In February-March, 2019 within the frameworks of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project a Teacher Training (TT) Course aimed at retraining ISU teaching staff members is programmed to be held at Ilia State University (ISU).

The trainers of the TT Course who passed ToT (Training of Teachers) Courses at 5 EU partner universities (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Universitat de Barcelona, Universidade do Porto, Linköpings Universitet, FH Joanneum Gesellschaft mbH) have prepared courses on teaching and learning in innovative methods for ISU lecturers. They will share their experience gained from the ToT courses with their colleague ISU teaching staff members.

The TT courses are going to be delivered by the 15 ToT courses participants from ISU. It is envisaged that up to 150 ISU lecturers will participate in the TT course. 

During the course ISU teaching staff members are going to be trained in a number of fields related to innovative technology-enhanced teaching and learning.

TT Course # 15 “Blended/Hybrid Teaching and Learning”

Trainer: Associate Prof. Mariam Dalakishvili (ISU Faculty of Business, Technology and Education)

In the frame of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project a teacher training course titled “Active Learning: Technology Enhanced Collaborative Learning” was carried out on 22-27 of March at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. The training course was moderated by Associate Professor Mariam Dalakishvili. The content of the training program was prepared after the TOT mobility course at KU Leuven (Belgium).

According to the prepared syllabus, the training was structured in three modules:  

• Active learning,
• Instructional System Designs,
• Technologies in learning (Mentimeter and Google Form).

In the scope of the Training course, the participants presented their vision and plans about transforming their own courses. 

TT Course #14 “Active Learning: Technology Enhanced Collaborative Learning”

Trainer: Associate Prof. Nata Meparishvili (ISU Faculty of Arts and Sciences)

On 18-23 of March, within the frame of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project a teacher training course entitled “Active Learning: Technology Enhanced Collaborative Learning” was carried out at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. The training course was moderated by Associate Professor Nata Meparishvili. The content of the training program was prepared after the TOT mobility course at KU Leuven (Belgium).

According to the prepared syllabus, the training was structured in three modules:  Active learning, Instructional System Designs and Technologies in learning (Mentimeter and Google Form). In the scope of the Training course, the participants had presented their vision and plans about transforming their own courses. 

The main topics of the training were as follows:

• Active learning—getting students to work and think in the classroom;
• What is active learning and how to make Changes in Lecturing;
• Bloom’s Taxonomy and Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy;
• Instructional System Designs;
• Mentimeter;
• Google form.

During the training, the participants were informed about the main principles of active learning and had practice in using modern technologies.

TT Course #13 “Active Learning and Modern Technologies”

Trainer: Prof. Tinatin Tchintcharauli (ISU School of Arts and Sciences)

In the frame of the Erasmus+ PRINTel project teacher training “Active Learning and Modern Technologies” was carried out on 11-16 of March at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. The training, which was prepared based on the ToT mobility at KU Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven), Belgium, was moderated by Prof. Tinatin Tchintcharauli.

The training was structured in 3 main modules: first - the introduction of theories of active learning that was followed by discussion about the strengths and potential risks of the approach and practical tasks.

In the second module the importance of ADDIE and TPACK models for constructing or revising courses was discussed. This module was followed with discussion and practical tasks as well.

Third module concerned the application of modern technologies in the classrooms mainly based on the applications like Google Form and Mentimeter. In this module, the participants had a chance to prepare and conduct interactive surveys.

At the end of the training participants provided their feedback on how they would apply these newly acquired methods in to their teaching practices.  

TT Course #12 ”Active Learning and ICT-enhanced teaching: M-learning and gamification”

Trainer: Invited Lecturer Diana Khidesheli (ISU Business School)

The TT course was designed to enhance digital competence among academic staff to develop much more interesting, attractive and useful material for students in the course of classes. The main goal was to increase students’ engagement through M-learning and gamification.

The topics that were covered during the training sessions were useful for training members – Kahoot, Mentimeter, Slido, Polleverywhere,etc., these tools were considered as important techniques during the classes. Practical exercises were made during by the audience - they created quizzes by means of the presented programs and exchanged with each other their experience in order to understand better how to apply the mentioned programs. The Trainees expressed their readiness to integrate new tools in the courses they use to teach.

