ELLS General Assembly and Forum 2018

Thank you for this year's Forum!

Hope to see you in 2019 at SLU-Sweden.

Pictures 2018

Webalbum ELLS General Assembly and Forum 2018

ELLS (Euroleague of Life Sciences)

ELLS is a network of leading universities cooperating in the fields of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Related Sciences:

BOKU-Austria, CAU-China, CULS-Czech Republic, HUJI-Israel, LU-New Zealand, SCIENCE-Denmark, SLU-Sweden, UHOH-Germany, WULS SGGW-Poland, WUR-The Netherlands.

Target audience

The conference includes the annual meetings for the ELLS Board, Task Force and International Relations Officers, as well as meetings for Subject Area Groups and Support Groups. There will be a keynote on ‘Education in a Digitalizing World’ and workshops for participants on this theme. 

Theme: Education in a Digitalizing World

Digitalization gives us opportunities to transform our education. New tools and media allow us to focus more on the different needs of the individual student and realize a more learner-centred pedagogy. Online learning materials enable us to engage with students before and after contact hours, shifting the activities in the classroom from information transfer to higher learning goals. Tracking and analysing of students’ data offers options to personalize learning

Moreover, we can reach out to new target groups and connect to learners worldwide, disseminating our knowledge that is essential for the urgent changes to save the planet. Exchange of materials – or even courses – between universities allows for more flexibility and differentiation in the development of the individual student.

Given all these new and exciting opportunities, and the fact that we’re facing a growing number of students worldwide and changing needs of an ever changing labour market which asks for a better service towards Life Long Learning, changing in our education system is not just a choice, it’s inevitable. 

This change however does not come easy, it confronts us with enormous challenges. The question how to use the manifold tools and materials the best way, instigates heated pedagogical discussions at the core of our universities. In an organizational sense, new departments and functions are required, in order to fulfil the demand from teachers and students for support and inspiration. The pressure on faculty is high and time and budget to facilitate the changes are called for. At the same time we have to rethink our administration, our rules and regulations. 

Such changes in the system cannot be successfully accomplished by one organization single-handedly, it requires collaboration. We invite the ELLS partners to Wageningen to exchange best practices, discuss administrative challenges, and inspire the change.