Lightning Talks: Global Perspectives

⭐ Lightning Talks: Global Perspectives


⭐ With or without pressure, education stakeholders need to be trained on GenAI usage
This presentation examines why all education stakeholders—teachers, administrators, students, and policymakers—require structured training on generative AI, whether external pressure exists or not. Using Eswatini as a focal point, it highlights emerging practices and lessons from the University of Eswatini’s AI Academy, where capacity-building efforts aim to strengthen responsible, context-sensitive AI use. The core question is how institutions can build digital and ethical readiness at scale. Participants will leave with practical insights on designing inclusive training pathways, identifying local needs, and supporting informed, sustainable AI adoption in education systems.

⭐ International Higher Education - What teaching competences do we need?
Teaching in international higher education contexts comes with challenges such as language barriers, culturally shaped expectations, and diverse pedagogical traditions.
What do educators do when teaching in international higher education, and which competences do they need?
We asked a broad international network of higher education practitioners what competences they consider essential. Based on a qualitative data analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), we propose the International Teaching Competence Framework, which specifies four areas in which educators should be trained to succeed in international teaching contexts. In our lightning talk, we present the framework and share insights into what educators with international teaching competence should be able to do from both an empirical and a practical perspective.


⭐ Connecting Universities for Collaborative Online International Learning
How to connect universities to make Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) an integrated tool for internationalization, creating sustainable connections to partner universities. In this session, we will present best practices for establishing a virtual network for COIL with partner institutions from nine European countries. Our challenge was to find COIL partners for our teaching staff, with the help of international staff from didactics and e-learning at partner institutions, with whom we had no personal relationships until last year. By pitching our project at a kick-off event of our university alliance PIONEER and inviting all partners to in-person and online sessions, we built an online community around COIL with over 40 staff and faculty members throughout the alliance. Our strategy can be adapted for other projects in teaching, research, and third mission.