Key notes

Professor Walter Weyns (University of Antwerp) is head professor at the department of Sociology where he teaches, amongst other courses, cultural criticism. With a broader look on society than just an educational perspective, he will take a look at higher education with a main focus on the first year students: how do they make the transition into this new life and how does it affect their well-being? After his talk, you might want to join the Facebook group of his students: 'Walter Weyns change my life".

Five theses on studying in a time of acceleration (text, video) 

Walter Weyns will address five theses on students in a fast moving world. His ideas will challenge many of yours and shed a new perspective on why and how we invest in the first year. He'll set the tone for a critical conference but aims to improve student transition, well-being and learning. Would you be able to think of a better opener for a conference on these three themes?

Liisa Postareff (PhD, Docent) is an assistant professor of higher education at the Centre for Research and Development of Higher Education at the University of Helsinki. Much of her research has focused on first year students' experiences and study processes. She is an active member of EARLI (European Association for Research on Learning and Student Learning and Instruction). Liisa has a special interest in students' learning processes, regulation of learning and academic emotions. She is interested in exploring the factors that influence higher education students' study success.

Insights into 1st year students’ study processes, well-being and study progress (video)

The first year of studying at the university is likely to have an impact on future success and development of students. However, most students experience the transition to university as challenging because they need to adjust to a new learning environment that demands more independent and effective approaches to learning. The keynote focuses on the individual differences in first year students’ approaches to learning, regulation skills and well-being. The aim is to unravel the complex relations between these elements and students study progress (i.e study pace and study success). Furthermore, views on how to support students during their first study year will be provided.

Pedro De Bruyckere (1974) is an educational scientist at Artevelde University College Ghent, Belgium since 2001. He co-wrote several popular books in Dutch that debunk popular myths on GenY and GenZ, education and pop culture. Pedro is often asked as a public speaker, also in media in both Belgium and The Netherlands on topics of both education and youth. He was credited by the Dutch Magazine Vrij Nederland as one of the most influential voices in educational debates. One of his strongest points is that he is funny in explaining serious stuff.

Who are our students really? (video)

Are they finally the true digital natives, or is the reality very different? And what about learning? Do these students learn any different or not? In this keynote, Pedro De Bruyckere, co-author of Urban Myths about Learning and Education, will perform a fact check on many popular claims about students and learning. Some ideas will surface, other will be burried and will be replaced by new insights that actually work.