Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Learning Forum with a focus on inclusivity and a safe learning environment

Rie Hjørnegaard Malm talks about her research on the intersections of disciplinary and
cultural norms of fieldwork.

The 10th Learning Forum was held from November 21-23 November, centered around the theme “building an inclusive and safe learning environment”, a theme that was very welcomed by staff members.

The event started with an engaging keynote by Rie Hjørnegaard Malm from the department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen. She focused on the dynamics of fieldwork, exploring its impact on students’ sense of belonging and identity. She brought attention to the paradoxical nature of fieldwork practices, which, while fostering valuable learning spaces and a sense of belonging for some, simultaneously also can feel excluding for others.

On the following day, Sehoya Cotner from bioCEED shared evidence-based strategies aimed at enhancing inclusivity in STEM courses, specifically addressing student confidence, class participation and sense of risk of exams. Cotner proposed practical measures to boost student confidence and engagement, as well as mitigate perceived exam-related risks. These measures included fostering regular class participation through small group interactions, incorporating a diverse range of science role models in class examples, and implementing formative assessments instead of a single final exam.

Workshop on cooperative learning held by Anja Møgelvang

Both presentations were followed up by workshops within the same theme. Additionally, the final day of the Learning Forum featured a panel discussion incorporating insights gathered throughout the event, addressing various topics of inclusion and sense of belonging and adding to a fruitful discussion between staff members. One of the many outputs from the discussion was an idea to establish a Q&A online resource page for students with a specific emphasis on inclusivity. This initiative will be developed in 2024.

All in all, we had two wonderful days with a variety of keynotes, workshops, plenum and sharing sessions. Notably, bioCEED also made substantial contributions this year – see list below.

Anne Bjune presents her poster to the audience at the Learning Forum.

The Learning Forum has grown from a small seminar to an institutional large-scale event

For a decade, the Learning Forum has been a recurring event at UNIS, evolving from a small seminar into the largest annual gathering hosted by UNIS. As described in the paper “How formal initiative to improve teaching can led to more significant informal conversations and increase sharing practice” from 2023:

“Since 2013, UNIS has held an annual “Learning Forum” (LF) to increase attention on educational quality. It started as a voluntary four-hour lecture-based event that has developed into a mandatory event lasting 2 days, with talks, workshops and collegial sharing sessions. The first LF had 12 participants and only scientific teaching staff were invited. In 2019, there were 60 participants, including scientific teaching staff, administrative and technical staff and a small group of students. The LF has become the largest direct investment UNIS makes in educational and profession development”

In the years after 2019 the Learning Forum has consistently evolved and made a significant impact, driven by ongoing feedback from participants and the institution at large. This year, a notable and diverse group of 83 participants registered for the Forum. More than half of them actively contributed by presenting their teaching and educational research through various formats, such as two keynotes, six workshops, eleven sharing sessions, one plenum panel debate, and ten posters. The Learning Forum, now deeply integrated into the institution and recognized as a priority for UNIS, is expected to maintain its dynamic evolution also in the future.

Contributions from bioCEED to the Learning Forum this year:

Keynotes:

“Evidence-based teaching strategies to make our courses more inclusive” – S. Cotner

Workshops:

“Designed for Inclusion: Strategies for Facilitating Belonging in Field Courses” – S. Cotner and M. van der Kloet

“Cooperative Learning and Jigsaw Structures in STEM” – A. Møgelvang

“Use of Instructional Videos as a Learning Tool” – L. Baddeley, S. I. Lang and S. Hjelle

Poster sessions:

“Elvesletta Student Learning Area – how can it support students learning?” – T. Dahl, S. Coulson, S. Cotner and I. Nordmo

“What happens when you transform a large introductory biology course?” – A. E. Bjune

“bioCEED student activities” – L. B. Kneissle, M. A. Scheiner, F. Selmer, S. A. Frericks and S. Schuuring.

“Redesign Model Meets Reality: Reflections on change approaches applied when a structured model for change meets reality” – K. Holtermann, C. Boge, C. B. Strømme and S. Cotner

“Student posters: Scientific products and assessment that outlives the course” – J. Soulé, K. Holtermann and S. Cotner