ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference 2026
ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference 2026
- Context and Learning -
Bern, Switzerland, October 22-24
The theme for the ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference is Context and Learning. Students are often heard saying ‘But I'll never use that - why should I learn it?’, and exactly this is what we aim to address. Contextualized learning is a learning approach in which knowledge and skills are embedded in a real and/ or meaningful context. For example, teaching and learning in inter- and transdisciplinary settings, reflecting the interlinkedness of academia, different disciplines and approaches and the real world. Rather than learning in isolation, learning content is linked to the learners' contexts and lives in order to enable a deeper understanding and promote the sustainability of learning. Contextualized learning focusses on anchoring theory by putting it into practice, linking it to other areas (subjects, social issues, personal interests) and promoting scientific literacy.
The conference will address teaching and learning approaches and scenarios focusing on competences (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) in four key areas of learning and context: methodologies such as problem-based learning and challenge-based education, physical contexts including innovative teaching spaces and learning environments, subject-based contexts emphasising transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, and work contexts that situate learning in real-world tasks, jobs, and collaborations with external partners.
ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference 2026 - Call for Participation
The ENLIGHT Teaching and Learning Conference 2026, hosted by the University of Bern, invites members of the ENLIGHT community to contribute to an inspiring and collaborative programme. The call for participation focuses on formats that encourage dialogue, the sharing of good practice, and the development of meaningful connections around shared approaches to teaching and learning.
We welcome contributions from teaching staff, educational developers and students from all 10 ENLIGHT universities. The conference programme will aim to ensure balanced participation across the ENLIGHT network, reflecting a wide range of perspectives and experiences.
Contributors are invited to submit proposals for workshops, campfire sessions or showcase sessions. Workshops are 90-minute sessions designed to actively involve all participants and are limited to a maximum of 25 participants. They focus on collaborative approaches such as idea generation, the co-creation of teaching offers, or critical friends formats, supporting the joint development and refinement of teaching and learning initiatives.
Campfire sessions offer a small, informal and technology-free setting for up to 20 participants. In these 90-minute sessions, a topic is introduced by the session leader and participants jointly identify and discuss key challenges related to the topic. The emphasis is on shared reflection and learning rather than on finding solutions.
Showcase sessions aim to inspire others and to share good practice in contextualised teaching and learning. Each 60-minute session features three short presentations, each followed by time for questions and discussion, providing insight into innovative and transferable teaching approaches across the ENLIGHT community.
Abstracts can be submitted until 31 March 2026.
ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Award 2026
The ENLIGHT team at the University of Göttingen invites applications for the ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Award 2026 . This award recognises innovative, international teaching and learning formats that align with the shared educational principles of the ENLIGHT network.
The award honours a course or study programme that stands out through its distinctive pedagogical approaches. Key aspects include transdisciplinary collaboration, research-oriented teaching, international and intercultural learning environments, and the integration of real-world societal challenges. Innovative forms of student involvement and the transferability of the concept within the ENLIGHT network are also important criteria.
The award will be presented at the ENLIGHT Teaching & Learning Conference , taking place from 22 to 24 October 2026 at the University of Bern. Each ENLIGHT university may nominate one course.
Interested teaching staff at the University of Göttingen are invited to submit their application materials by 30th April 2026 via email to enlight@uni-goettingen.de. Following an internal selection process, all applicants will receive feedback in May.
Further information on the application process can be found here
Kontakt:
ENLIGHT Team
Abteilung Göttingen International
Von-Siebold-Str. 2
37075 Göttingen
enlight@uni-goettingen.de
