Gender Transformative Education (October 2022)

This webinar was a collaboration between Prowibo and MBA students from Tampere University in Finland, to recognise the International Day of the Girl. The purpose of the webinar was to bring together colleagues from different sectors to discuss the current state of gender transformative education as well as possible ways in which the objectives of gender transformative education can be advanced.

This webinar was held on 11 October 2022.

Rebooting STEM: New Era, New Curriculum Webinar (June 2021)

The changes in work patterns and living brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic  showed the importance of soft skills such as adaptability, teamwork and communication that are often neglected within the STEM fields and the need for STEM graduates to be well-rounded in these skills. Another neglected topic of STEM discussion concerns ethical conflicts and how to assign credibility to specific research.

In collaboration with Lecturers Without Borders, this conference aimed to discuss these traditionally neglected aspects of STEM research. The Conference was divided into two panels, each consisting of three experts, with each panel lasting one hour.  The first panel, ‘Improving Soft Skills in STEM’, aimed to share the perspectives of educators about the importance of soft skills and promoted recommendations for their acceptance. The second panel, ‘Ethics and Credibility in STEM‘, covered some of the limitations of science in response to an ongoing global emergency. The panel gave a platform for researchers to share their experiences regarding the public perception of science and what steps might be taken to restore the public’s trust.

The conference took place online on 2 June 2021. Watch the conference video, courtesy of Lecturers Without Borders here.

Publishing in Academia – Improving Access Through Information (May 2021)

This conference, held as part of Prowibo’s Access to Education Initiative, aimed to improve opportunities and success rates for publishing in academia, particularly for under-represented communities of academics. 

The conference consisted of two panels with panellists from internationally renowned academic publishers as well as educators with experience from various professional fields. The first panel, ‘How to Publish and Where’ discussed the process of publishing as well as placed academic publishing within the wider political debate by bringing attention to some prevailing biases still rampant within the industry. The second panel, ‘Tips and Tools for Academic Writing’ provided helpful information on how to meet the standards and criteria of publishing and also touched on some of the technicalities of writing.

Using the information the panellists provided, Prowibo released a toolkit for publishing in academia – which can be referred to when looking to get work accepted for publication. The webinar was held on 31 May 2021.

‘Decolonisation’ in Higher Ed Webinar (May 2021)

In collaboration with St. Mary’s University, this panel aimed to address the question ’What is decolonisation?’ As the panellists discussed, decolonisation involves the history of empire, domination, and the ongoing struggle for liberation. A key factor is highlighting marginalised and neglected stories. Decolonisation must use history as a tool to dismantle the current oppressive systems. Decolonisation looks at who, where, and what is taught to students in different parts of the world and why. 

This webinar was an excellent discussion about the way decolonisation affects students and why it is so important. The panellists also offered practical ways they would suggest to decolonise the education system as a whole, and within their own classrooms in everyday life.

This conference took place on 28 May 2021.

Improving Women’s Retention in Higher Education (March 2021)

This online conference was part of Prowibo’s Women in Higher Education Initiative (HEIs) and provides our think tank with a chance to contribute to the wider discourse on reforming HEIs and directly influence university policy.  

The event comprised of two panels, both followed by a Q&A. The first panel, ‘Improving Female Student Retention, reflected on student experiences in academia and how to utilise those experiences to create universities’ guidelines to develop a safe and equal environment for their female students. The second panel, ‘Improving Female Faculty Retention,’ was and discussed policies that universities can implement to improve women faculty retention, based on the panellists’ personal experiences.

Through the event, the panellists discussed the importance of the recruitment process for women, which is often male-dominated. They also pointed out that leadership skills in higher education are often lacking for women, as focusing on women as leaders are generally not taught at a young age and can have lifelong consequences.

This online conference was held on 27 March 2021.

The Mental Health Implications of COVID-19 (February 2021)

Prowibo held a webinar on ‘The Mental Health Implications of COVID-19’ to address the lack of discussion around the mental health issues arising from the pandemic and its consequences. Speakers explored the different impacts that COVID-19 could have on mental health, and how this can affect life on a larger scale. There were three presentations and a Q&A section which answered the queries proposed by the audience.

