Abstract:

Today's world is incredibly dynamic and constantly evolving. Rapid technological advances, vast information resources, changing market conditions and intense competition are forcing the acquisition of new competences. The primary mission of Military Academy of Lithuania is to train, educate and inspire competent, motivated and educated Lithuanian officers leaders to lead in today‘s and tomorrow‘s battle field. Therefore, special attention is paid to developing the competences of future military officers, using innovative learning methods, which encourage participation and engagement in the study process. The changing environment leads to changes in the roles of the lecturer and future military officers in the study process. The lecturer becomes not a transmitter of knowledge, but a creator, advising and encouraging participants to apply theoretical knowledge to analyze real situations and draw conclusions. Meanwhile, future military officers become active participants in the study process, taking responsibility for identifying problems and finding alternative solutions.

The aim of the research:
This research focuses on highlighting the role of research-based learning in the development of military officers' competences.

Research methods:
In order to achieve the aim, the author relies on the comparative analysis of scientific literature, case analysis, applying the research-based method in the Defense Economics course, and personal experience.

Research results:
The results of the research revealed the main benefits of applying the research-based learning in the study process, such as future military officers‘ active participation’, interest in topics, opportunities for collaborative learning, the ability to develop problem-solving strategies. These mentioned benefits of the research-based method promote the development of future officers' competences and certain skills, such as organizational competences (collaboration, problem solving, communication skills), instrumental competences (capacity for applying knowledge in practice), executive competences (interpretation, decision-making, critical thinking skills) and innovative competences (creativity, original thought).

The author hopes that the shared experience of applying research-based learning in the study process will encourage other lecturers to evaluate the possibilities of applying this method in their taught subjects.

Keywords:

Research-based learning, competences, military officers.