Presentation Panel
Rethinking Education: Critical Reflections on How We Teach and Learn
Date Thursday, Nov 28 Time – RoomCharlottenburg I
This session invites an open debate on whether current models of education and professional training meet today’s needs and what changes are necessary to drive transformative progress. Participants will examine critically the failures and barriers within existing systems while discussing the potential future of education. Through thoughtful reflections, the session will explore the key challenges and propose imaginative solutions for building more effective and adaptable educational institutions.
Fabian Girod
Executive Consultant, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Brian Mulligan
Owner / Consultant, Education Futures, Ireland
Brian Mulligan, a former Civil Engineer with a specialisation in computer simulation, transitioned into a successful 38-year career in higher education, working mainly with learning technologies. Widely regarded as a leader in education technologies in Ireland, Brian's impact has been significant. In 2002, he founded the Irish Learning Technology Association. Additionally, Brian spearheaded the establishment of Ireland's largest online distance learning operation. Today, he serves as an independent consultant, leveraging his expertise to strategically harness the power of learning technologies.
Links
Madeline Shellgren
Director of Global Outreach, Online Learning Consortium, United States of America
Madeline (Maddie) Shellgren serves as the Online Learning Consortium’s (OLC) Director of Global Outreach, providing oversight on the implementation of the organization’s global strategy, with a focus on collaborations, initiatives, communications, special programming, and the global experience. Prior to this position, she worked as OLC’s Director of Community Strategy and Engagement, working as the lead innovator, designer, and project manager of the OLC's portfolio of engagement opportunities. Maddie has dedicated her professional life to teaching and learning related initiatives and has strategically sought out opportunities that give her a multi-dimensional perspective on learning and development.
Moderator
Channa van der Brug
Programme Manager, Hochschulforum Digitalisierung for Stifterverband, Germany
Channa van der Brug is programme manager international affairs at at Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (https://hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de/en, the German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age) for Stifterverband, where she is developing opportunities for international knowledge exchange on good practices for digital teaching and learning. She has more than 20 years’ of experience in the education sector and a passion for the role of technology in shaping the future of education, as well as for developing deeper understanding and connections between diverse people and institutions through engagement and dialogue.
Dinosaurs Are Extinct - So Will Be Old Fashioned Faculties, Fabian Girod
In a 2-year change management project, we reimagined our business school's educational approach by integrating applied research, internationalization, and workfield connections into the curriculum, aiming for a student-centered experience with personalized study routes. Despite our efforts, we faced challenges and learned valuable lessons from our failures in achieving our goals and I am happy to share.
Let’s Stop Tinkering Around in Higher Education. What Are the Radical Changes We Need?, Brian Mulligan
This presentation will argue that the use of learning technologies for incremental change in higher education may not be enough in these times of unprecedented financial and political pressures. Imagining how one might build a new higher education system from scratch might help universities devise more radical strategies to thrive in an uncertain future.
Imagine we could start a new higher education institution from scratch, free from our existing traditions, work practices and even external accreditors. Knowing what we know about learning technologies, how would we design such an institution to maximise the value learners would gain from their investment of money and time. This session, with the help of the participants, will list many of the faults of the existing systems as well as the barriers to change. It will then collect ideas on how institutions might be built from scratch and what they might look like.
From this session you will learn…
..to better appreciate the shortcomings of higher educational systems
.. the barriers to change
..to contribute strategically to institutions through imagining what a potentially ideal institution might look like.
The Failings of Educator Professional Development: Realities We Must Learn from and Collectively, Madeline Shellgren
This session delves into the realities and challenges of educator professional development, presenting findings from mixed-methods dissertation research. Participants will explore the lived experiences of educators, uncovering stories of resilience, burnout, and hope within the context of today's Higher Education landscape. Through engaging storytelling and critical discussion, the session will challenge current professional development models and spark dialogue on how they must evolve to meet the needs of educators and learners alike.