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Interested in Innovative Pedagogies? CIVIS has launched a series of workshops dedicated to academics coming from all fields of expertise. The main aim of these events is to share expertise in higher education teaching and learning and stimulate pedagogical innovation at the grassroots. The workshops are based on an extensive previous screening and analysis of trends and experiences in the eight universities of our alliance. In a nutshell, challenging topics, high-level specialists, tested ideas and transformative approaches!  Read more and register now to secure a seat!
See the upcoming workshops below

Approaches to student supervision

6 March 2024

Supervision of students’ projects is an important and often enjoyable aspect of academic practice. Research has highlighted how supervisors’ approaches are informed by their understanding and experience of research supervision as well as the circumstances in which it takes place (Lee, 2008, 2018). This workshop provides an opportunity to evaluate and reflect on supervision practices and develop an understanding of approaches to supervision. Taking a practical case study approach, we will explore supervision at undergraduate, taught postgraduate, and PhD levels, and share experiences of supervision with colleagues.

For further information registration, please visit the workshop's webpage.

Integrating sustainability in teaching at university: a multilevel approach

29 March 2024

The sustainability challenge requires to foster socio-ecological transitions in our societies, at all levels. Universities are not only part of societies, they are a catalysing actor which enables and accelerates transformations of our societies by teaching next generations of citizens and professionals, and supporting research. Sustainability teaching is therefore key to enable students to become agents of transformation, being and feeling empowered. This implies to reflect on question of sustainability related knowledge but also skills: what should a graduate student know, know-how to do, know-how to be to be able to contribute? We will strive to cover aspects from content to pedagogy, and from the course and the teacher level to the whole institution level regarding how to integrate sustainability in teaching.

For further information registration, please visit the workshop's webpage.

Pedagogies of Discomfort: Thinking with emotions

10 April 2024

Pedagogies of discomfort refer to the process of self-examination that is needed for teachers and students to critically engage with their ideological traditions and create understandings that lead to new ways of being and acting. Within this process, emotions are a powerful tool to question preconceived beliefs, and facilitate debate and reflection amongst teachers and students.

The aim of this workshop is to outline the four basic elements that could help educators practice the pedagogy of discomfort:

  • spectating versus witnessing, understanding and exploring emotions,
  • avoiding the binary innocence-guilt,
  • learning to inhabit ambiguous selves.

For further information and registration, please visit the workshop's webpage.

Teaching in English to non native speakers : recent research and best practices

23 April 2024

This workshop will present recent research around teaching and learning in EMI (English as Medium of Instruction) contexts and will invite participants to apply this to their own teaching contexts and to share their experiences with colleagues from other universities.  It will explore the realities, up and downs, of teaching in English. We will also look at the L2 learner from a scientific, pedagogical perspective and explore techniques for encouraging student interaction and increasing participation in a low-stress way.  

For further information registration, please visit the workshop's webpage.

Connecting students (and faculty) and fostering a sense of belonging

29 April 2024

A sense of relatedness and belonging to the CIVIS community is important for joint learning pathways, engagement, and collaboration between students and faculty. However, creating a culture of mutual trust, a supportive community, and meaningful opportunities for social interactions among peers and between students and faculty is a challenging task, especially when we consider the wide variety of different learning experiences, study-, language-, and cultural backgrounds.

Based on the findings and outputs of recent projects (eBELONG, PLUSTRACK, BELONG), the aim of this workshop is to outline important aspects, tools and methods that can be used to promote the building of a CIVIS community - not only during any face-to-face phases and the online courses, but especially in between, before and after, in order to best implement a collaborative, inclusive and safe learning environment during the courses. We will focus on vulnerable groups and demanding conditions in this particular teaching and learning context.

For further information and registration, please visit the workshop webpage.

Interactive lectures: How to enhance student engagement during lectures

This workshop has already taken place.

