Dr Justin ROBERTSON of the Department of Asian and International Studies, winner of the 2015/16 CLASS Teaching Innovation Award, was sponsored by the College to attend the second European Conference on Teaching and Learning Politics, International Relations and European Studies (EUROTLC) on 9-10 June 2016 in Brussels, Belgium. In contrast to traditional conferences which usually take the form of a series of presentation sessions, EUROTLC interactive events comprise flipped presentations and hands-on workshops, which inspired Dr Robertson and his fellow participants to advance their disciplinary teaching through active learning.

Dr Robertson shared his thoughts and reflections on the useful teaching methodologies discussed at the conference, such as strategies for creating effective teaching videos, the use of virtual Post-It notes, and the jigsaw technique. Building on the approaches presented in Brussels, Dr Robertson will refine his teaching practices and engage further in teaching and learning with colleagues at CLASS. The information shared by Dr Robertson is available in full on the CLASS Teaching Innovation Award webpage.

CLASS enthusiastically supports its staff members to develop innovative and effective teaching approaches in the humanities and social sciences disciplines. The CLASS Teaching Innovation Awards will continue in 2016/17. Nominations for the 2016/17 awards will be invited through email announcements.

Cover Photo: Dr Robertson was presented the College’s first ever Teaching Innovation Award by Prof Cheng Suk Han, Director of EDGE, in the CLASS Award Day 2016.