Innovating the way we teach and learn

Panaceja, an educational game for future pharmacists and physicians, and a collection of practical tasks for international marketing and advertising specialists – these are only two of the innovations currently being actively developed by the academic staff from Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) thanks to funding from the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation and the University. The first scholarships of this kind were awarded by the Foundation nine years ago. Since then, it has supported more than 100 initiatives, helping eight faculties to modernise their course content and introduce a variety of innovative learning and teaching solutions, with the main aim of improving the student experience and their knowledge.

In a marketing agency expert’s shoes

The aim of the scholarship is to support academic staff in implementing innovative solutions that will enable students to acquire learning material better. In addition to this, tools created by Blumfelde-Rutka will also motivate young people to engage in creating the content and encourage collaboration between students of different student groups, thus improving their communication skills. ‘The content and the formats of the classes are as close to the labour market as possible to simulate current issues in the sector. This promotes students' ability to navigate issues like this and develop their skills in solving them. The varied content of classes ignites students' interest and increases their motivation to complete the tasks," Blumfelde-Rutka says explaining the innovations. The innovations introduced in the spring semester have already received positive feedback from industry professionals. According to Žanete Eglīte, Executive Director of the advertising and marketing industry organisation Latvian Art Directors Club, these innovations are not only adapted to the requirements of the labour market but also serve as a good example of design thinking. In this process, an idea is initially developed and then prototyped, providing feedback from students and improving the proposed solutions. Its implementation is only planned after this stage.

Inspiration from students, colleagues and the industry

In general, the scholarships are granted to support ideas that not only improve the quality of different courses, but also complements them with technological or pedagogical innovations. Each lecturer is given four months to conceive of an idea, develop it and prepare an application, and then implement, evaluate and refine it. During this time, they receive not only a scholarship, but also personalised support from the RSU Alumni Association and the team at the Centre for Educational Growth. 

When asked about how she gets ideas for innovations, Blumfelde-Rutka says that she draws inspiration from her students. ‘I get my motivation and inspiration from co-creating and communicating with students, discussing topics and current issues. I am inspired by the students' evaluation forms that they fill out after courses. I also get ideas from working closely with companies and organisations in the sector,’ she says.

‘At Rīga Stradiņš University, we look at learning and teaching innovations on a broad spectrum - they can be large-scale, requiring the availability of advanced technologies and infrastructure, or very specific, small innovations in how to approach teaching or course design. The most important thing is that the innovation process improves students' learning experience,’ says Paula Feldmane-Jumīte, Executive Director of the RSU Alumni Association.

The final exam as a gameshow

She points out that the new faculty members’ ideas and the cooperation between professionals from different fields represented at the Faculty of Pharmacy are very important for the innovation of the study courses. ‘To come up with a good idea for modernising the content, you have to ask yourself – how would I as a student like to acquire this knowledge or develop these skills?’ suggests Gavrilova, who admits that the biggest challenge on the way to applying for the targeted scholarship was taking the first step. She recommends that lecturers who are considering upgrading their study courses with the support of the Boris and Ināra Teterev Foundation should simply start drafting an application. ‘If you are not sure about the relevance of an idea you have for modernisation, it is valuable to discuss it with colleagues or students in your department. This valuable advice and exchange of views can help you to excel in developing the proposed idea,’  she says. But then, during these four months, it is important to stick to the schedule of the planned activities. It is also important to anticipate that there may be setbacks that will require more time than initially planned, Urtāne points out.

Summer vacation – time for relaxing and taking stock

According to Raimonds Strods, Innovation Manager at the Centre for Educational Growth, one of the great benefits of this scholarship is that it fosters the development of a community of innovators at the university. ‘It is evident that in each successive term of the scholarship, lecturers have been inspired by and lean on the results of the previous term and have strived to develop better ideas. The recipients of the scholarships who have similar ideas find their way to each other, share experiences and discuss solutions to different challenges. Moreover, colleagues from different units get to know each other, which allows them to embrace different learning and teaching traditions and strengthen their own teaching approach and skills,’ says Strods. He has already worked during several scholarship intakes as a mentor. He advises the academic staff to use the upcoming summer vacation both to relax and to take stock of the past academic year. When thinking about possible improvements for the future, he invites lecturers to ask themselves three questions:

• What is the most important thing I want my students to gain from my course?
• Why do I teach the way I teach? What evidence demonstrates that the way I teach is effective?
• What is the nature of learning and how can I make sure that my students really learn?

‘The answers to these questions can illuminate new ways to innovate learning and teaching,’ he says, adding that the next opportunity to submit an idea for modernising study courses is scheduled for this autumn.

Scholarships for lecturers