QR code and badges also earned great attention from the audience. Training members learnt how to create QR codes and badges and to use them appropriately in their courses to increase students’ motivation and engagement in teaching and learning process.

The idea of gamification was also highlighted, the trainees gained experience in how to gamify classes by taking into consideration all the important steps. The TT course participants and the trainer discussed certain issues concerning gamification, when it is useful and in which conditions.

TT Course #11 ”Active Learning and ICT-Enhanced Teaching: M-Learning and Gamification”

Trainer: Professor Nana Dikhaminjia (ISU School of Natural Sciences and Engineering)

The TT course was delivered by Professor Nana Dikhaminjia on 11-15 March at Ilia State University. In total 14 participants attended the training. The participants were faculty and invited lecturers of Ilia State University, representing different programs, such as business, education, law, engineering, biology, etc. The trainings were delivered in the evenings, for 2 hours and comprised in total 10 hours.   

The course was designed to enhance digital competence of the participants to develop much more interesting, attractive and useful material and classes for students and increase students’ engagement, knowledge and performance. Academic staff learned to model their classes in a modern way, by using M-Learning and gamification.

Participants learned to use active learning techniques to increase students’ involvement in the teaching and learning process. In the classroom and by doing homeworks, the trainees developed different activities by using various technologies and applications, such as Sli.do, Poll Everywhere, Mentimenter, Adobe Spark, Kahoot, Socrative, etc. They learned to create infographics for better presentation of the material, got to know examples of gamified learning and usage of gamification elements, creation and usage of QR codes in M-Learning. The activities were developed individually and in groups.

At the end of a class each participant presented how he/she would gamify and use M-Learning in his/her current teaching envirnoment. The trainess delivered their presentations in PechaKucha method. The presentations covered various areas of education and were useful for exchanging ideas on ICT-enhanced teaching. 3 questionnaires were provided throughout the course to assess the effectiveness and usefulness of the course and future expectations of the participants. 

TT Course #10 “Active Learning and ICT-Enhanced Teaching: M-Learning and Gamification”

Trainer: Tamar Megalashvili (ISU Business School)

Training course “Active Learning and ICT-Enhanced Teaching: M-Learning and Gamification” was held at Ilia State University during 26-28 February and 1-2 March, 2019.  Ten-hour training program was conducted by Tamar Magalashvili, Associate Professor at the Department of business, technologies and education.

Academic staff from different faculties expressed interest towards the training. The content of the course was related to Active Learning methodology and implying ICT technologies in teaching and learning process. The trainer discussed the document of Digital Competence of Educators developed by EC. During five-day training, the trainees had the opportunity to get familiar with different instruments of m-learning. They learned how to use and make QR codes, how to develop teaching materials using infographics and videos and how to plan active learning process by the model ADDIE. They also, got familiar to gamification as a methodology of T&A.

As it was mandatory for the trainees to be equipped by laptops and mobile phones, they had the possibility to engage in the process of acquiring new skills by practicing using specific tools and adapting them to their fields of subjects.

At the end of the training, the participants made a virtual group, the place where the members will share an experience after implementing AL methodology or single instruments during teaching process.

TT Course #9 “Blended/Hybrid Teaching and Learning”

Trainer: Associate Prof. Elene Zhuravliova (ISU School of Natural Sciences and Engineering)

The third training “Blended/Hybrid Teaching and Learning” in the frame of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project was carried out on 25-28 February and 1 March at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. The training course was moderated by Associate Professor Elene Zhuravliova. The content of the training program was prepared after the TOT mobility at FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences (Austria).

According to the prepared syllabus, the training was structured in five modules: first - the introduction of theories of blended learning that was followed by discussion about the strengths and potential risks of the approach and practical tasks.

In other modules (E-Moderation, Project-based Learning, E-portfolio, Multimedia) attendees had a chance to work in different online platforms like Moodle, Trello, Google Sites and etc, they also were introduced to basics of applying multimedia tools like editing videos in EdPuzzle. At the end of the course, the participants presented their own projects – the vision of transforming their own course into a blended course, shared their vision and plans for the next semester with colleagues.

