An interview with Frederik De Decker from Ghent University on learning and teaching-related cooperations with non-university actors such as organisations and city administrations in order to serve society and reflect its realities and challenges.

More information about Ghent University’s Call for Challenges, the Stadsacademie and the ENLIGHT Regional Academies is available on the initiatives’ websites.

Speakers:

• Frederik De Decker is currently the Head of the International Relations Office at his alma mater Ghent University (Belgium). He also started his professional career in internationalisation there, almost 30 years ago, triggered by his own study abroad experiences in The Netherlands and Poland. Previously he had different responsibilities related to internationalisation and educational policy in various Belgian higher education institutions. He participates regularly as an expert in international projects, mainly dealing with internationalisation, educational development, qualifications frameworks and quality assurance. His special interests are the concept of (international/intercultural) learning outcomes/competences; micro-credentials; inclusive mobility and sustainable internationalisation.

• Maria Kelo is the director of the Institutional Development Unit, which focuses on issues related to higher education learning and teaching, recognition and quality assurance. Before joining EUA in January 2022, Maria was for over a decade the Director of ENQA, the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education as well as member of the EQAR Executive Board in 2013-2020. She took part in European policy making processes within the Bologna Process and through cooperation with the European Commission. Prior to joining ENQA, Maria worked for nine years in the field of international higher education in different European organisations and as a private consultant and has gained significant experiences on issues such as quality assurance, international higher education, and higher education reform. Maria is a graduate of University College London and the London School of Economics.

An interview with Deborah Kelleher from the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin on the pedagogies used at conservatoires and how these pedagogies both depend on and impact class sizes.

More information about the Royal Irish Academic of Music and the European Association of Conservatoires is available on the institutional websites.

Speakers:

• Appointed Director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) in October 2010, Deborah Kelleher has played an integral role in the strategic development of the institution’s international profile, outreach, estate, and academic courses. Milestone achievements include the revision of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with industry-focused specialisms; RIAM Podium, the Centre for Performing Ensembles, which trains musicians for orchestras and large ensembles; the founding of Ireland’s first Historical Performance Department with foundation partners The Irish Baroque Orchestra; and the creation of the Open Youth Orchestra of Ireland (OYOI) a flagship ensemble for inclusive creativity. In 2022 Deborah was elected President of the European Association of Conservatoires, an umbrella group for over 300 conservatoires and the leading voice for Higher Music Education in Europe.

• Helene Peterbauer is a Policy Analyst at EUA’s Institutional Development Unit, with a particular focus on learning and teaching. She has been coordinating EUA’s learning and teaching activities, including the EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups and the work of the Learning & Teaching Steering Committee, since joining the association in 2018. She is also responsible for the implementation of the European Learning Teaching Forum, an annual event that brings together educational leadership, teachers and students to jointly discuss developments and good practice in higher education learning and teaching. Prior to joining EUA, Helene worked as doctoral researcher and lecturer at the Department of Scandinavian Studies of the University of Vienna. Helene holds master’s degrees in German Studies and Scandinavian Studies as well as a doctoral degree in Scandinavian Studies, all from the University of Vienna.

An interview with Pieta Sikström from the University of Jyväskylä in Finland about the university’s policies to support the physical and mental wellbeing of its staff and students.

More information about the ⁠health and wellbeing programme⁠ of the University of Jyväskylä, its goodies and the report issued by the Thematic Peer Group "Needs and wellbeing of students and staff" of which Pieta was a part is available online.

Speakers:

• Pieta Sikström is a doctoral researcher in the faculty of information technology at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. Her research focuses on conversational learning technology and how students communicate with it. Prior to her current position, she has worked in the fields of communication and social sciences and in various Erasmus+ projects as a project researcher.

• Helene Peterbauer is a Policy Analyst at EUA’s Institutional Development Unit, with a particular focus on learning and teaching. She has been coordinating EUA’s learning and teaching activities, including the EUA Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Groups and the work of the Learning & Teaching Steering Committee, since joining the association in 2018. Prior to joining EUA, Helene worked as doctoral researcher and lecturer at the Department of Scandinavian Studies of the University of Vienna.

An interview with Nora Jansone Ratinika from Riga Stradiņš University in Latvia on the university’s Junior School of Academics, which provides teacher training in the form of a sequential experience.More information on Riga Stradiņš University’s Centre for Educational Growth and the Junior School of Academics is available online. On this and similar practices in leadership and organisation for teaching and learning at European universities, read the LOTUS project report.

Speakers:

• Dr. Paed. Nora Jansone-Ratinika is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Centre for Educational Growth at Rīga Stradiņš University. In her leadership role, she steers numerous study process innovation projects and actively contributes to both institutional and inter-institutional initiatives aimed at enhancing higher education. A key player in research and international partnerships, Dr. Jansone-Ratinika oversees and partakes in both local and international research ventures. Committed to fostering growth, she is involved in the continuing education of academic staff, functioning both as a facilitator and consultant. Additionally, she is also actively involved in working with healthcare students, delivering courses that address various pedagogical aspects across all study levels. Her areas of expertise in research and pedagogical work encompass study process innovations, learning and teaching strategies, technology-enhanced blended learning and teaching, quality analysis and assurance, and continuing education for academic staff. Always curious, she's continually seeking to explore new facets of educational collaboration, delving into higher education pedagogical practices and crafting recourses that empower educators. She holds a genuine belief that even a modest idea, when nurtured with care and intention, can evolve into a life-changing learning experience. This ethos guides the work of every instructional designer and HE quality expert within the dedicated team at the Centre for Education Growth of Rīga Stradiņš University.
• Thérèse Zhang is the Deputy Director for Higher Education Policy at EUA. She works on topics related to higher education learning and teaching, including developments in the Bologna process, lifelong learning, digitalisation and internationalisation. Thérèse has experience in higher education policy/management and, more generally, project management in education and culture. When she first joined EUA in 2008, she worked in the field of quality assurance and institutional development. She was also the Programme Manager for the Institutional Evaluation Programme, and was involved in the development phase of EUA’s Council for Doctoral Education. More recently, she held the position of Project Manager at the Belgian French-speaking quality assurance agency, AEQES. Her earlier experience includes serving as a French teacher for several years. Thérèse holds a PhD in Romance Philology from the Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium, as well as a Master in European Studies from the same university. She completed part of her education at the University of Bologna, Italy, and as Visiting Researcher at Brown University, United States.