Inspiration, innovation and interaction – highlights from Educators' Day
On 1 October, over 200 dedicated employees from Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm gathered for this year's Educators' Day at the Flemingsberg campus. The participants came from different parts of the organisation with teaching assignments or involvement in educational issues, and the day offered lectures, workshops, discussions and networking.
Opening by KI president and KLOK Award
President Annika Östman Wernerson opened the day by welcoming everyone. She highlighted KI's educational philosophy and the importance of creating psychological safety in the classroom. During the introduction, the KLOK Award was also presented, an award that recognises good examples of high-quality work-based education. This year's recipient was the Pedagogical Council at the Rehabilitation Medicine University Clinic Stockholm, Danderyd Hospital.
Keynote speakers Wenger-Trayner on communities of practice
Keynote speakers were Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner, internationally recognised pioneers in the field of communities of practice. They described these as groups where people share an interest or passion and learn to do it better by interacting regularly.
The speakers discussed how we can use these theories and practical experiences of communities of practice to promote collegial and organisational learning at KI.
"The value of a community of practice and its social learning capacity lies not only in what it produces, but in how it changes participants by creating spaces where people engage in collective learning and grow through shared meaning," said Beverly Wenger-Trayner.
Juha Nieminen, Head of Higher Education Pedagogy at the Teaching and Learning Unit, led discussions on how educational activities are conducted at KI. Johanna Granhagen Jungner presented examples from the Department of Women's and Children's Health, where models inspired by communities of practice have created forums for discussion and collegial learning.
Be part of the operating theatre through XR
During the afternoon, parallel workshops were held on topics such as challenging conversations in teaching, AI for students and collegial support in work-based teaching. A particularly popular workshop was led by Anna Svenningsson, paediatric surgeon at Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, and Emilija Wilson, assistant lecturer at the Department of Women's and Children's Health, where participants got to experience how Extended Reality (XR) can be used in teaching.
With the help of XR glasses, participants were able to visit an operating theatre, a maternity clinic in Malawi and experience a patient meeting at a hospital, all in a virtual environment.
"By using this technology, we can gain insight into and understanding of environments that might otherwise be difficult to access, such as certain parts of hospitals or clinics abroad," says Emilija Wilson.
A day that strengthens community
Educators' Day, organised every other year by the Teaching and Learning Unit, was a day that not only inspired, but also demonstrated the power of collegial learning, pedagogical innovation and community. By sharing experiences and exploring new perspectives, the conditions for future education at KI are strengthened.
This year's Educators' Day was held on 1 October at campus Flemingsberg.