18 November 2021

How can you facilitate and enhance student engagement during lectures? In this workshop for university teachers we focus on how to encourage student activity and engagement during lectures in order to support students' learning.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Gamification of a full university course

This workshop has already taken place.

8 March 2022

This is an interactive workshop that addresses the Gamification of a full university course; the participants are encouraged to come prepared either with a whole course or a session they want to gamify. 

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage

New digital methodologies for teaching and performing music

This workshop has already taken place.

25 April 2022 and 27 April 2022

The New Digital Methodologies for Teaching and Performing Music workshop aims at presenting teaching experiences and new digital methodologies for the teaching of music at the early childhood, primary, secondary, and conservatory school stages. It will create a platform for the exchange of teaching experiences between the organizing universities (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Université libre de Bruxelles) and the members of the CIVIS academic community interested in this field. Our goal is to design new teaching experiences through new digital programs for sound editing, music creation and interpretation, and the evaluation of musical skills that can be applied in these educational levels.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

The ABC workshop method for collaborative course design

This workshop has already taken place.

26 April 2022

This workshop offers tools for analyzing and developing the course
design of your teaching. The workshop is online and based
on the ABC method for course design. Please, bring your colleagues
and take the workshop as a collaborative thinking and design activity.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

About “Brain (good) uses for learning efficiently”

This workshop has already taken place.

5 May 2022

Neuroscience has developed a deeper insight in understanding the mechanisms of human brain functioning, and in particular, synaptic plasticity, thanks to technology (such as nuclear magnetic resonance and confocal microscopes). The better knowledge of our different memory types in cognitive science, its recent results in testing different learning methods, in describing learner profiles and corresponding learning strategies, as well as stereotype threads (in addition to other stresses) and their potential consequences on test performances will be presented and discussed with the attendees through an interactive presentation.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Developing a pedagogic toolbox for CLIL/EMI; teaching and learning in an additional language

This workshop has already taken place.

9, 16 & 23 May 2022

The overall course is divided into three separate workshops to be delivered over the course of several weeks. These form a coherent sequence, but participants could also simply join those in which they are interested. The first two workshops are comprised of two parts and the final workshop is an interactive session, drawing together theory and practice. Each module will involve a number of supplementary follow-up tasks: reading, reflective activities, feedback and commentary.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Using a game-based pedagogical framework to promote playful learning (GB- playfull)

This workshop has already taken place.

13 May 2022

Game-based learning is an authentic way for meeting multiple learning outcomes at all educational levels, since, irrespective of their age, students are intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to play games. Game-Based Pedagogies can hardly be defined at a single epistemological level. Behaviorist, cognitivist, and socio-constructivist elements, or their combinations can be used for the design of a game, a game activity, or a general model of game-based learning. However, at an overarching level game-based pedagogies are those that promote playful learning, or otherwise learning that comes as a result of experiences that are enjoyable and worthwhile for their own sake.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Visual thinking and art strategies for the promotion of culture of peace and conflict management

This workshop has already taken place.

24, 25, 26 & 31 May 2022, 1 & 2 June 2022

This course offers a wide range of tools for learning about the culture of peace and conflict resolution through the critical analysis of images and the use of art for peacebuilding. It targets the academic community: students, professors and researchers who are willing to incorporate the culture of peace approach in their programmes. It aims to promote the development of capacities for peace, using art and some visual thinking strategies.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Innovative pedagogies: from structure to process

This workshop has already taken place.

20 & 21 June 2022

The workshop will focus on new developments in learning design and how these could be used in organizing learning experiences in Higher Education. We will focus on ways to innovate designing and leading learning experiences for students as an adult and (more) autonomous learners.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Innovative pedagogies: new pathways to university teaching

23 June 2022 & 4 July 2022

The workshop aims at offering lecturers a short introduction to innovative pedagogies. Academics from different disciplines who practice a kind of innovative pedagogy in their teaching will bei invited to present and discuss their examples (4 examples from the CIVIS universities involved per workshop). The participants will have the opportunity to discuss on the transfer of innovative pedagogy models into other teaching contexts and on the development of teaching concepts in general. Further interesting aspects may be different cultures of teaching and learning and the interdisciplinary perspective.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Pedagogy as a way of creating care relationships in education: inclusive pathways through digital learning experiences and art classes

This workshop has already taken place.

