Dear all,
The ATHENA European University Alliance was set up in the context of the ATHENA Observatory in Higher Education, a series of seminar talks in the field of teaching science. The objective was to present the pedagogies and policies of the future of Higher Education. Please find below information ad the links to the talks that took place during the spring semester 2021, from the 14th of April to the 23rd of June 2021.
April’s 2021 Talks
Date: 14th of April 2021
Speaker: Dr. Evangelia Triantafyllou
Evangelia Triantafyllou is an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture Design and Media Technology at Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark. She obtained the diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2000 and the P.D.Eng (Professional Doctorate in Engineering Design) degree in ICT at the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, in 2004. She subsequently worked as a computer science teacher on various educational levels and received her Ph.D. on ICT-based teaching methods for improving university mathematics learning at Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark in 2015. Evangelia has authored/co-authored more than 50 scientific publications. Her research interests include learning analytics, technology-enhanced learning, active learning, and citizen science and open education.
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark
Seminar’s Talk Title: Essentials of Problem Based Learning for Teachers
Abstract:
In this talk, the main principles of the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) pedagogical approach will be presented. Then, we will discuss how PBL can be applied with project-based learning and how other instructional design issues, such as facilitation and assessment, are affected by PBL. Part of this presentation is based on the results of the ITEM Erasmus+ project (https://item.hmu.gr/) and the Strategic Partnership project CRETE module in PBL for teachers
YouTube Link: Essentials of Problem Based Learning for Teachers by Assistant Professor Evangelia Triantafylou – YouTube
Date: 21st of April 2021
Speaker: Aurelija Valelkiene
Aurelija Valelkiene is a Deputy Director of SKVC, Lithuanian external QA agency, and the ENIC/NARIC center from 2004. Her area of expertise includes external quality assurance, academic recognition of foreign qualifications, and internationalization. Currently is member of European Commission expert group on micro-credentials and the Bologna Process peer support group on academic recognition (including automatic recognition of qualifications) and micro-credentials. At the Bologna Secretariat, was Lithuanian delegate to the working group on structural reforms, served in the Advisory Group to support Belarus in the roadmap to EHEA. Worked on the ENQA Board, is ENQA expert for external QA agency reviews, and a trainer of reviewers. Served as Honorary Treasurer, then was elected President of the Network of Central and East European Accreditation in Higher Education Agencies (CEENQA). Worked as an expert upon invitations from the Council of Europe, World Bank, European Commission, European Training Foundation, Europe-Asia Foundation, etc. On missions has visited 41 countries in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia.
Affiliation: European Commission expert group on micro-credentials
Seminar’s Talk Title: Demystifying micro-credentials: between opportunities, threats, and everyday life
Abstract:
Microcredentials are high on the policy agenda of the European Commission. Today we see competing definitions of what micro-credentials are and are not. Is it the latest Covid-19 induced fashion or something that has been around for decades? How to assure their quality? What challenges are associated with their recognition? Asking questions is important, even if we may not know all the answers yet.
YouTube Link: Demystifying micro-credentials between opportunities, threats, and everyday life – YouTube
Date: 28th of April 2021
Speaker: Elena Mizrahi
Affiliation:
Elena Mizrahi is a lecturer at Western Galilee College, Technion, and Gordon Academic College of Education, Haifa, Israel. She received her Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition from the University of Haifa. She teaches in the English Department in the teacher training program and she is an English instructor (academic English for international communication and English for staff at Virtual Exchange Center). She is involved in developing online courses and offers staff training on new pedagogies of teaching and learning in the 21st century.
Seminar’s Talk Title: Digital Tools for Active Online Learning and Engagement
Abstract:
In this talk, I will present some digital tools and tasks that focus on student collaboration and production. I will demonstrate how to make online lessons truly interactive and share some good practices for engaging students online in a meaningful way. In addition, I will discuss how virtual collaboration can be integrated into our teaching program and demonstrate how to encourage student active participation.
