Implemented Educational Initiatives

Psychosocial Challenges, Research, and Solutions

This educational initiative aimed to develop the research competencies and analytical skills of Šiauliai Academy students. Three different scenarios were developed and implemented: a meeting/discussion with a professional (social pedagogue), a debate and measurement of changes in attitude, and a case study of bullying in an educational institution. This allowed the students to engage in an educational experiment, assuming the role of an expert in analysing bullying cases and seeing first-hand the process of examining research data through a scientific lens. The outcomes of the educational initiative have shown that the used scenarios not only helped students actively engage in the learning process but also enriched the teaching staff’s experience and enhanced their expertise.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Dr Asta Vaitkevičienė.

German Language and Culture: Interactive Learning (A1)

The main objective of this initiative was to teach German to Vilnius University students and develop their intercultural competency through various information and communication tools. Its initiators developed a module focusing on the A1 level of German language proficiency according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The created interactive e-learning book is divided into seven topics, which not only cover all four language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) but also are linked to the history of Lithuania and Vilnius University. Observations reveal that students show increased motivation to learn German through different tasks with a humorous or unexpected twist (e.g. in the topic ‘Familie und Hobbies’ the text and the corresponding exercises focused not on a typical generic family but the famous Addams Family) or references to pop culture (Batman, anime, etc.). The students were also keen to engage in exercises related to (socio)cultural differences and similarities between Lithuania and their home countries.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Dr Virginija Masiulionytė.

Development of Professional Evaluation Competencies of Business and Management Students by Introducing a New Implementation Concept for the Course Unit ‘Business Performance Evaluation’

This initiative aimed to develop and strengthen the professional knowledge, skills, and competencies of business and management students in the areas of cognition, awareness, and the application of general and specific evaluation principles in the assessment of business operations, processes, employees, units, situations, and performance, as well as in making business decisions based on the evaluation principles. A fundamental review, analysis, and evaluation of the former course unit was carried out, and a new concept for its implementation was developed. The initiative helped develop visual and audio material for the course unit topics, a glossary, external references, various types of tests, crosswords, exercises for learning and assessment, and an assessment system. The following educational publications were also issued: two for students (‘Learning Strategy and Core Content’ and ‘Additional Learning Content’) and two for teaching staff (‘Assessment Strategy’ and ‘Teacher Handbook and Answer Key’). The new approach to the implementation of the course unit was supported by business representatives, who emphasised the strengths of its content. The students themselves commented that ‘the content and quality of the course unit was very good and high-level’, ‘the course unit was very interesting and valuable, the selected educational material was excellent’, and they ‘particularly liked the material provided for self-learning’, which, in turn, ‘led to high learning outcomes and a better understanding of the subject itself’. A comparison of student achievements before and after implementing the new course unit concept under this initiative has shown improved student results.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Dr Aurelija Ulbinaitė.

Development and Publication of a Methodological Guide – An Electronic Textbook for the GUS Course Unit ‘The Chemistry of Human Nature and Chemistry at Home’

A 220-page methodological guide (an electronic textbook) was developed and published (Kareiva, A., Skaudzius, R., Tutlienė, S. (2003). The Chemistry of Human Nature and Chemistry at Home. Vilnius University Press, Vilnius). A total of 355 VU students have selected this course unit for their general university studies (GUS). The book ‘The Chemistry of Human Nature and Chemistry at Home’ targets a very diverse audience. It aims to make the general public aware of the most common chemicals often used unconsciously in daily life. These substances have a profound effect on us and are of great importance in our lives. The book is divided into three main sections: ‘The Chemistry of Human Nature’, ‘Chemistry at Home’, and ‘Chemistry in Our Daily Lives. The great variety of illustrations can help readers understand the book’s content and bring the complex science of chemistry closer to each of us. This course unit boasts high popularity among students.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Prof. Aivaras Kareiva.

Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) – Geography and IT Solutions for Sustainable Development

The implemented initiative aimed to complement the content of the existing course units under the study programmes ‘Cartography’ (master’s degree) and ‘Cartography and GIS’ (bachelor’s degree) and develop material for the course unit ‘The Ethics and Legal Aspects of Geographical Data’. It also aimed to boost student satisfaction and improve students’ decision-making skills.

