Teodora holds a Bachelor's degree in Pedagogy from UiO, with a specialization in Educational Psychology. She initially started with a Master's in Pedagogy, specializing in Educational Psychological Counselling, but switched to the international Master’s programme in Education and the specialization Higher Education Studies.
Why did you choose pedagogy?
– I wanted to work with people and pedagogy just felt like an answer from within.
– The Educational Psychological Counselling specialization is very good, but it lacked more of the international aspect that I was looking for. I wanted to gain a broader understanding of how education is governed at a systemic level, not just nationally but globally.
– While studying Educational Psychological Counselling, I always had the thought of Higher Education Studies in the back of my mind. Especially as I saw how central politics was on the curriculum.
I am particularly interested in how politics shapes education, and, in turn, how education can influence politics.
Teodora enrolled in the Circle U. course Entrepreneurial Change-making in the fall of 2024. Around 70 students from various European universities participated, and Teodora was only one of a handful of students from UiO. And probably the only one representing the humanities.
Why did you enroll in this course?
– I find sustainability very exciting. After attending a symposium on the Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss, I was inspired to explore it further.
– I view higher education as a bridge between the political and societal realms. Through education, we cultivate individuals who will prioritize sustainable thinking in the future.
The course consists of eight digital lectures, covering topics such as sustainable innovation, social entrepreneurship, and sustainable business models. The goal is to provide students with the ability to incorporate both sustainability and innovation into entrepreneurship across various disciplines.
How did you find the lectures?
– I prefer physical communication and teaching, but it worked surprisingly well. It was a pleasant encounter with hybrid teaching.
– Of course, with Zoom meetings, there's always some awkwardness at first. But soon enough we all got to know each other and felt comfortable working together. The course coordinators also did a great job.
Teodora explains that each lecture was divided into a theoretical part and a practical part, where students worked on a case assignment in set groups.
– We were divided into groups right from the start. I noticed that a lot of care was taken to ensure that each group included students with diverse competencies. I had a great group with excellent collaboration.
– One case was about the company Amazon and how they could become more sustainable. We had to read what Amazon's general policy states and then assess whether this is actually implemented in their practices.
The Conference in Mons
The course concluded with a week-long conference in Mons, where the groups met physically for the first time.
– The group dynamics were not unfamiliar to us, since we knew each other from the digital lectures. We could really see how we benefitted from being put into groups from the beginning of the course.
Each group was tasked with developing an idea on the first day, further developing it throughout the week, and then presenting it to the rest of the class and a jury composed of course coordinators and other professors on the last day.
The conference focused mostly on innovation and how to develop a new idea.
– The five days in Mons were very intense! We always started at nine o’clock and worked until six.
– It was all about developing the idea and presenting it to a jury on Friday. Important topics included how to set up a budget, how to present to a jury—particularly with a focus on behaviourism and behavioural analysis—and how to capture attention. A lot of it was about rhetoric and performance.
– This was challenging for me because I've never been involved in business and business-oriented thinking. But now I've learned a good deal about how to realize one's ideas.
– It reminded me of writing a master's dissertation. You have to develop an idea and then work on it, adjust it and refine it. In the introduction, you have to capture the reader. It's somewhat similar when you present your idea to a jury. You have to capture their attention.
A pedagogy student among the sciences
The other students mainly came from the sciences, and the topic Teodora's group chose to work on during the conference was within medicine. As a pedagogy student, Teodora got a unique opportunity to see how students across disciplines approach idea development, problem-solving, and collaboration.
– Even though most of the students came from the natural sciences, it was still possible to think within my field and contribute from a pedagogical perspective. I kept asking myself: What is the role of the pedagogue here? How do we create meaningful dialogues? How do we facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration in courses like this?
– Our group worked well together. We used each other's expertise and competencies very effectively.
Would you recommend others to enroll in such a course?
– Yes, absolutely. It's a great experience. When it comes to the pedagogical aspect, you learn a lot about dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration.