On 14–15 January, the teaching-themed conference will seek answers to the question of how to support individual and collective well-being both at work and in everyday life. Participants will be able to reflect on the connections between the well-being of academic staff and students’ deep learning, exchange experiences with colleagues, and find new teaching ideas for the coming semester.
The conference will explore how well-being, personality traits, and everyday teaching practices of academic staff shape both academic work and the learner experience. What psychological and social factors support or hinder well-being? What can we learn from this? We will discuss how conscious self-care, institutional culture, and understanding one’s own psychological characteristics can help turn teaching anxiety into excitement.
The conference takes place over two days. On 14 January, workshops will be held in the lecture rooms of the Institute of Education (Jakobi 5, Tartu), for which prior registration is required. The conference day on 15 January consists of a plenary session, workshops, and poster discussions. Plenary speakers will present in the assembly hall of the University of Tartu main building (Ülikooli 18, Tartu), while the workshops and poster presentations will take place in the main building’s classrooms.
We welcome poster presentations in which the academic staff can introduce their teaching experience to colleagues. Please submit your poster presentation request by 6 January 2026 at the latest. Include the poster topic and a three-to-four-sentence core message. We expect digital landscape-format posters for the poster session. Interactive content (e.g. videos or dynamic graphic elements) created using PowerPoint or Canva is highly encouraged. Each presenter will have three minutes for a short oral presentation, followed by a more in-depth discussion with the audience. Please upload posters by 13 January HERE.
At the conference, the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs Aune Valk will present the annual teaching awards and teaching quality awards. According to the Statute of Awards in the Field of Teaching, up to three teaching achievements from 2025 will be recognised – achievements that highlight effective cooperation and development activities in the university’s degree studies and continuing education. The teaching quality award recognises a university institute, college, or faculty for activities supporting the quality of teaching that have been designed and implemented successfully and effectively over the past three years.
The conference is organised by the Centre for Teaching and Learning in cooperation with academic units.
The activities are carried out within the framework of the measure 21.4.4.2 “Hariduse, ühiskonna ja tööturu seosed - Kõrghariduse kvaliteet, rahvusvahelistumine ja doktorikoolid” of the Estonian Education and Youth Board. The activities are co-funded by the European Union.
Photographs will be taken at the event and later used in UT communication channels. Plenary presentations will be recorded by UTTV.
The conference “Teaching for Learning” has been held at the University of Tartu since 2015. Its purpose is to provide opportunities for learning from colleagues, sharing experiences, and engaging in didactic discussions, as well as to inspire instructors to maintain interest in learning, teaching, and students.
