Semester 2 of the academic year 2019/2020 has brought along a special situation and a variety of new solutions in education throughout the world. The emerging pandemic situation changed the system considerably by impeding both lecturers and students from working and meeting personally. Transition to online, distance education has also presented new challenges to educators, parents, teachers, university lecturers and students, as well as a new path of development. During our research, the experiences and difficulties gained by the members of Apaczai Csere Janos Faculty at Szechenyi István University in the past semester were examined with the help of an online questionnaire. Preliminary results show that the semester of distance learning, despite its difficulties, brought several positive results that enhanced teachers' creativity, pedagogical competencies as well as methodological culture of how the different tools and programs were used.

At the Apáczai Csere János Faculty of Széchenyi István University we had the opportunity to create a distance learning system that helps colleagues in the diaspora to teach Hungarian as a foreign language. Free interface became available to educators interested in the programme in May 2020. Distance learning is realized via Moodle of the university's VR learning system, complemented by the possibilities provided by MaxWhere 3D VR learning spaces. In the process of developing the distance learning system, professional, content-related and technical needs were assessed with the help of focus group interviews. The present study aims to present this process as well as the theoretical and practical background of the establishment of this distance learning system.

Improving the quality of higher education (HE) is a global priority as universities strive to equip graduates with skills necessary for today’s dynamic world. Well-trained educators are key to fostering these skills and can best develop them by adopting active learning approaches that deepen student understanding. Educator training is thus vital. In 2022 Széchenyi István University (Hungary), launched a four-year Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme to upskill its academic staff. Given the traditional teaching culture in Hungarian HE, the CPD helps teachers adopt active learning practices to better prepare students for today’s world. This study explores the impact CPD has had on teaching practices thus far. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected through questionnaires completed by 97 teachers (13% of staff) in 2022–2023 and follow-up group interviews with 13 teachers in 2025. Findings indicate that the CPD initiative has fostered professional growth to a certain extent, with teachers selectively experimenting with new methods, enhanced teacher motivation and increased student engagement. However thus far, systemic pedagogical change is limited, constrained by cultural and institutional barriers. The study highlights the importance of institutional support to achieve widespread pedagogical change in Hungarian higher education.