Modern Concepts in Teaching and Learing Conference – Summary of the Event

What does the medical education of the future look like? An exceptional conference at UMW has just concluded!
On June 11–12, the Wroclaw Medical University (UMW) became the center of an international discussion on modern teaching practices. During the “Modern Concepts in Teaching and Learning Conference”, students and academic staff jointly set new trends in education.
The event is organized as part of the project task ‘HealConnectUMW’ under the ‘Support for European Universities NAWA – 2024 call’ program (European Funds for Social Development 2021-2027, project no. FERS.01.05-IP.08-0219/23).

The following individuals were involved in organizing the event: Head of Department Magdalena Szymków-Cieniawska along with her team: Emilia Basińska and Miłosława Witkowska, dr Helena Moreira, as well as dr Urszula Walczuk, Associate Prof., dr Nataliia Lisova, Wiktoria Król-Cieciorowska, and dr Irena Duś-Ilnicka, Associate Prof.
The event was officially opened by Prof. Marzena Dominiak, Vice-Rector for Internationalization at UMW, who emphasized the key role of international cooperation and the implementation of modern teaching methods.
Below is a brief summary of what happened during these two intensive days:

DAY 1 – SoTL and “Laboratories of Future Teaching”
The first day focused on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) approach and reflective learning techniques.

Speakers in the expert session included, among others:

• Dr Agata Strządała (WMU)- „Value-Based Teaching and Learning at Wroclaw Medical University”
• Prof. Jo Edson Ferrie (University of Glasgow / European University Association) – „How to formulate SoTL questions (frameworks:problem-intervention-outcome)”
• Prof. Philippe Emplit (Université libre de Bruxelles / European University Association) – „Data collection in SoTL”
• Dr. Zygmunt Domagała, Assoc. Prof., along with the team: Mateusz Mazurek, Mateusz Drążyk, Oliwier Pioterek, Marta Kożmińczuk (CADA) – “From Atlas to Ultrasound: A SoTL-Based Teaching Intervention for Spatial Anatomy of the Neck in First-Year Medical Students”
• Dr. Nataliia Lisova (WMU) – “How to increase learning effectiveness in 60 seconds?”
• Dr. Irena Duś-Ilnicka, Assoc. Prof. – „SoTL – a difficult term or simple technique: perspectives of students from Poland and Brasil”
• Dr. Urszula Walczuk, Assoc. Prof. – „Beyond correct answers. Searching for signs of real learning in the age of AI”
  STUDENT PANEL – „Students as Experts”
  UMW students proved that they are active co-creators of the educational process! The speakers were:
• Julia Śnieg – „Where teachers and students connect in medical education”
• Małgorzata Pomorska – „Reflective Learning Strategies”
• Franciszek Kędzierski – “Why should lectures be conducted online?”
• Weronika Rozmus – “AI and teaching – what we use as students.”
• Natalia Szoka, Jagoda Szpara, Wiktoria Sokołowska – „Honey, how could we develop this beautifully?” Is the AI-doctor era upon us?”
• Andrzej Mrożek – „How to improve clinical education? The medical assistant program from coordinator’s perspective.”
• Ye Wai Yan – „From Admission to Adaptation: How Mentorship Transforms the First-Year Experience”

DAY 2 – Certified Training in Project Management
The second day was purely practical. Students participated in an intensive, bilingual training course: „Project Management in Healthcare: A Practical Training for Medical Students”, conducted by Adrian Lewandowski and Agnieszka Kowalkowska from Collegium Wratislaviense.
Participants worked on real healthcare case studies – covering everything from planning and risk analysis, through communication, to evaluation.