Enhancing Professional Excellence: Synergy of Academic and Non-Academic Staff (PROF-SYNERGY)

Abstract

The conference featured five intensive sessions, giving university staff and interested partners a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience with cutting-edge teaching and learning tools, share best practices through teamwork and build new professional relationships. The conference is part of the Transform4Europe Alliance conference series. The event follows in the tradition of previous Inno-Methods conferences, which focused on innovative teaching and learning methods in higher education institutions. The conference featured a gala T4EU Award ceremony, during which awards were presented for teaching and non-academic achievements. The awardees were invited to share their best practices. This year's conference covered five main themes: Digital Learning Technologies: academic writing, use of digital tools, achieving learning flow, AI innovations, designing learning materials, IoT tools; Innovative Teaching Methods: designing safe classrooms, transforming traditional teaching, active learning, language learning, teamwork, practical application; Resilience skills: resilience and awareness, work-family balance, psychological resilience, study challenges, communication; Lifelong learning competences: professional excellence, ResearchComp, work automation, conflict resolution, public speaking; Developing a culture of quality: culture of quality, micro-qualifications, student engagement, best practices, academic success. The event also included innovative presentations, more than 20 different professional development sessions, the T4EU Innovative Teaching Awards and Non-Academic Staff Awards Ceremony, a social programme, a Science Café, and a guided tour of VMU with the opportunity to visit the University's laboratories.