on Friday, 26 September 2025. See the Palacký University Olomouc events here.

On Thursday 26th of June an official International evaluation panel (IEP) delegation visited Faculty of Education in Olomouc. Vojtech Regec, the Dean of the faculty, presented to the members of the IEP up-to-date information on research and development of the faculty, on projects the faculty implements and explained not only the budget of the faculty, but also the organizational structure. The IEP then met with the academic representatives of the faculty and discussed with them how faculty supports their research activities or what projects they are involved in.

On Tuesday, June 10, the seventh seminar of the Afternoon with Science series took place under the leadership of Petr Suchomel, head of the Department of Knowledge and Technology Transfer of the Palacký University Science and Technology Park in Olomouc (VTP UP). The seminar was organized by the Department for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Science of the Palacký University in Olomouc under the auspices of Vice-Dean Michaela Hřivnová.

Petr Suchomel introduced this central unit of UP, with the VTP UP focusing on supporting the transfer of research results into practice and their application in commercial and social environments. Its goal is to help scientists, researchers and students turn innovative ideas into specific products, services or business plans, taking into account the applicable legislation and rules for the protection of intellectual property. It offers a wide range of ways to commercialize research results - from offering own services and collaborative research, through technology licensing, to establishing spin-off companies. The emphasis is on a creative and flexible approach that also respects the legal framework and ethical principles.

An integral part of commercialization is also the protection of intellectual property. VTP UP provides consultancy in the field of trademarks, design and industrial property rights, and special attention is also paid to the protection of know-how, especially in the field of humanities and social sciences, where methodologies, analytical procedures or expert opinions can be valuable outputs. A properly protected result increases its value and ensures its sustainable use. An equally important aspect of commercialization is the issue of financing.

VTP UP provides researchers with support in finding suitable financial sources, whether public grants, private investments or combined forms of support. It helps with the preparation of project applications, drafting budgets and negotiating with partners. Its aim is to ensure that good ideas have not only professional and social benefits, but also sufficient support for their further development. The VTP UP policy is based on the belief that every research result has the potential to be applied – you just need to find the right way to put it into practice. “Everything you do has the potential and can be applied, you just need to figure out where, when and how,” added Petr Suchomel.

With this meeting in the academic year 2024/2025, the Department for Science, Research and Doctoral Studies of the Faculty of Science of the University of Olomouc concluded a series of professional seminars called Afternoons with Science, aimed at supporting scientific and research activities, which were intended primarily for academic staff, doctoral students and administrative staff of project support. The aim of these meetings was to provide participants with practical information, methodological support and inspiration for the effective management of research activities and their results. The seminars covered important topics of scientific activity and research, and contributed to strengthening the competencies of academic staff in the field of scientific communication, administration and strategic planning of research activities, and thanks to their practical focus and interdisciplinary overlap, they became a valuable source of information and inspiration for further professional growth. From November 2024 to June 2025, the participants went through the issues of the methodology for evaluating science and publishing activities, learned how to prepare publications that can be counted in bibliometric analyses according to Methodology 17+, and gained practical knowledge about recording results in OBD. The ERC grant system was also introduced, a new internal standard on research data management and international mobility opportunities in the MSCA program under Horizon Europe were discussed. The cycle, as described above, ended with a seminar dedicated to the commercialization of science and research results, which emphasized the possibilities of transforming scientific knowledge into practical use across disciplines.

The Afternoon with Science seminars were attended by about seventy participants, who evaluated them very positively and also showed a strong interest in the given issue through numerous questions, but also in the form of a lively discussion, which detects the topicality of the topics and confirms the need to further develop the professional discourse. We look forward to the next meeting within the Afternoon with Science seminars again in the new academic year and we believe that together we will continue the stimulating cooperation to date and continue to share inspiring ideas, questions and topics.

18.6.2025|New and very innovative project of the Faculty of Education called Innovating art education and supporting the aesthetic perception of visually impaired students through haptization of artworks using 3D printed models has been recently financially supported from the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic as the best project of the call Supporting the innovation potential of social sciences, humanities and arts (it succeeded out of 267 project proposals from all the Czech universities). It is carried out by the Institute of Special Education Studies and it follows on from the research results of the Institute.

A new project by the University of Silesia in Katowice, funded by the prestigious Horizon Europe program, aims to support children's rights and raise public awareness of the risks and challenges children face in the digital environment. The Faculty of Education of Palacký University in Olomouc is also involved in the research of the project. More here. 

The most prestigious grant schemes to support scientific mobility and excellence from the Horizon Europe program were presented at the Faculty of Education of the University of Prague on Tuesday, May 13, by project managers from the UP Project Service, Eva Richterová and Pavla Tresterová. At the seminar from the Afternoon with Science series, they primarily introduced interested parties to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) tools.