During the month of June 2026, the Department of English and American Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy and Science, Silesian University in Opava (Czechia), welcomed several academic colleagues from Aleksandër Moisiu University in Durrës (Albania).

The mobility brought together colleagues from the Institutes of Foreign Languages, creating valuable opportunities for professional exchange and future cooperation. The visiting academics represented a wide range of expertise, including English language teaching methodology, linguistics, sociolinguistics, English literature, culture and translation studies, classroom management, technology-enhanced learning, intercultural studies, and many more.

Good practices

Throughout their stay, they engaged in inspiring discussions with colleagues from the Department of English and American Studies, namely Michaela Weiss, Diana Adamová, Barbora Hamplová, and Veronika Nogolová, who are themselves experts in these fields, sharing good practices in language teaching, curriculum development, innovative pedagogical approaches, research, and the internationalization of higher education. The exchange of perspectives fostered meaningful academic dialogue and helped identify common areas of interest for future collaboration.

The meetings resulted in several concrete outcomes. The institutions agreed to organize mutual invited lectures for students and academic staff, explore opportunities for Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) activities, and develop joint specialized projects, further strengthening cooperation within the STARS EU Alliance.

Cooperation in teaching

The Department of English and American Studies at Silesian University in Opava looks forward to continuing this successful cooperation with Aleksandër Moisiu University and implementing the initiatives discussed during the June mobility.

The visit strengthened the partnership between both institutions and laid the foundation for future cooperation in teaching, research, and academic mobility, further supporting the internationalization goals of the STARS EU Alliance.

Academic staff, researchers, doctoral, and master’s students from across Europe and beyond gathered in Besançon, France, from 15 to 19 June 2026 for the 2^nd edition of the Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) on Pedagogical Innovation, this year hosted by the Marie and Louis Pasteur University (UMLP), Faculty of Law, Political Sciences, Economics and Management (UFR SJEPG) in France.

The BIP combined an online phase, consisting of three international seminars in May and June, with a week-long in-person programme in Besançon. Participants represented STARS EU partner universities from Poland, Czechia, Spain, France, Sweden, Germany, Albania, the Netherlands, and Portugal, along with hosts from Morocco and Algeria.

Rethink learning

The in-person sessions focused on topics such as active and social learning, learning design, diversity, and anti-discrimination awareness. Particularly inspiring were workshops on Wild Pedagogies, which encouraged educators to rethink learning beyond traditional classroom settings, as well as sessions dedicated to creating more inclusive and engaging learning environments.

Considerable attention was devoted to the growing impact of artificial intelligence in higher education. Participants discussed the technical foundations of AI and its pedagogical applications, reflecting on how these technologies can support teaching, assessment, and student engagement while also raising important ethical and practical questions.

The week concluded with a session on Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), during which participants were challenged to design their own COIL and explored how virtual international collaboration can connect students and educators across borders, creating meaningful intercultural learning experiences beyond traditional mobility schemes. It also highlighted new opportunities for cooperation among STARS EU institutions and their international partners.

Profesional relationships

Beyond the academic sessions, participants enjoyed a range of networking and cultural activities, including a campus tour and a visit to the historic Citadelle of Besançon. These shared experiences provided valuable opportunities for building new professional relationships and strengthening connections among colleagues from different countries and institutions.

The BIP highlighted the importance of international collaboration in higher education, offering participants fresh perspectives, practical inspiration, and opportunities for future cooperation. Building on the success of this edition, the next Blended Intensive Programme on Pedagogical Innovation will be hosted by the Bragança Polytechnic University (IPB), Portugal, where educators from across the alliance will continue sharing innovative practices and developing new collaborative initiatives.

The international art exhibition Voices of [h] eritage, displayed in La Capilla cultural space at the University of La Laguna (Spain), and Pedagogy as Art, Art as Pedagogy, recently held at the Silesian University in Opava (Czechia), are final results of the work developed within the framework of STARS EU through its Thematic Interest Group (TIG) in Arts and Creative Industries.

These two exhibitions are joined by a previous one, presented at the Polytechnic University of Bragança. The three ones organised by this TIG are interconnected: they share the common theme of creativity and art, while each explores a different subject, as Jana Orlova, professor at SUO and member of this TIG, emphasized.

The combined intensive program (BIP) Heritage and Creativity for Inclusion aimed at teachers, researchers, and professionals in the arts, held its in-person meeting in Tenerife. Coordinated by Noemí Peña (ULL) co-leader of the Thematic Interest Group (TIG) Art and Creative Industries and Vice Dean of University of La Laguna’s Faculty of Fine Arts, it brought together participants from various countries in a hybrid work environment that combined online sessions with an intensive week of collaboration.