YouTube Link: Online Tools for Teaching Engagement – YouTube
May’s Talks
Date: 5th of May 2021
Speaker: Barbara Kelly
Barbara Kelly holds a BA in Economics and History, a Higher Diploma in Education, and a Master of Arts in Education. She also completed further studies in accounting and vocational rehabilitation. Barbara worked as a teacher for many years. She was Director of Awards and Standards with FETAC from 2001 to 2011 and is currently Director of Qualifications with Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). She is on the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Irelands Education and Training Committee and the Department of Children and Youth Affairs Qualification’s Advisory Board. Barbara has vast European experience and has worked on a number of European projects and committees. She is currently a member of the European Qualification Framework (EQF) Advisory Group and is the Irish National Correspondent for the Qualifications Framework for the European Higher Education Area (QF-EHEA). Barbara was the first Chairperson for ENQA-VET (now EQAVET) and has worked extensively with the EQAVET Secretariat up to 2019 in developing and implementing European VET strategies. She has also worked and supported the European Training Foundation’s Forum for Quality Assurance in VET. Barbara’s current area of interest is micro-credentials. She is participating in the Erasmus+ funded Microbiol project and working with national stakeholders at home.
Affiliation: Director of Qualifications with Quality & Qualifications Ireland
Seminar’s Talk Title: Microcredentials in Higher Education
Abstract:
The Irish National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), established in 2003, facilitates the offering of small awards/micro-credentials. Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEI) – public and private – have offered programs leading to small awards for a long time and continue to do so. The NFQ sets out award-type descriptors for a range of different kinds of small qualifications – minor, special purpose, and supplemental – in addition to the traditional major awards e.g. degrees. Quality Assurance is a key feature underpinning the NFQ and central to the development of all programs and awards. HEIs have primary responsibility for QA. HEIs are autonomous and have their own awarding powers. They develop their own QA policies and procedures, in line with QQI’s Core Statutory Guidelines and the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG). QQI has a legislative responsibility to externally review HEIs every seven years.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13OeSCfp7GA&list=PL3OWQw2onmC_ZVHku-zWDn3GykwMUP86g&index=4
Date: 12th of May 2021
Speaker: Dr. Evangelia Triantafyllou
Evangelia Triantafyllou is an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture Design and Media Technology at Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark. She obtained the diploma in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2000 and the P.D.Eng (Professional Doctorate in Engineering Design) degree in ICT at the Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, in 2004. She subsequently worked as a computer science teacher on various educational levels and received her Ph.D. on ICT-based teaching methods for improving university mathematics learning at Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark in 2015. Evangelia has authored/co-authored more than 50 scientific publications. Her research interests include learning analytics, technology-enhanced learning, active learning, and citizen science, and open education.
Affiliation: Assistant Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark
Seminar’s Talk Title: The Flipped Classroom Approach
Abstract:
In this talk, I will introduce the flipped classroom instructional approach and its pedagogical underpinnings. Then, I will present the principles of Game-Based Learning (GBL) and how GBL and the flipped classroom can be combined for engaging students both in online and offline learning environments. Part of this presentation is based on the results of the FLIP2G Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliance (https://flip2g-project.eu/).
YouTube Link: The Flipped Classroom Approach – YouTube
Date: 19th of May 2021
Speaker: Monica Broido
Affiliation:
Monica Broido is Head of the Writing Programs in the Division of Languages at Tel Aviv University, and assists with special projects and workshops in the university’s Center for Language Excellence (CLE). She teaches Ph.D. academic writing courses in several faculties, created an online academic/scientific writing course for graduate and post-graduate students, and is involved with the English Medium Instruction (EMI) initiative. In addition, she is co-chair of the Israel Forum for Academic Writing (IFAW) at the Mofet Institute.
Seminar’s Talk Title: Writing More and Better: the Tel Aviv University Academic Writing Initiatives
Abstract:
As Sir Mark Walport stated: “Science isn’t finished until it’s communicated”. Thus, apprenticing our students to become effective writers as well as excellent scientists is of the essence. Tel Aviv University deploys several strategies toward this aim. In 2010, our division (The Division of Languages) started a multifaceted program offering academic/scientific writing courses for Ph.D. students in selected faculties which has expanded to almost all faculties to date, as well as discipline-based writing courses for masters and undergraduate students. To reach an even larger audience, we recently designed and developed a new online academic writing reference course for all graduate and post-graduate populations, in conjunction with our Center for Language Excellence (CLE) which provides individualized support to help students with all their writing and communication needs. Taking advantage of the university’s move toward internationalization which, among other changes, requires undergraduate students to take 1-2 content courses in English, our division provides support for students as well as the faculty who need to give their content courses in English for the first time. By implementing this integrative holistic approach, we hope that the strategies and tools we provide will help students and faculty gain international recognition in professional journals and conferences, and become more effective science communicators.