TT Course #8 "Video as a Learning tool for teachers and students"

Trainer: Invited Lecturer Nami Surguladze (ISU Business School)

In the framework of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project a training course entitled "Video as a Learning tool for teachers and students" was held at Ilia State University (Tbilisi, Georgia)  from February 25, 2019 to March 1, 2019 by Nami Surguladze.

On November 12-16, 2018 the trainer attended the training series that had the same title at the University of Porto (Porto, Portugal) and the course in Tbilisi was designed/delivered similarly to the course that was conducted in Porto.

During the training series besides the discussion of the effectiveness of video in higher education, the participants were introduced to different computer and mobile programs/applications (Camtasia Studio/Panopto, Explain Everything/AWW, iMovie/Power Director) to create/edit video, and also to different applications for increasing interactivity in the class. The participants had individual projects to learn these programs/applications by using them. At the end of the course the participants received certificates.

TT Course #7 “Video as a learning tool for teachers and students”

Trainer: Associate Prof. Resani Kikava (ISU Business School)

Within the frame of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project a training course related to the usage of video content and other software during learning process was conducted at Ilia State University, on 25-28 February and 1 March 2019. Resani Kikava, Associate Professor at ISU School of Business, Technology and Education, conducted the training, which was based on the experience and knowledge gained by the trainer at the University of Porto during the course titled “Video as a learning tool for teachers and students”, which was run on 12-16 November 2018.

The aim of the training was to discuss the necessity of using video and other digital solutions, the effective ways and strategies of doing so. The discussion was based on available empirical data from various universities around the globe with an intention to allow participants to familiarise themselves with usage of such content in real life perspective.

TT Course #6 “Video as a Learning tool for Teachers and Students”

Trainer: Associate Prof. Aleksandre Ergeshidze (ISU Business School)

In the frameworks of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project, a Teacher Training (TT) course “Video as a Tool for Teaching and Learning” was delivered by Aleksandre Ergeshidze at Ilia State University. It took place from 25 February to 1 March 2019.

Aleksandre shared his knowledge and experience about using video as a teaching tool acquired at the University of Porto, where he attended the training session with the same title. During the training pros and cons of teaching with video were discussed. Participants had the opportunity to create and edit videos using various programs such as “Camtasia studio”, “Panopto”, “Explain everything” and “Powerdirector”/”Imovies”. Tips of making good quality video were also discussed.

In addition, trainer presented the concept of flipped classroom and introduced programs such as “Mentimeter”, “sli.do” “Kahoot” and others that can make lectures more interactive. In the end participants created quizzes, questions and integrated them into the PowerPoint.   

TT Course #5 “Hybrid/Blended Teaching and Learning”

Trainer: Associate Prof. Archil Abashidze (ISU School of Arts and Sciences)

The second round of trainings of Erasmus+ CBHE project – “Change in Classroom: Promoting Innovating Teaching and Learning to Enhance Student Learning Experience in Eastern Partnership Countries (PRINTEL)”-took place on 25th February-1st March at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia. The training course on blended learning and teaching was moderated by Associate Professor Archil Abashidze. The content of the training program was prepared after the TOT mobility at FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences (Austria).

The training was divided into five modules. It started with the introduction of theories of blended learning that was followed by discussion about the strengths and potential risks of the approach and practical tasks.  The attendees had a chance to work in different online platforms like Moodle, Trello, E-portfolios and etc.

They also were introduced to basics of applying multimedia tools like editing videos in EdPuzzle. At the end of the course, each participant presented their own project – the vision of transforming their own course into a blended course, shared their vision and plans for the next semester with colleagues.

