Online workshop series on Teaching Innovation for Arqus teachers

The Arqus Alliance invites teachers to participate in a series of online workshops aimed at supporting this community in promoting innovative teaching approaches for more effective and engaged student learning in multiple contexts, in and outside the classroom. The first round of workshops took place online from 18^th September to 30^th November 2023. The second edition is being held in February 2024.

The workshops are organised in the framework of the Arqus Teaching Innovation Initiative and will be delivered by experienced teachers in specific strategies, methodologies and technologies for active learning and psychological approaches to improvement of motivation and engagement.

Each Arqus university organises 1 or 2 workshop/s so that the participants can benefit from the diversity of contributions and the exchange of experiences and knowledge between members.

Each online workshop has a 2 to 3-hour duration with a high component of discussion and application of concepts so that participants become able to implement the specific methodology or technology and be aware of the benefits and potential pitfalls.

Participants who successfully change their teaching based on what they learn in a given workshop will be invited to deliver a workshop in a subsequent edition to help the formation of a community of active learning practitioners among the Arqus Alliance.

1^st edition

Workshop “Peer Feedback”:

• Trainer: Grion Valentina (University of Padua).
• 18^th September, 10:00 – 12:00 CEST.
• The aim of the workshop is to stimulate awareness in the participants of the didactic potential of peer feedback and peer assessment processes. A further and parallel goal is to make teachers aware of the role of students as key agents and not just passive users or mere performers within the assessment processes.
• Maximum of 40 attendees.
• Register here.

Workshop “Generative AI as a way to innovate your Teaching and Learning approaches”:

• Trainers: Sílvia Araújo and Rui Lima (University of Minho).
• 19^th September 2023, 10:00 – 12:00 CEST.
• This online workshop aims to support teachers to use Generative AI. A perspective from (non-expert) teachers to teachers. During the two-hour session, participants will have the opportunity to interact with each other, discussing the way teachers may use generative AI to increase their productivity and innovate their teaching and learning approaches. The trainers will propose a simplified model to apply AI in their practice, based on the following four dimensions: Summarizing, Extracting, Transforming, and Expanding.
• Register here.

Workshop “Explore first: Drawn on experience to gain a deeper understanding”

• Trainer: José Lencastre (University of Minho).
• 22^nd September 2023, 15:00 – 17:00 CEST.
• “Explore First” is a pedagogical model that strives to make the student the leading actor in their learning in scenarios where digital action is merged with face-to-face activity. The purpose is for students, working in small groups, first explore a topic using their prior knowledge to consider possible solutions. By struggling, the students gain a deeper understanding of the structure of the problem and its elements. Then, students explain the best answer.
• Register here.

Workshop “Didactic measures to increase academic integrity”

• Trainer: Elisabeth Weber (University of Graz).
• 30^th November (hour need to be confirmed).
• Register here.

2^nd edition

Workshop “Teaching (for) Future Skills in Higher Education”

• Trainer: Beatrice Kogler (University of Graz).
• 1^st February 2024.
• Registration deadline: 31^st January 2024.

Workshop “How to teach to read better“

• Trainer: Dovilė Jakniūnaitė (Vilnius University).
• 8^th February 2024, 15:00 – 17:00 CET
• One of the main challenges in teaching new (and more experienced) university students is to overcome their anxiety and reluctance to read academic texts perceived as “difficult”, “complicated”, “long”, or “boring” and to avoid the dreaded silence during seminars. In addition, reading for students is becoming increasingly demanding due to their diminishing attention span and external distractions. Students must become aware of these issues and the various strategies and techniques available to address them. This workshop is designed to provide a space for educators to explore and identify possible solutions to improve students’ reading and comprehension skills. During the session, the main obstacles students face with academic reading and strategies to help them overcome these challenges will be discussed. These strategies include teaching students more effective reading methods and improving teaching techniques. The focus will be on the importance of understanding different levels of reading, addressing the pitfalls of excessive highlighting, applying smart annotation strategies and formulating assignments to help students overcome their academic reading challenges.
• Maximum of 30 participants.
• Register here.
• Registration deadline: 7^th February 2024.

Workshop “Analytical dialogue – the role of questioning”:

• Trainer: Donatas Murauskas (Vilnius University).
• 23^rd February 2024, 13:00 – 14:30 CET.
• The workshop will focus on a distinctive method where teachers lead students through a sequential and building series of questions and answers. Although this teaching approach was developed in US law schools, it has a universal appeal to enhance spontaneous analytical skills, vital in practical scenarios in a variety of educational fields. The workshop will illuminate how this teacher-led, student-centred dialogue not only deepens and broadens knowledge but also sharpens decision-making abilities. The workshop will be led by Assoc. Prof. Donatas Murauskas (Vilnius University, Law Faculty), who applies analytical dialogue in practice, including the joint course taught to Lithuanian and US students together with Prof. Charles Szypszak (University of North Carolina, School of Government), who is one of analytical dialogue method enthusiasts in the US.
• Maximum of 30 participants.
• Register here.
• Registration deadline: 22^nd February 2024.