10, 17 & 24 June 2022 and 1, 8, 15 & 22 July 2022

This is a webinar series based on 7 webinars designed to showcase some pedagogical approaches for an inclusive pedagogy toward students with special needs, with an emphasis on approaches adopting the Trialogical Learning Approach, an IP-based b) Methodology-based pedagogical innovation c) Skill-based pedagogical innovation. The webinars will be held in different languages, but all teachers will provide feedback in English. All teachers will also provide students with summaries in English of the contents they will talk about. If requested, some webinars would be offered in both languages.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Methodological recommendations for designing a BIP with Service-Learning

This workshop has already taken place.

10 October 2023

Interested in proposing attractive BIP courses for students from the CIVIS member universities? Come and learn more about BIPs that use the Service-Learning (SL) methodology in an international context.

Join this workshop and learn how to design, implement and evaluate a BIP with Service-Learning.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Digital competencies for an effective online teaching

This workshop has already taken place.

23 October 2023

This workshop aims to equip educators with the digital skills necessary for teaching using digital technology. Objectives include identifying key digital skills and formulating a development strategy to improve their own digital skills. Centred around sharing, the intention of this workshop is to co-construct an enlightened reflection on the digital skills needed for quality online teaching, which is part of a strong pedagogical coherence and in the context of each one.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Creating interactive online workshops

This workshop has already taken place.

30 October 2023

The workshop will focus on raising awareness on the design of relevant elements of interactive sessions and the stages specific to online courses, and more hands on actions such as strategies for getting the participants involved with the content and the elaboration of visual support for interactive workshops. The participants will share experience but will also practice in groups new interactive methods, reflecting on the way they could be integrated into their own teaching.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Interculturality in the International Classroom

This workshop has already taken place.

Workshop moved to 24 November

Teaching roles in Higher Education entail regular interaction with students and colleagues from a variety of geographical and academic cultures. While this brings enriching and rewarding experiences, the international classroom challenges us as teachers to (re)think how we engage with our students interculturally. This interactive workshop will offer a space to identify and overcome barriers to interculturality – the equitable interaction of diverse cultures – in the classroom. In the first part of the session, participants will be introduced to and encouraged to reflect critically on intercultural concepts, such as power distance, low/high context cultures and small culture formation. In break out rooms, small groups will discuss whether these concepts help explain our professional experience with international students. In the second half of the session, the workshop will introduce participants to potential strategies to overcome communication impasses in teaching using current scholarship in intercultural pedagogy. Selected strategies will then be workshopped and evaluated in break out rooms with a view for participants to find one that may be compatible with the objectives of upcoming courses.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Students as "teacher whisperers" - Co-designing your pedagogical scenario with students

This workshop has already taken place.

13 November 2023

For 20 years in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), the Bologna Process has advocated for moving towards a student-centred learning paradigm, using a learning outcome-based approach to teaching. In this context, considering students as partners, change agents, producers and co-creators of their own learning has been the subject of increasing interest. 

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Discover the Future of Education: Professional Clinics Workshop

This workshop has already taken place.

16 November 2023

Are you ready to explore a groundbreaking approach to education that transcends boundaries and redefines learning as we know it? Welcome to the "Discover the Future of Education: Professional Clinics Workshop," led by Indira Boutier, Doctor in Public Law and a former coordinator of a legal clinic. In this interactive workshop, participants will have the unique opportunity to learn from an expert in the field. Open to academia, Ph.D. students, and civil society alike, this workshop will unveil the potential for professionalization, hands-on experience, and dynamic collaboration in the world of academia and beyond. Join us in exploring how Professional Clinics can empower students, elevate Ph.D. journeys, and foster meaningful connections with the professional world. Be part of the change, and let's shape the future of education together as we discover the importance of creating clinics or collaborating with them.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Developing transversal competencies during your course

This workshop has already taken place.