TT Course #4 “Active Learning in The Flipped Classroom”

Trainer: Prof. Levan Tsagareli (ISU School of Arts and Sciences)

The information about the training course was spread among the academic and invited staff of Ilia State University by email, argus (university intranet) and university web-site approx. 2 weeks before it took place. 15 out of 20 registered participants attended the course regularly. Prior to the course start the participants were encouraged by emails to sign in for Moodle, where the special course site had been arranged. The course site on Moodle entailed all the necessary information about each session and the corresponding course material (articles, Power Point Presentations, web links, assignments, additional sources).

The course was held in five sessions (2 hours per session), covering the following topics: Active Learning, Flipped Classroom, Digital Pedagogical Competence and Networked Learning, ABC Learning Design, DEF-Lab. The sessions were organized in line with the learning-by-doing-approach aiming to demonstrate and implement the techniques of active learning and the flipped classroom already at the training stage. So every session contained activities before, during and after class.

The training course was held in room E 207 where the tables and chairs were located in line with Active Learning Classroom requirements, thus creating an environment (including a laptop and projector, flipchart and markers, glue and handouts) suitable for group work and discussions.

For the sessions 2 and 3 the participants were asked to bring their laptops in order to be able to try out a couple of online tools as padlet and Kahoot! (instead of Mentimeter, the free use of which turned out to be restricted).The sessions 1 to 3 were mostly dedicated to presentations and discussions on theoretical issues, whereas the sessions 4 and 5 were rather reserved to group work and presentations. The participants showed exceptional enthusiasm and eagerness while redesigning their courses according to ABC and DEF guidelines, so that the last session took about 3 hours instead of 2.

TT Course #2 & 3 “Active Learning in the Flipped Classroom”

Trainers: Associate Prof. Tamar Gurchiani and Associate Prof. Davit Maisuradze (ISU School of Law)

Ilia State University professors, Tamar Gurchiani and Davit Maisuradze conducted two 5-day trainings for their colleagues on February 11-22 in Tbilisi. The training entitled “Active Learning in the Flipped Classroom” was organized as a part of the PRINTeL project and was aimed at introducing Ilia State University professors and adjunct lecturers to the new teaching models to transform their classrooms and to use methods that speak the language of today’s students. Training sessions were lively and participants were actively engaged for even long hours.

• Main observations

Tamar Gurchiani and Davit Maisuradze had decided to work in pairs in the same way as it had been done at ToT course held in Linköping and it worked out very well in Georgia too. Pairs make teaching and learning process more entertaining and they bring diverse voices into the classroom. Trainers’ motto was “practice what you preach” - so, anything that was taught at the training, was done at the training. It was quite exciting for participants to see that the trainers took the training very seriously and they were not acting like they had exclusive knowledge about something, but it was just experience to be shared with colleagues.

• Challenges and Opportunities

Trainers made sure, professors didn’t think that flipped classroom is just about one method, which could be introduced to all classes overnight. On the other hand, trainers were able to convince them that any class can be flipped, if professors and students feel confident about that. Many participants thought that flipping the classroom is more demanding than traditional lecturing, which feels familiar and easy. Flipping the classroom also requires adjusting physical infrastructure where professors do not have a say.

• Long Term Perspectives

Trainers and participants of the training have agreed that after 6 months they will meet and organize a workshop where the participants will be able to discuss the implementation of the new teaching methods in their syllabi and share their progress and challenges.

TT Course #1 “Hybrid/Blended Teaching and Learning”

Trainer: Invited lecturer Giga Khositashvili (ISU School of Arts and Sciences)

In the frame of Erasmus+ PRINTeL project on 4-8 of February a training course on blended learning and teaching was conducted at Ilia State University. The training was moderated by Mr. Giga Khositashvili, who is an invited lecturer at ISU. The content of the training program was prepared after the TOT mobility at FH Joanneum University of Applied Sciences (Austria).

The training was divided into five modules. It started with the introduction of theories of blended learning that was followed by discussions and practical tasks.  The attendees had a chance to work in different online platforms like Moodle, Trello, E-portfolios and etc.

At the end of the course, each participant presented his/her own project – the vision of transforming his/her own courses into blended ones. The majority of the participants indicated in the evaluation survey forms that the tools which they were introduced to during the training could be successfully implemented into the courses to enhance the quality of teaching and learning.