The meeting allowed participants to explore the potential of cultural heritage and creativity as tools for fostering inclusion, particularly regarding the exchange of methodologies, experiences, and artistic practices.

In this context, Voices [ h]eritage is presented as the culmination of this collective process: an exhibition showcasing artistic results and highlighting the research-creation processes developed during the BIP. The works exhibited at La Capilla are the direct result of the projects and working dynamics developed during the meeting in Tenerife, and reflect diverse approaches to the concept of heritage, understood not only as a living space for interpretation, dialogue, and critical intervention.

The exhibition features projects that emerged from workshops, collaborative sessions, and cultural activities held during the program, addressing issues such as memory, identity, territory, and forms of cultural transmission. Furthermore, it serves as a space where artistic practice and pedagogy converge, demonstrating how learning can unfold through shared creative processes.

From Tenerife to Opava

As a continuation of the work developed within the framework of the TIG, and developed in parallel, the experience has led to a second exhibition, Pedagogy as Art, Art as Pedagogy, recently held at the Silesian University in Opava (Czechia), as part of the STARS EU Annual Conference.

The exhibition featured works from Albania, Brazil, France, Portugal, Spain, and the Czechia. The multimedia works were presented by Uendi Çerma from Aleksandër Moisiu University in Durrës (UAMD) in Albania; Marcus Ramusyo de Almeida Brasil from the Brazilian Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Maranhão (IFMA); Dominique Soucy from Université Marie et Louis Pasteur (UMLP) in Besançon; and from the Portuguese Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB), the creative duo Carlos Casimiro Costa & Jacinta Costa, together with their colleague Tiago Fernandes. Noemí Peña Sánchez from Universidad de La Laguna (ULL) in Tenerife will also present her work.

The audiovisual pieces will be complemented by a collaborative photographic-poetic project by Jana Orlová from Silesian University in Opava (SUO) and Ana Lúcia Pinto from Instituto Politécnico de Bragança (IPB).

This exhibition presents the artistic work of teachers and researchers involved in the group, with works from different countries and institutional contexts, but this time from a perspective more focused on the relationship between pedagogy and artistic practice. Although both exhibitions are two interconnected manifestations of the same process—a pedagogical and artistic laboratory, and education in a space of critical experimentation—it is, in Voices of [h] eritage, where this process finds its first public materialization.

Scientific Area: Arts & Humanities.

EXPR: Arts, Art history.

Name of the service: Design Research and Innovation Group (GID) – ULL.

Main responsible: Alfonso Ruiz rallo, Carlos Jiménez and Bernardo Candela Álvarez, Professors of the Department of Fine Arts.

Category of the service: Research group.

Target group: Industry, public bodies.

Scientific refence:

78 publicaciones y contribuciones a congresos de los miembros del grupo de investigación, algunos relacionados con Economía Circular:

PORTAL CIENCIA

Research projects led by group members in recent years years:

1. VisUaLL | Transmission of the scientific production of the ULL linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through the design of visual communication: analysis and generation of products, processes and services in the lines of Climate Action and Underwater Life (SDG 13 and 14). (Agustín de Betancourt 2019-2023).

2. SEASTORE. Conservation and restoration of Cymodocea nodosa meadows. A key tool in the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and the mitigation, adaptation and resilience to climate change. (Marine Bio 2021-2022).

Offer description:

The group’s experience covers the following topics: Signage, Editorial Graphics, Packaging Design, Motion Graphics, Ecodesign, Design for social transformation and local development, Participatory Design, Social Innovation, Universal Design, Graphic Facilitation, Strategic Design, Design and Innovation Policies, Design for Tourism, Design Management, Design Thinking, Theory and History of Design.

Scientific Area: Arts & Humanities.

EXPR: Archaeology.

Name of the service: Rescue archaeological excavation SUO.

Main responsible: Mgr. Peter Kováčik, Ph.D.

Category of the service: Research group.

Target group: Construction companies and public organizations.

Scientific refence: The department offers professional assistance in rescue archaeological research in the event of a threat or disturbance of a site with archaeological objects, as well as in the context of various repairs and reconstructions in the Moravian-Silesian Region. At the same time, the department offers consultations and information to owners of cultural monuments, legal entities and other persons interested in cultural heritage.

Offer description:

by individual agreement.

Scientific Area: Arts & Humanities.

EXPR: History.

Name of the service: Experimental culinary culture SUO.

Main responsible: Prof. PhDr. Irena Korbelářová, Dr., dean.

Category of the service: Experimental culinary culture.

Target group: Companies and public organizations owning history.

Scientific refence: Historical experimental culinary culture refers to the exploration and innovation in cooking and food practices throughout history. It involves the examination of historical recipes, techniques, ingredients, and cultural influences to understand how people approached food in the past and how those approaches have evolved over time.

Offer description:

by individual agreement