It’s not just the new format that will startle the visitors and participants this year. For starters, the event will be hosted by popular VJs from the Russian MTV channel, the opening discussion being moderated by Tutta Larsen. There, experts will discuss if edtech companies can collaborate with universities, how these two sectors can benefit from each other, and what they can do to adapt to the new challenges of our time. 

The surprises don’t end there: another popular VJ, Anton Komolov, together with ITMO’s First Vice Rector Daria Kozlova will host an open podcast that will be recorded right at the festival. The podcast’s guest speakers will be experts in education, business, and edtech, for instance, the head of the Presidential Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239 and member of the Presidential Council for Science and Education Maxim Pratusevich and Netology founder Maxim Spiridonov. Among the podcast’s announced topics are the future of education, the current trends of the field, and the mistakes of the past. As the talk will be recorded live in front of an audience, the festival’s participants will have the chance to ask questions to hosts and experts. 

     

Open Education will continue to surprise with another format: Edu Battle, a debate held as a rap battle. Online vs offline? A structured curriculum vs individual tracks for every student? The experts will settle these and other dilemmas in their exciting battles. Viewers will get to choose the most convincing and eloquent performer. 

One feature that remains unchanged from last year’s festival are presentations by nominees of ITMO’s EduStars and EduLeaders contests. They will talk about the results of their work and introduce their educational projects. The festival will culminate in the announcement of the winners at the award ceremony. 

Open Education is meant to foster exchange of the most efficient practices in education. To this end, various workshops held by ITMO’s lecturers and guest experts will make a major part of the program. All in all, there will be eight practice sessions on alternative education, digital tools and VR/AR technologies in class, as well as a personalized approach to the curriculum. The full list of topics and their schedule will be available on the festival’s official website. Importantly, all sessions will be held simultaneously with recordings of each one available after the event.

Polina Strimovskaia, a curator at the organizing committee, says that the event’s main goal is to bring together representatives of universities, schools, and other educational institutions, as well as business and edtech experts, and give them the opportunity to share their experience and best practices. Together, these professionals will be able to set the trajectory for the future development of education.

“First and foremost, Open Education is a networking platform for lecturers and educators. Here, we will have the opportunity to trace the current trends in education, audit our ongoing projects, and identify the most relevant challenges. Apart from that, we aim for such purely applied goals as demonstrating real-life cases, practices, and methods employed by ITMO’s lecturers. It is also a chance for them to present their ambitious projects to a wider audience,” adds Polina Strimovskaia. 

Open Education will take place on May 20 at DAA Design District. Everyone is welcome to participate, you can sign up for the event here.