School of Junior Academics: the power of peer learning and innovation in teaching

On 12 February, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) hosted the closing ceremony of the School of Junior Academics (SJA), organised by the Centre for Educational Growth (CEG). Now in its sixth year, the SJA programme provided 24 young RSU lecturers with a four-month opportunity, running from October to February, to enhance their teaching skills and exchange experiences with one another.

The aim of SJA is to enhance lecturers’ skills, which is one of RSU’s strategic priorities. Lecturers’ professional skills are key to ensuring the quality of the study process and fostering educational innovations. ‘CEG invests significant resources in creating and offering a broad range of training and development opportunities across various thematic areas. Our lecturers consistently and intentionally work on developing their professional skills.

We take pride in the fact that our university offers both the largest number and the most diverse range of educational development activities.

This approach reinforces the culture of learning as a core organisational value. We are learning to openly share challenging experiences and examples of best practices,’ says Nora Jansone-Ratinika, CEG Director.

SJA aims to create a focused learning experience by reflecting on practical experiments and real-world experiences. This approach allows participants to not only learn the latest teaching methods but also understand how they function in practice, building their confidence to apply them in their own teaching.

During the sixth SJA, lecturers participated in 50 academic hours of training, covering the following topics:

• Designing a new study course (including individual lectures and classes) and applying the same principles to improve existing courses;
• Developing an assessment system and aligning it with the learning outcomes defined in the study course;
• Filming, editing, and creating interactive H5P training videos;
• Integrating various teaching and learning strategies into study courses, such as active learning, research-based studies, flipped learning, and more.

SJA participants not only learned about these topics theoretically but also had the opportunity to practice the methods and skills, making it easier to integrate them into their own study courses. In each session, lecturers collaborated in groups to tackle current challenges and share best practices.

Peer learning was facilitated by:

• Rudīte Koka, Associate Professor at the Department of Biology and Microbiology, who shared practical examples on creating summative assessments, providing growth-oriented feedback to students, and developing assessment criteria and rubrics for examination papers;
• Guna Semjonova, Lecturer at the Department of Rehabilitation and graduate of SJA, shared her approach to creating H5P interactive videos and branching scenarios. Meanwhile, Mirdza Kursīte, Acting Lecturer at the Institute of Public Health, demonstrated how to coordinate the efforts of multiple lecturers involved in a course to ensure consistent standards. She also presented e-learning tools designed to streamline the work of lecturers;
• Unda Avota, Lecturer at the Department of Rehabilitation and recipient of a targeted scholarship from the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation, shared how the course integrates experiential learning strategies and discussed creating a learning environment where students feel safe to ask questions, experiment, and make mistakes;
• A video library of good practice stories from previous SJA sessions.

The insights of the graduates themselves best describe the SJA experience and achievements:

The School of Junior Academics helped me grow as a lecturer. I learned several teaching methods, such as reflection, the Cornell note-taking system, and various discussion techniques, which I can now integrate into my courses. I also made valuable new contacts and recognised the importance of learning from colleagues and continuously developing. Teaching and learning is a journey where each step brings not only students but also lecturers closer to growth. The desire to learn and the willingness to adapt are the values that drive me to achieve my goals in education.

Mārtiņš Zvackis, Senior Laboratory Assistant, RSU Institute of Public Health, Lecturer

It was a pleasure to share experiences with colleagues in a democratic, mutually respectful atmosphere. I gained new tools and approaches to capture and maintain students’ attention, which is especially important during theoretical lectures.

Agris Liepa, Assistant Professor and Lead Researcher, RSU Latvian Academy of Sport Education

The School of Junior Academics gave us the opportunity to get ideas from our colleagues and to identify areas for innovation in our teaching practices. The interdisciplinary collaboration and active participation of lecturers from different RSU departments and fields of study allowed us to conclude that sustainability in education is closely linked to both interdisciplinarity and quality. The demand for education as a service is evolving, with labour market trends and generational shifts increasingly influencing how lecturers teach, support student development, and create a safe, inclusive learning environment.

Santa Bormane, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences

Running the School of Junior Academics is a team effort. This is clearly demonstrated by all the CEG colleagues, each contributing their expertise. They work together to lead the classes, mentor lecturers individually, and provide feedback to help them develop their professional skills.

In 2024, over 800 participants took part in continuing education training offered by the CEG, including colleagues from the RSU Latvian Academy of Sport Education. The Department of Information Technology, the Human Resources Department, the Medical Education Technology Centre, and other units also provide valuable opportunities for skill development. Unique learning opportunities are available to lecturers multiple times a week throughout the academic year. The most engaged and active lecturers can participate in up to 14 training sessions in a single semester.

Since 2014, the RSU Centre for Educational Growth has been supporting lecturers in enhancing their pedagogical competencies through various training programmes. In 2019, with the support of the ESF project ‘Capacity Building of Rīga Stradiņš University Academic Staff’ (No. 8.2.2.0/18/A/013), the Centre established the School of Junior Academics, providing a support platform for lecturers at the start of their academic careers.

On behalf of the CEG team, we would like to invite all RSU lecturers with up to five years of teaching experience to apply for training in the autumn semester of 2025.