Successful Chinese-European Summer School Matchmaking Event on Technology-Enhanced Learning

18 students studying Computer Science and Educational Technology coming from four continents (China, Europe, North America, Africa) and six experts from China and Europe met in an intensive workshop to learn about ongoing research in technology-enhanced learning. In small groups, the students worked on reflecting on their research, pitch their educational start-up, find joint research projects, and on other activities. The interactive sessions were complemented by talks by experts in the field, both from academia and industry:

Over the next days, we will upload the recordings of the presentations.

Despite differences in the command of English and research experience, the students achieved the goals of the Matchmaking Event: they collaborated well, exchanged their research ideas and engaged in discussions. For most of our Chinese participants it was the first contact with Western PhD students. They quickly overcame their shyness, and finally got a deeper understanding of defining research topics and methodology. Our Western students also learned a lot, among others they realized the difficulties that education faces in still developing countries, and to what extend their ongoing research is or is not applicable in a culturally distinct setting. 

We hope that this Summer School Matchmaking Event will be the first one of a series of equally successful workshops. This year's event was made possible by generous support of the e-learning lab of SJTU and the STELLAR Network of Excellence. If you are interested in supporting or organizing a follow-up event, please contact Dr. Carsten Ullrich at ullrich_c@sjtu.edu.cn. In case you are interested in the "tricks" we used to ensure student participation, especially of the Chinese students, please check Carsten Ullrich's blog.