Panellists discussed their research and observations and were able to address the statistics surrounding mental health, solutions in the form of peer support, and the impact on healthcare workers in Sierra Leone.

This webinar was organised by Prowibo volunteer Yanoh Jalloh  and was held online on 25 February 2021. Watch the recording here.

As part of Prowibo’s Access in Higher Education Initiative, we invited Black members of the academic community to shine a light on their higher education experience and share the impact of under-representation and discrimination on their research and career aspirations. In the UK, fewer than one per cent of university professors are Black. In the United States, about ten per cent of academics are Black, with the numbers thinning as you travel up the academic ladder. The numerical minority of Black academics has led to consistent exclusion, marginalisation, and a signal that their ideas are not equally valuable in academia. Such pervasive marginalisation of any group is detrimental to research and the academic experience for educators and students. 

This conference was divided into two panels. The first panel, ‘Black In The Ivory: Understanding the Black Experience in Higher Education,’ aimed to identify and resolve discrimination issues in higher education institutions. The panel was composed of an array of higher education faculty from around the world. The second panel, ‘Intersectionality: The Dual Barriers of Racism and Sexism, ’ examined how gender and race bias hinder academic progression. The panel featured women in a variety of occupations from three different continents.

This online conference took place on 28 August 2020. Watch the recording here.

Higher Education in the Time of COVID-19: Challenges and Opportunities of Online Learning (June 2020)

As COVID-19 spread around the globe in early 2020, universities retreated behind the screens. Higher education literally moved online, providing an opportunity to discover the joys of technology for some, a gruelling and impersonal experience for others, and something in between for most of us.This event brought lecturers and students from around the world to share with each other the challenges each had in adapting to a new teaching environment. The conference was split into two panels.

In the first panel, lecturers from universities in Asia, the Americas, Europe and Africa shared the difficulties they encountered, and how they expected to adapt to the 2020-2021 academic term. The second panel addressed the students’ experience with online education, their expectations and hopes, and advice on how to successfully engage with online educational tools in a very competitive cyberspace.

The conference took place online on 26 June 2020. Watch the conference video here.

Women, Development and Higher Education (July 2019)

This conference on Women, Development and Higher Education, was held in partnership with Srinikarinwirot University and LSEIdeas in Bangkok. 

The conference brought together stakeholders from education, NGOs, businesses and policymakers to address the difficult questions of reaching gender parity and the role that higher education has to play in this process. 

Featuring all-female panels, the conference produced practical solutions with clear action points highlighting the different aspects of the complex and fascinating challenge of shaping higher education for the future. Through three panelled discussions, speakers suggested ways to achieve gender parity in higher education, offered different tools, technologies and techniques to enhance educational experiences for women, and proposed thoughts to extend beyond teaching.

This conference was held on 2 July 2019. View recordings of the first and third panels here.

Teaching Tech to Gen Z  (May 2019)

“Teaching Tech to Gen Z” was Prowibo’s first student-led event in collaboration with the German School London and LSEIdeas, where participants in education, tech and research examined the ways in which education needs to adapt to address the needs of Generation Z in a changing world.

The event was open to the public and presented two-panel discussions. Panel one examined the challenges and opportunities of ‘Teaching Tech’, while Panel two focused on the social and mental well-being of young adults in the digital age.

“Teaching Tech to Gen Z” took place on 18 May 2019 at the German School in London, England. View the recording.

Higher Education In the Age of Transformation (September 2018)

Prowibo hosted our first conference, Higher Education in the Age of Transformation, at the London School of Economics. 

In Partnership with the Gulf Futures Center, Higher Education in the Age of Transformation brought together key stakeholders and educators with 28 featured 8 speakers representing a variety of backgrounds and institutions, to discuss how higher education can cater to the pedagogical needs of Generation Z and prepare them to integrate the job market, either as successful employees or entrepreneurs.

This conference was held on 15 and 16 September 2018. View the conference video here.