SCHIER Previous Cohorts

Participants of this cohort affiliated to

Location, Schedule & Format

The School was organised as a residential in-person event, with the overall high-level structure as described in the following table, featuring 4 major themes each taking two half days. Two themes, of a more general nature, covered qualitative and quantitative methods in Informatics Education research, while the other two focused more on the practicality of designing and implementing research in these areas. Each theme was split into two sessions. The first session was typically structured in a more traditional, lecture style, with material providing a broad view of the topic, followed by a second part focused more on practical and hands-on work and current examples. The second session instead picked one topic and went in-depth into it.

All morning sessions as well as the afternoon sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday took place at UCLouvain’s OpenHub center. The Monday and Wednesday afternoon sessions were organised in the main hall of the Sainte-Barbe university auditoria within walking distance. Lunches took place in the university restaurant nearby and were included in the registration fee, as well as the social programme.

Participants of this cohort affiliated to

Location, Schedule & Format

SCHIER 2024 took place between 2 September and 6 September, supported by IBM Research Europe and hosted at their IBM Innovation Studio & Think Lab Zurich, in Rüschlikon.

SCHIER 2024 was structured as a residential in-person program, featuring one major theme for each morning or afternoon, outlined in the following table. The organization prioritized inclusivity to accommodate diverse backgrounds of students, spanning from those with backgrounds in Informatics/Science to those with a focus on education.

The first two days covered foundational theoretical and methodological aspects of research on teaching and learning, while the subsequent sessions delved into the more practical aspects of designing and implementing research in these areas. All sessions featured a first part with a more traditional, lecture-style, material and a second part focused more on practical and hands-on work.

The program was enhanced with a behind-the-scenes look at IBM's oldest and largest European research lab, featuring special visits to their Quantum Computing Lab and Nanotechnology Center.

Monday afternoon's coffee break featured a behind-the-scenes look at IBM's Think lab. On Tuesday, participants splited into two groups: one visited the Quantum Computing Lab, and the other the Nanotechnology Center from 18:00-18:30. The groups swapped location of visit on Thursday evening.

All sessions took place at IBM Innovation Studio & Think Lab Zurich (Säumerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland). SCHIER 2024 targeted PhD students, Post-docs and any researcher interested in Informatics Education Research. Participants from IE member institutes enjoyed reduced registration fees.

What SCHIER 2024 Participants Say

"Excellent opportunity to get a comprehensive view of the scientific aspects of Informatics education and to build a network of researchers."
Sara Capecchi, University of Turin (Italy)

"Very good for PhD students at their beginning of study. Interesting topics and a very good place for networking with experts in their fields. Overall I feel full of new ideas for my research journey."
Jakub Krcho, Comenius University Bratislava (Slovakia)

"Highly prolific time with great talks and enlightenment moments that generated nice ideas for the future."
Natalia Silvis-Cividjian, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands)

"It is a good opportunity to find contacts from other countries and hear what is being done in your field."
Hanna Toom, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)

"Fruitful, informative, network sharing. Thank you indeed. You welcomed us with a smiling face and guided us well and in a helpful way during the organisation."
Emel TOPÇU, Bahçeşehir University (Turkey)

"It offers a deep dive into the subject with expert instructors, hands-on activities, and the opportunity to network with like-minded professionals, all of which make it an incredibly valuable learning experience."
Drishti Yadav, TU Wien (Austria)

"Very valuable opportunity to learn several aspects about the (Informatics Education Research) field. Excellent choice of topics and speakers. Hope to have new editions!"
Abuzer Yakaryilmaz, University of Latvia (Latvia)

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