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiHdkrWdWBY&list=PL3OWQw2onmC_ZVHku-zWDn3GykwMUP86g&index=6
Date: 26th of May 2021
Speaker: Joao Bacelar
Affiliation:
Joao Bacelar is the Director of the European University Foundation
Seminar’s Talk Title: The European Student Card Initiative
Abstract:
Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U9beH9_kGc&list=PL3OWQw2onmC_ZVHku-zWDn3GykwMUP86g&index=7
June’s Talks
Date: 9th of June 2021
Speaker: Elif Bengu
Affiliation:
Elif Bengu is an Associate Professor at Abdullah Gul University, Turkey
Seminar’s Talk Title: The Assessment Dilemma
Abstract:
In this session, Dr. Bengu will share some tips about how to design our courses holistically and make the assessment for learning as part of our course design.
She will also talk about alternative assessment techniques and present a list of tools that can be used for assessment
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cNsYHpOOC8&list=PL3OWQw2onmC_ZVHku-zWDn3GykwMUP86g&index=9
Date: 16th of June 2021
Speaker: Ivo Grigorov (DTU, Denmark) & Iris Buunk (LIBER, Netherlands)
Affiliation:
Seminar’s Talk Title: The Open Science Initiative
Abstract:
YouTube Link: The OPEN Science Initiative – YouTube
Date: 23rd of June 2021
Speaker: Nissim Harrel
Affiliation:
Nissim Harrel has acquired his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech in the USA and currently, he is a Senior Lecturer at Holon Institute of Technology. Nissim is a partner in the Capacity Building Project, Innovative Teaching Education in Mathematics (https://item.hmu.gr)
Seminar’s Talk Title: How to Teach Mathematics on the 21st Century
Abstract:
YouTube Link: How to Teach Mathematics on the 21st Century – YouTube
Date: 30th of June 2021
Speaker: Emine Celik Foust
Affiliation:
Emine Celik Foust is an Associate Professor at York College of Pennsylvania. In 2007, I worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Mechanical Engineering Department at Johns Hopkins University. I received my Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University. She has been teaching at York College of PA since 2008. In the area of educational research, she has been investigating ways to incorporate community-based learning into the existing curriculum. She has been assigning open-ended design problems in many of my classes. Recently, during her thermal system design class, her students worked on a community-based design project. The aim of the project was to design an interactive hydraulic ram pump display for the York County Heritage Trust Museum. She is passionate about teaching students how to seek knowledge on their own through project-based learning. She attended several workshops on project-based learning and she is excited to be part of Colloquial Talks in Teaching Science & Policies in Higher Education.
Seminar’s Talk Title: Project-Based learning
Abstract:
Project-Based Learning (PBL) is a unique learning method in which students develop skills and knowledge by working on authentic, challenging, and engaging projects. The definition of PBL varies to some degree among educators. Buck Institute of Education developed Gold Standards to help educators implement effective PBL practices. Gold Standard PBL consists of the following elements; forming a challenging open-ended problem or question, having sustained inquiry and authenticity, students having an input/ownership, attainment of thoughtful reflection, analyzing and revising, and having a public product. Gold Standard PBL has been proven to link the gap between theory and real-world problems.
At York College of Pennsylvania, I have implemented project-based learning in freshman-level engineering design and senior-level thermal system design classes. Collaboration with the local community and industry partners helped to provide a variety of interesting real-world applications. Examples of these projects include a little free library project with a local high school, the design of an interactive Ram pump museum display for the York Agricultural and Industrial Museum, and the cooling system design for injection molding machines.
In PBL, students ideally work ineffective team environments, where every member of the team is valued equally. In this talk, we will discuss various tools and strategies that can help to improve team effectiveness and promote inclusion when implementing PBL.
YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRn8p6P7jnI&list=PL3OWQw2onmC_ZVHku-zWDn3GykwMUP86g&index=13