Dean Popović: We announce the 18th International Conference in the area of sports science to be held in 2021
As 2020 is coming to an end, we talked to the dean of the Faculty for Sports and Physical Education, of the University of Montenegro, assistant professor Stevo Popović about all the important moments, challenges, teaching work, work in the field of scientific research, as well as the announced activities for 2021.
UoM: The end of 2020 is ahead of us. What moments especially marked the past period at the Faculty for Sports and Physical Education?
PROF. DR POPOVIĆ: To be honest, this year seems to be much longer than all those that preceded it. It also seems to me that there were many more moments that I would look at and events and projects that I would like to point out. In his theory of relativity, Einstein described that time and space are not as stable as everyday life would suggest. The existence of "bent" time and space can be confirmed by our contemporaries, to whom 2020 is never to pass, and 2021 never to come with some new beginnings. However, we have to emphasize that the Faculty for Sports and Physical Education of the University of Montenegro has made exceptional results during this very painful and long calendar year.
In the days when governments decision was a lock down, our annual scientific conference was held, which was entirely in a virtual format, and was one of the first virtual events to be held, with excellent marks from the participants. When it comes to projects and publishing scientific papers in renowned scientific journals, 2020 is the year in which the greatest progress of our organizational unit so far was felt. Although this fact is due to the work in previous years, the diligent staff of the faculty did not allow the new circumstances in any way to affect the long-term work and progress of one of the youngest university units at the University of Montenegro.
UoM: Having in mind the current situation, how much was the faculty able to work and contribute to the internationalization at UoM?
PROF. DR POPOVIĆ: Since the establishment of the independent faculty, the work on the internationalization of our university unit and the entire University of Montenegro has been put forefront beside teaching activities. Although the new circumstances prevented physical meetings and most of the planned seminars and conferences, the teaching staff of the Faculty for Sports and Physical Education adjusted their activities to objective conditions and gave their best contribution to internationalization, both through virtual activities and through bilateral meetings with ambassadors and representatives of diplomatic missions from countries in the region and the EU (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Northern Macedonia, Ukraine, France and Bosnia and Herzegovina).
UoM: What challenges did your faculty face in teaching?
PROF. DR POPOVIĆ: The Faculty for Sports and Physical Education, as well as the entire education system in general, faced unforeseen circumstances caused by the pandemic. Our faculty, unlike most other organizational units, relies largely on practical lectures and exercises that take place in gyms and, in general, on sports fields, and the smooth conduct of classes was called into question. Effective reaction of the teaching staff was necessary, but also of the students who cooperated to a great extent in the best possible way. Although it was not planned to introduce distance learning into practice so quickly, the new circumstances have led the teaching staff and students to adapt very quickly to the new teaching circumstances. The support of the Center of Information Systems was crucial, so I would use this opportunity to thank them from the bottom of my heart, because without their help we would not have been able to end the school year in a successful way. The new school year began in similar conditions, but with the experience from the first part of the year, and strong technical support, classes are held at an adequate level, and some new circumstances, unfortunately, are becoming routine, which we neither wished nor look forward to. On the other hand, scientific research activities were, in their final part, even raised to a higher level, especially because the teaching staff had considerable time to deal with them more. However, although the tests, ie measurements are in the field of implementation, a significant number of them have been suspended for objective reasons.
UoM: How much do you think the classes have been realized and responded to the needs of the students, given the circumstances?
PROF. DR POPOVIĆ: Distance learning has its charms and benefits, in situations when it can improve the regular classes that are held on the premises of the faculty. However, the exclusive use of distance learning has significantly alienated students from teachers, and vice versa, and I am afraid that if the new circumstances continue indefinitely, we will have to worry about generations of students, especially those who started their studies at the time pandemics. This problem will be especially visible in the organizational units whose teaching is based, significantly on practical lectures and exercises, as is the case at our faculty.
UCG: What are your expectations regarding future work, within 2021?
PROF. DR POPOVIĆ: As I have always been an optimist, and in much more difficult circumstances, I dare to announce our 18th International Scientific Conference, which will be held in Cavtat, from 8 to 11 April 2021, and the continuation of successful scientific research activities, especially by younger staff at the faculty, who, day by day, stand out more and more, with a great opportunity for our organizational unit to be ranked among the top 500 faculties and departments in the field of sports sciences on the Shanghai list of most successful universities next calendar year.
On the other hand, I expect significant progress from all three of our journals, which aspire to be included in the new databases. We would be very proud if the Montenegrin Journal of Sports Science and Medicine MJSSM was indexed in SCIE, and Sport Mont in ESCI, which is realistic to happen during 2021. Furthermore, our mobile teams will be ready, as soon as the circumstances allow, to continue testing top athletes and the general population of all ages, both in our country and in the region, and beyond. All in all, the New Year symbolizes a new beginning, and I wish all students, colleagues and citizens of Montenegro and the whole world that our circumstances improve and that in 2021 they have a lot of health, happiness and joy, but also that they do not forget 2020 and that they value much more everything they have and what surrounds them, because " It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor".