Prof. Dr. Rolf Dobischat | Economic Education and Vocational Studies
Personal Details
Professor Dobischat was born in 1950 in Bad Wildungen. He studied Economics, Business Education and Social Sciences at the Universities of Kassel, Marburg and Göttingen. From 1978 to 1991 he worked as an academic assistant at the Universities of Kassel, Hagen and Karlsruhe, respectively. In 1985, he received his Ph.D., which was followed after six years by his postdoctoral lecturer qualification in vocational education with the focus of further education. In 1991, he has been appointed as a full professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen to hold the chair of Vocational Studies and Economic Education. From 1994 to 1999 he was dean of the department of education science and psychology. Furthermore, he is the Scientific Director of the "Ruhr Campus Academy" (RCA) since 2001.
Teaching
As part of the Institute "Vocational Education and Continuing Education" in the faculty of education sciences at the University Duisburg-Essen, the involved fields of Economic Education/Vocational studies and Further Education are represented at the campus Essen with numerous lectures, aimed in particular at economic education and education science (Diploma degree) students. In addition, it offers professional disciplines to students, who intend to become a teacher at post-secondary vocational education level.
Research
Vocational studies and economic education in Essen are characterized by a larger number and wide variety of research activities, of which the following are the main ones:
- Structural research of the vocational further education
- Personnel and organisational development
- Labour market research and labour market policy
- On-the-job training research
- Target groups and participants research
- Regional vocational education and training research
Selected recent research projects were:
- Educational time – Temp-Work in the Growth Industries: Fields of Activity, Skill Development, Educational Profiles
- Teacher Judgements in the Life History
- Lifelong Learning in and with small and medium-sized Enterprises
- "Dortmund reporting system" – development of main features and fundamentals for a regional, dialogue-, subjects- and development-oriented reporting system
- E-Learning with Virtual Industrial system for Reducing Energy consumption and Environment pollution (ELVIRE)
Professor Dobischat has published many monographs like "The transition of continuous education in the eastern federal states of Germany", "Development of a system of continuous education", "Educational participation in the Ruhr Area" and so on. He has published scientific articles as well, which appeared in famous journals.
Professor Dobischat holds the presidency of the German Student Union and is also trust lecturer of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Bonn and of the Hans Böckler Foundation in Düsseldorf.
Apart from his membership in the editorial committee of the renowned journal "Erwachsenenbildung" (Adult Education) at the German Institute for Adult Education (DIE), he participates in several national organisations regarding the topics of education, labour research, social science and trade unions. His research is highly appreciated and financially supported by the Federal Ministry of education and research (BMBF), the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Business Development Agency Dortmund and others.