The developed educational book ‘Spatial Data Infrastructure’ and VLE course cover all the content of the course unit ‘The Ethics and Legal Aspects of Geographical Data’ included in the bachelor’s degree programme ‘Cartography and GIS’. The content of the book and the relevant parts of the virtual course were discussed by the lecturer and students throughout the spring semester of 2022. Various tasks with different difficulty and engagement levels were developed. A lot of positive feedback and comments were received, and the teaching material was updated accordingly. At the end of the course, students who took part in a dedicated survey rated the learning experience as very good. The materials of the book and the virtual course, including the chapters ‘The Concept of SDI’, ‘The Architecture of SDI’, ‘Geoportals’, and ‘The Impact of SDI’, were tested in parts (especially the tasks and seminar scenarios) with the second and third-year students of the bachelor’s degree programme ‘Cartography and GIS’ within the scope of different course units taught by the organisers of this initiative. All of the materials from the book and the virtual learning course were presented to the social partners’ employees, including many graduates of the study programme ‘Cartography’. The received feedback has shown that the material is well suited for the training and professional development of employees and is useful as an additional methodological tool in exercising the functions assigned by the state in the fields of geodesy, SDI, and cartography. A GIS Laboratory was also established. It has provided teaching staff with the software ready for demonstrations and practical exercises, enabled students to test hands-on the software and the complete process of spatial data creation and publication, and allowed researchers, PhD candidates, and students to publicise the spatial data obtained using modern GIS methods. All laboratory components were tested with students who had the opportunity to contribute to the development of this technology. The first spatial data and maps created by students were made publicly available.

Out of the 100-point ungraded scale, the surveyed students gave an average score of 95 points for the quality of the course content, 94 points for the quality of its presentation, 77 points for their interest and engagement, and 89 points for the usefulness of the discussions. In terms of motivation, independent work in two or more groups (‘competition+cooperation’) received the highest score (85 points), while the lowest-rated task was individual self-study work (61 points). The verbal feedback provided was also broadly in line with these ratings.

During this year-long initiative (from 2022 to 2023), a breakthrough was observed in the very high level of student engagement in research activities, including research conducted in the summer and during the semester, various projects, competitions, presentations, issued papers, and increased internationalisation. We believe the initiative has contributed indirectly through a stronger bond between the teaching staff and students and their mutual trust.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Prof. Giedrė Beconytė and Dr Andrius Balčiūnas.

Development and Evaluation of Brand Improvement Projects

The aim of this initiative was threefold:
1. To provide students with additional real-life professional/practical experiences in response to their own requests and recommendations from international experts.
2. To strengthen students’ critical thinking and evaluation skills based on objective qualitative and quantitative criteria and to hone their reasoning using the acquired theoretical knowledge.
3. To update, in a regular and targeted way, the practical aspects of the content of the course unit through the active involvement of social partners.

During the implementation of the initiative:
1. A task description was developed, covering the formulation and presentation of individual tasks and the methodology for their assessment.
2. A task evaluation/review form was created, incorporating the developed reviewing and review distribution methodologies.
3. The task and review forms were updated based on the feedback provided by students (course year 2021) who were introduced to this task during their studies.
4. The initiative was presented to the study programme’s current and potential social partners by publicising it on the Faculty’s social network accounts and presenting the developed data collection system (questionnaire) for business organisations wishing to participate in the project.

The integration of this initiative into the curriculum has shown that:
1. The students enriched their theoretical understanding and competencies with real practical skills and relevant business knowledge.
2. In addition to the students’ growing responsibility (when evaluating their peers’ work) and combining general competencies with subject knowledge (through the necessity to justify their decisions and the evaluation results). At the same time, they gained empathy and strengthened their rapport with their lecturer, as they had to put themselves in the latter’s shoes by experiencing first-hand and understanding what it means to assess work in a responsible and reasonable way, as well as by giving feedback and responding to objections to the assessment results.
3. The teaching/learning process was brought as close as possible to real-life business conditions.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Dr Giedrius Romeika.

Update of the Oral Surgery Module

The aim of this initiative was to develop a new format of lectures on oral surgery by changing their structure and integrating practical tasks to stimulate students’ critical thinking, as well as ability to apply theoretical knowledge in specific clinical situations. At the same time, the examination questions were also updated from a test format to a simulation of clinical situations; interactive tasks were developed for the revision of the learnt material. Having updated eight lectures taught in Lithuanian and eight lectures provided in English, student engagement increased. The interactive tasks with competitive elements ensured good emotions and stronger motivation to prepare for the lectures, as students strived to become leaders and excel on the test. Although full student engagement in lectures was still not achieved and attendance rates increased only slightly, it was decided that classes, clinical activities, and educational and game-based tests should remain part of the study process, as these new methods help assess students’ knowledge and understanding more objectively.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Dr Rūta Rastenienė.

