Assistant Professor of AUCA participated in a series of workshops in Egypt

April 8, 2016

Spring break was busy for Anguelina Popova, Director at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology (CTLT), and Assistant Professor of Digital Literacy. She participated in a series of workshops hosted by the Center for Learning and Teaching at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. The event was sponsored by AMICAL - a consortium of American liberal arts universities outside of the US.

The workshops were a collaboration between the Digital Pedagogy Lab and the American University in Cairo.

What was the theme of the conference?

The workshops were all about digital pedagogy, that is, the thoughtful application of technology to teaching.  There are many perspectives on digital pedagogy. Instructors’ decisions about bringing technology into the classroom reflect one’s teaching philosophy, and choices of learning activities, assessment, and tools. Digital pedagogy also implies networking between educators for building scholarship, and for learners to expand their knowledge and communication skills and become part of learning communities in both face-to-face and online learning environments.

What is AMICAL and how is AUCA connected to it?

AMICAL is a consortium of liberal arts colleges outside of the US, more specifically of their libraries, Information Technology departments, and faculty. AUCA is a full member of the consortium; every year we send delegates to the annual conference of the consortium. AMICAL is looking for ways to reach more people within its member institutions. In the near future, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology at AUCA will be organising sessions to promote the activities of AMICAL related to digital pedagogy and digital humanities within the University. It is also possible to express interest in collaborating with counterpart teachers in other member institutions, share resources, or even co-teach virtually. To register with the network you can follow this link: http://connect.amicalnet.org/login

What is the value of digital pedagogy for AUCA?

The web is increasingly a space where we learn, communicate, share, socialise and create. To make reference to Freire, knowledge at the university is not like money in the bank - stored in the teacher’s head and transferred to the student’s mind. Knowledge is personal, but it is also shared and co-constructed. Learning can happen within one’s mind, in the classroom, in the social area - everywhere, if we create the conditions for it and stimulate it. The thoughtful use of technology in the classroom allows teachers to better assist students in their learning, anywhere, anytime. It democratises education and gives students more opportunities to be active and responsible, and to learn in a meaningful, connected way. This is the way to go and we at AUCA can do this. I think this is a shared understanding and the CTLT is working to help faculty and students move in this direction.

You can watch the keynotes of the Digital Pedagogy Lab here: http://www.digitalpedagogylab.com/cairo/schedule/virtual-opportunities/

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