LTA Education Festival: working together to find connection in education
Education never stops because society is always changing. It is up to students and lecturers to align learning and teaching with current demands. During the Leiden Teachers’ Academy Education Festival, participants united in their search for ways to achieve that.
How do you bridge the gap between traditional teaching methods and the evolving social and digital landscape? The overarching answer to that question is connection, as seen during the LTA Education Festival on Wednesday 12 June in the LUMC’s Education building.
Not coincidentally, the theme of the day was ‘Stay connected’. Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl touched on it during her opening remarks: ‘This festival creates connections between our staff. It inspires across the borders of disciplines or faculties.’
Technology is all about people
Connecting with modern technology is one of the largest challenges in education. The conclusion from the festival is that innovations work best when people, not technology, are the focus. This became clear during the networking game, when participants asked each other questions and came up with solutions. It was also evident in the panel discussion with Hester Bijl, Assistant Professor Arianna Pranger and student Ebrar Kaya. When asked about their hopes for the future of education, their answers all emphasised human connection: from providing small-scale, free education (Kaya) to making sure society recognises the value of education (Bijl) and being aware of what we can learn from each other (Pranger).
‘Lecturers have always worked to incorporate innovation into their lessons, and that always leads to doubts’
Barend Last’s keynote on Blended Learning offered an example of what that connection between lecturers, students, society and technology might look like in practice. He spoke about seamlessly integrating various activating teaching strategies and finding the best combination between personal contact and technology.
Lecturers have always worked to incorporate innovation into their lessons, Last noted, and that always leads to doubts. Medieval lecturers feared for their jobs after the advent of pen and paper: students could use them to transcribe and sell their lectures. But education is ever evolving, and new tools and techniques come along that might be useful in the transfer of knowledge. Or not.
No connection without interaction
Using as much technology as possible is not the point, Last clarified. Keeping up with every technological development is impossible. Sometimes innovation can be simply greeting your students at the start of a lecture. Because without interaction, there is never connection. Distance learning during the pandemic made it crystal clear how important that physical connection is.
Make choices and start small if you have little time to change your teaching methods, Last recommended. And don’t fear technology: ‘If you see a student using ChatGPT, don’t label that as bad. Instead, start a discussion about its usefulness and pitfalls.’
Associate Professor Tsolin Nalbantian has already had many conversations about new teaching methods. She brought Wikipedia into the lecture hall, which raised a lot of eyebrows. ‘Because we usually discourage our students from using Wikipedia.’
‘If you see a student using ChatGPT, don’t label that as bad. Instead, start a discussion about its usefulness and pitfalls’
Nalbantian has her students improve or create Wikipedia articles. It’s the best way to test their skills and knowledge, she explained in her workshop. ‘I can’t give a paper the attention it deserves when I have 80 to 100 students in Leiden and 60 to 90 in The Hague every year. Nor do I do them any favours by asking them to regurgitate dates and names in an exam. When students work on a Wikipedia article, they have to find sources, cite them correctly and summarise their research according to set rules. They’ll need those skills for the rest of their academic careers.’
From the lecture hall to society
In essence, it is nothing new: conducting research and presenting the results in an academically responsible way. The difference is in the technology and the interaction with society. Nalbantian: ‘Students are excited that their work is public. We are taking what they learn in the lecture hall and moving it into concrete practice.’ This also helps students improve their social and creative skills. They are required to keep a video blog to show how they approached the project.
The other six workshops also emphasised interaction with students. They ranged from hopeful climate education to using interactive videos and artificial intelligence, creating an inclusive classroom and helping students learn and transfer knowledge better. Connection is the common denominator: connection with technology, but especially between lecturers and students and between the university and society.
Text: Eric de Jager
Images: Danique ter Horst