Community events for teachers

Teacher’s Handbook

Community events for teachers

Sharing insights, best practices and concrete examples with the pedagogical community supports the collective development of educators. Aalto University and its School’s offer many different opportunities for the academic community to engage in teaching and learning -related discussions and collaborative development of teaching. From this page you can find the different opportunities that are available for you.

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Peer support and collegiality in pedagogical development

Peer support and collegiality are important aspects of developing pedagogical expertise and well-being. Expertise in teaching requires reflection, and social relationships and sharing with others makes the reflection effective. Sharing insights and reflections in various pedagogical communities of practice supports the collective development of educators. Engaging in pedagogical dialogue both at the multidisciplinary Aalto community as well as with your own close community, such as programme, offer you possibilities to co-develop your teaching and gain new insights for your work as a teacher.

Events and dialogue for the Aalto community of educators

Marsio Presents: Creative Teaching

Marsio Presents: Creative Teaching is an event series dedicated to exploring how pedagogy is evolving and to connecting with colleagues across Aalto. The event is for sharing concrete experiences, practical experiments, and thoughtful reflections on teaching and learning, focusing on different current themes each time. Teacher Services organizes and facilitates the event together with collaborators. Come to get inspired, hear real examples, exchange ideas, and reflect together!

What pedagogical topics should be discussed? Share us your view and have an influence!

Previous events have discussed digital teaching strategies and pedagogy in the age of AI. What would you like to discuss in the next event? Suggest your ideas here:

Two speakers in a studio with large AI-themed screens behind them, text about human judgement and trust.

Nearly a hundred Aalto teachers and education professionals gathered at Marsio Presents: Creative Teaching in the Age of AI to explore how rapidly evolving AI tools are changing teaching practices, while core goals like critical thinking, motivation, real-world problem solving and human interaction remain essential. Keynotes, teacher examples, and thematic dialogue sessions highlighted concrete ways to use AI as a responsible partner in teaching, and showed a strong appetite for ongoing, peer-based pedagogical dialogue and sharing of good practices.

4.5.2026 News

Marsio Presents: Creative Teaching in the Age of AI is a morning event for Aalto educators interested in how AI is reshaping pedagogy. Hear short, concrete cases from colleagues on using AI in teaching, assessment, and course design. Join to gain practical ideas, discuss ethical questions, and reflect together on what meaningful teaching looks like in the age of AI.

Explore media & AI in teaching at Marsio: Keynote by Jani Romanoff, talks by Aalto University educators, and studio exploration.

School-level community events for teachers

School-level teacher coffee sessions, forums, and other meetups offer an excellent opportunity to get to know the teaching staff, discuss current teaching themes, and share ideas. These community events go by different names and take different forms across schools, and they are held both online and on campus. Regardless of the format, the aim is the same: to strengthen the teaching community and provide a meeting place for teachers, LES staff (Learning Services), and occasionally students. In some schools, departments also organize similar events.

Explore the events of your School from below. If you would like to propose topics or ways of working, or have questions about the sessions, please contact your school’s pedagogical or digital pedagogy specialist who organizes the events.

ARTS Teachers’ Lunch is a regular event that brings ARTS teachers together to discuss current topics in teaching and learning. Each session has a changing theme, and the events are open to all teaching and service staff of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

Key events are announced via the staff-arts-extended mailing list and on the ARTS Teaching Teams channel.

Would you like to give a talk on a topic—or suggest one? Please contact the School’s pedagogical and digital pedagogy specialists: Minerva Mertanen (millaminerva.mertanen@aalto.fi), Antti Huittinen (antti.huittinen@aalto.fi).

BIZ Learning Café is an event specifically targeted at the School of Business teaching staff, bringing teachers together to discuss current topics in teaching and learning.

If you are interested in proposing a theme, giving a presentation, or would like to request one on a particular topic, please contact the School’s pedagogical and digital pedagogy specialists: Maura Ratia (maura.ratia@aalto.fi), Silvana Perez Läherinta (silvana.perezlaherinta@aalto.fi).

CHEM Teachers’ Coffee is an event for the School of Chemical Engineering (CHEM) teaching staff, where current topics related to teaching and learning are discussed. Each session has a rotating theme, and the events are open to all members of CHEM’s teaching and service staff.

Dates and further details are announced regularly on the “CHEM Education_Lecturers, teachers and professors” Teams channel, and invitations are also sent by email to the lecturers-chem and professors-chem mailing lists.

If you have questions or theme ideas for the coffee sessions, please contact the School’s pedagogical and digital pedagogy specialists: Suvi Toivonen (suvi.toivonen@aalto.fi) and Jukka Välimäki (jukka.valimaki@aalto.fi).

CHEM Teachers' Coffee: How we teach AI literacy – Examples from CHEM

The primary community event for pedagogical development at the School of Engineering (ENG) is the Teaching Forum, held each semester. The themes and organization of the forum are coordinated by the Vice Dean for Education together with the School’s pedagogical specialists. More information is available here: Teaching Forums at the School of Engineering | Aalto University

In addition to the Teaching Forum, ENG also hosts Teachers’ Lunch meetings, where current teaching-related topics are discussed over a light lunch. These sessions are facilitated by ENG’s pedagogical specialists, who are happy to receive topic suggestions from teachers (heidy.tiits-tikkanen@aalto.fi and karoliina.pakkanen@aalto.fi).

Information about teachers’ events is shared with all ENG staff via calendar invitations, the “ENG Teaching Staff” Teams channel, and newsletters.

All those involved in teaching—and anyone interested—are warmly welcome to participate!

Teaching Forums at the School of Engineering | Aalto University

At the School of Electrical Engineering (ELEC), regular Teachers’ Coffee sessions are organized with programmes themed around current topics in teaching and learning at ELEC and across Aalto University. The sessions also offer a space to share and discuss your own teaching-related topics with colleagues from different departments. The school’s Vice Dean for Education hosts the events.

Dates and further details can be found on the ELEC Teaching Teams channel. Everyone involved in teaching or supporting teaching at ELEC, in any role, is welcome to join the channel. For more information, you can contact your School’s pedagogical and digital pedagogy specialists: Marja Elonheimo (marja.elonheimo@aalto.fi), Kirsti Keltikangas (kirsti.keltikangas@aalto.fi), and Sanna-Katja Parikka (sanna-katja.parikka@aalto.fi).

At the School of Science (SCI), events for teaching staff are typically organized at the department level. These sessions offer teachers an opportunity to meet and discuss various teaching-related topics as well as other timely issues relevant to the Aalto community.

Information about other school- and university-wide events is shared via newsletters and direct invitations sent to the academic and administrative staff mailing lists.

Would you like to share your teaching experiences in a talk, or suggest themes for upcoming events? Please contact the School’s pedagogical and digital pedagogy specialists: Miia Forstén (miia.forsten@aalto.fi), Veruscka Xavier Filgueira (veruscka.xavierfilgueira@aalto.fi).

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Teacher’s Handbook

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Aalto Educator's Community - Teams

Join the open Teams community for the entire Aalto teaching community, where you can network with other Aalto teachers, hear about upcoming teaching-related events and meetups, and discuss teaching-related topics—for example, conducting pedagogical research or sustainability-focused teaching.

Information, training and services to help us in building a community where everyone belongs.

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Community and academic well-being

Teacher’s Handbook

The Teacher services team advances learning centricity and the quality of teaching by offering support services for the teaching staff. The team is a part of Learning Services.

Services

Updated: 4.8.2026
Published: 4.5.2026

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Teacher’s Handbook