3 questions for Johanna Lanner - chair of STUFF
The new educational organisation, launched on 18 June 2024, involved the creation of two new working groups, in addition to the Education Board (EB). These two are the Steering Group for Teaching at FyFa (STUFF) and an Team for Undergraduate Education (Team GUA). Johanna, what is the latest on STUFF?
1) What is the status of STUFF?
In short, our mission is to work on the strategy for the future of the teaching organisation at FyFa. It is the strategy group in the management group that gives the mission to STUFF and we identify the generic principles needed to build a sustainable future. Issues we are working on include how to recruit and spread responsibility in teaching, as well as how to distribute the teaching assignment in the short and long term.
During the autumn, we started work on dividing the teaching organisation into different subject-based clusters, including through a workshop at Brygghuset in November. The aim is to create a more structured and efficient organisation.
2) What are the current challenges and how are you addressing them?
One of the biggest challenges is finding a balance where everyone contributes to the teaching without feeling that there is too much teaching for the individual. We are both researchers and teachers - the aim is to create a balance between the roles and a culture where everyone helps. I think this creates a stronger collegial community and benefits the whole organisation.
There is also a lot going on at central level within KI, including a new resource allocation model. We need to navigate between pursuing our own initiatives and at the same time harmonising with central decisions. We are working to build an organisation where community, responsibility and the desire to contribute to the collective are key principles.
In addition to pedagogical and subject expertise, this also means taking responsibility for practical aspects, such as writing exam questions and contributing to the various aspects of teaching. We are reviewing strategies to allocate these tasks in a sustainable way.
3) What is the next step?
The next steps include further work on the composition and collaboration of the clusters, and ensuring that we continue to have a high level of expertise in all the subjects we teach. We are also looking at how we can strengthen the onboarding of the next generation, including how to involve PhD students in teaching.
Read more about FyFa's change journey on this page: Change at FyFa