AUC Pioneers First International Digital Pedagogy Lab Institute

AUC is the first University outside of the United States to host the Digital Pedagogy Lab Institute Cairo, bringing together some of the leading voices worldwide in the field of digital pedagogy.

“The Digital Pedagogy Lab Cairo is an intensive institute in which educators will have opportunities to deeply and critically consider thoughtful ways of prioritizing our pedagogy and empowering our learners, all while integrating digital teaching technologies,” said Aziza Ellozy, director of the Center for Learning and Teaching.

Cross-Border Collaboration

Starting March 20, the event opens opportunities for academic collaboration that stretches across borders. Participants hail from AUC, Egypt and different parts of the world, including international educators from France, Greece, Pakistan and Lebanon. “The event is facilitated by some of the leading voices in the field of digital pedagogy,” Ellozy explained. “They will work in cohorts over several days, learning alongside their peers and building a sense of community.”

Sponsored by AMICAL, an international consortium of 25 liberal arts institutions in higher education that include AUC, the Digital Pedagogy Lab Institute Cairo will discuss new technologies and pedagogies that will have a lasting impact on teaching at AUC. “The Digital Pedagogy Lab Cairo should help faculty members better navigate their choices among the plethora of educational technologies available and find appropriate ways of integrating their teaching philosophy with the affordances of the digital,” said Ellozy. “The presence of AMICAL participants and international facilitators, as well as the interaction with a vibrant online community, can also create opportunities for collaborative teaching and scholarship beyond the days of the event itself.”

Public Outreach

The Digital Pedagogy Lab Cairo also aims to engage with the AUC community, hosting public events on each day of the institute. These public events include three keynote lectures examining issues related to digital pedagogy: 

1) “Critical Digital Pedagogy” by Sean Michael Morris, director of the Digital Pedagogy Lab, and Jesse Stommel, executive director of Teaching and Learning Technologies at the University of Mary Washington, as well as CEO and director of Hybrid Pedagogy

2) “Not-Yetness” by Amy Collier, associate provost for Digital Learning at Middlebury College

3) “Scholarly Networks: Friend or Foe or Risky Fray? All of the Above” by Bonnie Stewart, an educator and researcher with the Digital Pedagogy Lab

At the Unconference on the final day of the Digital Pedagogy Lab Institute Cairo, all attendees, including members of the public audience, will be invited to plan the day’s events by suggesting topics to discuss in participant-focused breakout groups. “The Unconference hopes to create space for participant-driven, education-focused conversations, whether or not these involve digital pedagogy,” explained Ellozy.

The event as a whole, noted Maha Bali, associate professor of practice at the Center for Learning and Teaching and event organizer, is one where “attendees can expect to be inspired and challenged by cutting-edge thinking in the field of digital pedagogy, exploring the affordances and limitations of how the digital can influence our pedagogy.”