From 6 to 9 May 2025, Dr Eng. Jan Sadolewski participated in the meeting titled “FutureEdu: Shaping Higher Education through Digital Learning and AI,” organized by Biznesa Vadības Koledža (BVK) in Riga, Latvia. The event was combined with the Erasmus+ Staff Week held at the university and the scientific conference “Higher Education in the Digital Age: AI, Learning Design, and Pedagogical Advances.” Participants represented 14 countries, including Belgium, Estonia, the Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Jordan, Albania, Slovenia, and even distant Malaysia.
During the event, participants attended lectures on developing materials for remote learning, estimating the number of hours required to prepare and conduct online classes, and coordinating and monitoring students’ knowledge throughout the semester. Additionally, the impact of GenAI on student education and its use as an aid in preparing teaching materials was discussed. The conclusion of these presentations was that GenAI can be utilized by students and teachers provided that its proposed results are carefully verified against expert knowledge. Workshop sessions addressed the risks associated with remote teaching and strategies to prevent teacher burnout. Participants received certificates confirming their attendance. Moreover, representatives from the Multimedia University of Malaysia brought a gift for each participant in the form of Malaysian sweets or spices.
The highlight of the meeting was a trip to nearby Sigulda, where participants could visit the bobsleigh track, a nature reserve, a cave, and the castles in Turaida. This provided a welcome change from the afternoon tour of Riga’s Art Nouveau old town, noting that BVK is housed in a historic building in the city center.