Update of the Course Unit ‘Asian Cities: Belonging and the Urban Space in the Region’ to Promote Student Engagement

The objectives of this initiative were to promote student engagement in the course topics and the learning process through innovative study activities and group tasks. During the implementation of the initiative, a new innovative learning activity – a small-scale ethnographic field study and related case studies – was planned and integrated. Methodological guidelines were developed, while both lectures and individual consultations focused on the ethnographic approach and preparation for research. Students independently carried out an individual small-scale (of several hours) ethnographic research project at a selected urban site. They then discussed their observations in small groups and analysed their data based on the assigned related ethnographic article. The student groups gave presentations on their research, shared their experiences, gave feedback to each other, and discussed the issues they had faced. The course topics and structure, as well as its material in the Virtual Learning Environment, were also updated. The feedback received has revealed that all students evaluated the field study as a very welcome innovation and an engaging and captivating learning method. The teaching staff also had a highly positive experience, especially in the context of today’s widespread use of artificial intelligence, as students were not allowed to use it. Therefore, their genuine engagement with the course unit and its topics was evident.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Dr Kristina Jonutytė.

Update of the Course Unit (Module) ‘Signals and Linear Circuits’ Using Information Technology

The aim of this initiative was to increase student engagement and efficiency during classes. The new material was made available on the Moodle platform in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), with a cycle of 13 lectures fully updated. The material of each class is divided into four parts: lectures, seminars, assignments, and a test. The lectures contain theoretical material, while the seminars include problem-solving exercises. The assignments and homework help students accumulate part of the exam score. Students also have unlimited access to a provided test. All of the above is available in the VLE environment, which, in turn, facilitated the revision of the presented material. Students were motivated by not having to take notes – this helped them enhance their cognition and understanding of the new topics. Active learning methods replaced traditional lectures and helped students improve their perception and comprehension of the subject material. The results of the implementation of this initiative have shown that these changes led to higher student involvement in the learning process, increased their engagement and efficiency, as well as enriched the teaching experience.

For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Dr Edita Palaimienė.

Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Medicine: from Cell Biology to Surgery and Beyond (Part II)

1.The goal is to provide state-of-the art knowledge on hepato-pancreato-biliary diseases and organ transplantation among the experts in the field (Lithuania and Japan) while providing a comprehensive understanding from anatomy, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, early diagnostics and differential diagnosis and surgical and non-surgical treatments (diagnostic and treatment protocols). In addition, every topic will provide the latest update on the most recent fundamental science knowledge and translational research including but not limited to genetics, cell biology, digital pathology, in vivo and in vitro disease models, artificial intelligence. The existing surgical teaching program for senior medical students is limited and segmented to number of topics and hours dedicated thus, doesn‘t dedicate enough credit to understand the mechanisms of disease and discuss the interdisciplinary subjects. The estimated results of the program were the following: better understanding of the disease mechanisms and management (surgical and non-surgical). The additional topics of colon, stomach, pancreas and liver rare diseases, pancreas, liver tumor biology and AI pathology, liver function mimicking scalfolds and minimally invasive radiology methods, solid organ surgical techniques will be provided by the experts in the field. The information will be provided in the form of lectures, interactive seminars, videos from the laboratory and wil be updated. The created platform can be found: https://rise.articulate.com/share/2znSk46T260GcijI8Br84xawAinRC3Fc
2. The proposed initiative was organized virtually with invited speakers from Vilnius University, Vilnius Life Sciences Center and International speakers. After completing the course, students were able to objectively and subjectively evaluate patients with HPB surgical diseases, provide work-up plan, assess the results of the investigations and determine a clinical diagnosis by interpreting them, conduct differential diagnostics and to appoint an adequate treatment while applying published research findings. At the end of the course, the student participated in the knowledge quizzes to understand how to apply fundamental science knowledge into diagnostic algorithms and treatment protocols, thus clinical practice. The course provided a comprehensive, multidisciplinary understanding of disease anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, biochemistry, genetics and application into clinical and surgical practice. The course was suitable for medical students, internal medicine, surgery residents, family physicians. All material of the course is available to access through the Vilnius University virtual teaching platform. In addition, the material will be used to teach other specialty doctors (radiologists, anesthesiologists) and nursing students.
3. Students ( 73 Kansai Medical University and 46 Vilnius University) participated in the post-course survey. 96% of participating students were not only to understand speaker’s English but also were also interested in the content of the lecture. Out of all participants (100%) expressed that having the materials and slides in advance assisted for the preparation of the lectures. In addition, 89% were not only satisfied with the content of the lecture but also being exposed to international exposure and live discussions.
For more information on this educational initiative, please contact Assoc. Prof. Aistė Kielaitė-Gulla and Prof. Kęstutis Strupas.