20 November 2023

The workshop will focus on exploring the concept of transversal competences (TC), will offer examples of activities that can be integrated into or adapted to a specific course design and content. TC are required by all employers and students need several years of experience to transfer their knowledge from theory to practice. By integrating TC into the academic curriculum we can assist them with integrating and adapting faster to the requirements of their new employment. 

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Pedagogy of Microcredentials: Case-based learning

This workshop has already taken place.

23 November 2023

Microcredentials are a new type of course qualification for which people receive formal acknowledgement, academic and/or professional credit. Their focus is to enable the transition from ‘learner to earner’, through the development of workplace skills that are aligned with existing educational and professional frameworks. Due to their diverse structure and characteristics, Microcredentials need to be accompanied with context specific pedagogies. The aim of this workshop is to outline the various pedagogical options (e.g., competency-based learning, case-based learning, conversational learning, e-portfolio, etc.) that an educator can use when working with Microcredentials within higher education contexts.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Teaching beyond our comfort zone: Facilitation for dealing with complex challenges especially in international and intercultural contexts

This workshop has already taken place.

30 November 2023

In this workshop we want to look at the complexity of developing courses in CIVIS. Which framework conditions, such as structural requirements, which (subject) cultural influences or teaching-learning convictions have an impact on the collaboration. What could help teaching and development teams to successfully cope with these challenges? What contribution can process facilitators make?

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

From A(rt) to (Z)ines: An introduction to creative pedagogies for active learning

This workshop has already taken place.

1 December

This workshop will present an introduction to creative pedagogies for active learning. In this session, we’ll focus on A(rt-based pedagogies including digital storytelling), L(earning landscapes), O(bject-based learning), and Z(ines), and examine these creative pedagogies from the lens of a theoretical framework that can be applied to academic practice.

Vicki and Nathalie will introduce art-based pedagogies which can include media-based or performative student outputs that represent learning and reflection. Digital storytelling is one form of art-based pedagogies which allows the storyteller to combine various media to share individual experience and/or convey a powerful narrative. Learning landscapes represent the virtual or physical spaces we occupy as learners and teacher, and how these can be harnessed for authentic and transformative learning. Objects within these landscapes may be explored individually or collectively through inquiry-based learning.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Programmatic approaches to curriculum design to promote assessment and feedback literacy

This workshop has already taken place.

7 December 2023

In recent years there has been a growing interest in universities promoting a more holistic approach to assessment and feedback. One of the best ways to gain this holistic approach is through a programme-focused approach to not only the curriculum design process, but assessment and feedback practices. A programme-focused approach can provide opportunities to support students so that they better understand how to move through their programme of study equipped with the skills needed to be self-regulated learners in both the present and the future. This means knowledge and skills are assessed in a variety of ways; assessments complement one another, and it is possible to obtain a picture of students’ broader skillsets. ‘Designing assessment programmatically can also help reduce over-assessment, as academic staff have greater visibility of the amount and type of assessment their students are required to complete’ (Learning Through Assessment, 2023). This workshop will focus on how to start incorporating programmatic approaches into your curriculum design to support students with their assessment and feedback literacy. We will look at constructively aligning intended learning outcomes to assessments, and how to map the skills that students learn throughout the programme.

For further information and to register, please visit the workshop webpage.

Dialogic teaching for interactive courses in HE

30 January 2024

This workshop aims to enhance academic discourse, critical thinking, and collaboration among students by leveraging the power of dialogue within the university setting. A key focus of the workshop is to equip academics with a diverse toolkit of dialogic teaching techniques. Through hands-on activities and practical examples, participants will develop their skills in effective questioning, facilitating discussions, and expanding student responses.

For further information registration, please visit the workshop's webpage.