Support
for Teachers

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 objectives designed by the United Nations to serve as a “blueprint for peace and prosperity now and into the future.” Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is holistic and transformational education ensure that the learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote the SDGs.

Interdisciplinary education combines learning from multiple disciplines to come up with new ways to think about issues and solve problems. By comparing, connecting, and changing disciplinary concepts and methodologies, students generate new insights. We explore methods to teach and assess interdisciplinary learning, and to create practice-oriented resources and online tools.

Inclusive teaching refers to pedagogy that serves the needs of all students, regardless of their background or identity, and support their engagement with subject material. An example of such approach is the Mixed Classroom Educational Model (MCEM) at VU. MCEM builds upon differences to enrich the learning experience of all students.

Service Learning is a form of education in which students use their academic skills to contribute to societal issues, and learn through community engagement. SL stimulates critical thinking, personal development, interpersonal skills, and cultural understanding. As Aurora experts in Service Learning, we aim to support staff and students and equip them with the knowledge, skills and mindset to tackle societal challenges as social entrepreneurs and innovators.

Aurora Co-creation helps teachers to learn new skills as community members and re-orientate their courses to impact community. In this module, teachers practice the process of co-creation together with their colleagues, and generate knowledge via involvement in the wider Aurora community.

An excursion is a trip outside university with scientific guidance and objectives to gain practical experience and knowledge through observation done in the field. Experiential learning at formal and informal field trips increases student interest, knowledge, and motivation. Aurora field trips enrich classroom learning in a two-way exploration of life-world.

Learning Outcomes in University for Impact on Society (LOUIS) converts broad horizontal competences such as critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and teamwork into tangible vertical outcomes that are manageable in single college courses. LOUIS tool breaks down broad competences into sub-skills and provides a language to explain student progress.

Beliefs Events and Values Inventory (BEVI) is a psychological test that gives teachers insight into the students’ collective mindset. It can be used to measure changes in the worldview as a result of education or when worldviews are discussed sensitively. BEVI can promote understanding and empathy among students.

Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Scales to Measure Impact Competence (SEISMIC) equips students with the skills and mindset to address key societal challenges through social entrepreneurship and innovation. SEISMIC assesses learning outcomes for courses, programs, and degrees at three levels of societal impact, social engagement, and entrepreneurship.

Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) is an online collaborative teaching method that connects students in different countries for collaborative projects and discussions as part of their coursework. A COIL module is co-developed and co-taught by teachers from different countries and can provide international experience without traveling i.e. virtual mobility. COIL advances students’ intercultural competences and digital skills while collaborating on subject-specific tasks.

Joint courses are created collaboratively by two or more teachers where they design, teach, and evaluate a course together. This module helps teachers to improve their pedagogical skills and knowledge by being exposed to different teaching styles and methods. Joint courses give students greater access to resources, teachers and opportunities, and improve their knowledge and skillset in several disciplines. Read more.

Blended Intensive Programs (BIPs) are short programs (5 to 30 days) that promote hybrid (online and onsite) learning, and use innovative teaching methods to enhance transversal skills. BIP recognized the need to offer more flexible and accessible options to the learners from all backgrounds, circumstances, and disciplines.