Asta Daunorienė, Head of the EDU_Lab Centre of Excellence in Learning and Teaching, works based on systems thinking which helps Asta understand how the system works, what its elements are and how they are related as well as apply it in initiating, coordinating and promoting didactic competence development activities for teachers based on institutional and individual needs. Asta has been actively involved in expert activities at national and international levels for more than 10 years. In addition, she initiates and implements various study and research projects. Her experience allows her to share practical and applicable solutions in the study process. Asta also represents the University in various networks and organisations, ECIU, Nodrtek, NMSM, NŠA, etc.

Jurgita loves “uncharted lands” and dives into discoveries wholeheartedly. She is open to innovation and not afraid to make mistakes, as she sees mistakes as one of the main drivers of learning. When providing training, Jurgita invites you to experience the joy of learning, be present here and now with eyes wide open and try things that seem to be not for you at first glance. Jurgita has been teaching for 17 years and joined the EDU_Lab team 8 years ago. She provides training in didactic competence development, design thinking, challenge-based learning and curriculum design for the University community and beyond. Jurgita also consults educators, business representatives on various issues related to teaching/learning activities, development of staff competencies and facilitates strategic sessions.

Vaida cannot imagine life without her morning espresso, and she enjoys detective stories which she brings into the study process by solving sustainable fashion tasks with her students and creating crossword puzzles and escape rooms for students. She has 17 years of teaching experience and 4 years of experience as part of the EDU_Lab expert team. Vaida provides training on teamwork and telework to KTU community and external partners.

For Raimunda, education is first and foremost a relationship in which each participant has space for growth and development. The desire to learn something new and make a difference in her environment led Raimunda to the EDU_Lab team, where she has been working for 8 years. In delivering basic didactic competencies, challenge-based learning and metacognitive training, she is most inspired by the participants’ experience, engagement and the need to find ways of teaching and learning that work. Raimunda also conducts workshops on the development of assessment systems for the teachers of KTU and other higher education institutions, inviting them to look at the assessment process from a different angle.  Although Raimunda has been working as an educator for more than 20 years at various levels of the educational system, she never gets bored of these activities, because every training or seminar is a new and enriching experience, another meeting with interesting people and an opportunity for growth.

Only rarely does Akvilė go to bed without knitting a single line while watching a TV series. She also unleashes her creativity by making handmade Christmas tree decorations. She likes to apply various lessons learned in the EDU_Lab training (e.g., using Socrative.com, group work exercises, etc.) to the study process. She has been working with students for 18 years and joined the EDU Lab team 3 years ago. She delivers training on creativity and empowerment of metacognitive skills to KTU community and external partners.

Audra’s motto in life is to think, act and be positive. Therefore, it is important for her to create a positive atmosphere in the classroom so that students can fully express their abilities and creative potential. Audra has been teaching at the University for more than 25 years and has been involved in the EDU_Lab since its establishment. Together with the EDU_Lab colleagues, she has developed and delivered training on didactic competence development, problem-based and project-based teaching/learning, empowering students to learn using metacognitive skills.

Neringa is interested in intelligence, both natural and artificial, loves science fiction and tries to make her favourite music playlist as diverse as possible. She also enjoys variety when giving lectures to students, encouraging them to look at problems from all angles, consider as many circumstances as possible, and not be afraid to make mistakes. This is supported by problem-based learning which Neringa teaches at the EDU_Lab. She also teaches creativity, STEM applications and didactics. Neringa has been working with students in the classroom for 7 years and has been a member of the EDU_Lab expert team for 5 years.

Darius enjoys basketball and fishing – hobbies that require creativity and quick response to changing conditions. Darius applies these aspects in the modules he teaches to the ever-changing engineering problems and related challenges in the industry. Darius has 9 years of teaching experience in engineering studies and has been part of the EDU_Lab team for 5 years delivering Design Thinking and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) training.

Vitalija’s motto is “Notice the good and beauty in everyday life” and she cannot imagine her life without the sea, the forest and birds, she values good relationships with people and friendly environment. She has been interested in teaching since she was a child, but after school, she chose to study information technology. All her work and further studies are related to technology and education fields. In the EDU_Lab team of experts, she provides training in STEM didactics with other colleagues.

Miglė starts every day at the gym and ends it with a cup of tea and a book. Miglė knows only one direction of travel – to the forest and only one form of leisure time – hiking. She dreams of having a reading room and a piano at home, and her sofa is always lonely.
Miglė has been working as a teacher for 12 years and has been part of the EDU_Lab team for 3 years, she teaches teamwork and creativity training to KTU community and external partners.

Ramūnas cannot imagine life without logic, order and responsibility. In his view, every activity must be conditioned by a clear purpose and result, every goal must be conditioned by clear reasons and reasonable consequences, and every job must be carried out in a thorough, orderly and responsible manner. Ramūnas implements this approach in the study process while shaping learning objectives and outcomes, designing and implementing the learning process. He has approximately 20 years of teaching experience, has organised and participated in various training sessions, and has been a member of the EDU_Lab team since its formation in 2014. Ramūnas has been delivering training to KTU community on the implementation of virtual learning.

Vilmantė is a Human Resource Management professor, whose research and teaching are related to internationalism, which is probably why she loves travelling and learning the secrets of different countries. Her curiosity drives her to understand cultures and continuously explore new study methods and the application of technologies in the study process. Vilmantė has been playing music since childhood and currently spends her free time playing the mandolin in an ensemble, thus constantly improving her teamwork skills. She uses all this in her pedagogical and research activities and while providing EDU_Lab training on case studies, teamwork and the use of distance teaching/learning: didactic principles and innovative study methods.

Vida is willing to experiment in the kitchen, in the laboratory and in the classroom. Understanding that the form matters as much as the content, she constantly tries to apply pedagogical innovations to chemistry teaching so that students can enjoy the process as much as the result. She has 12 years of teaching experience and 2 years of experience in the EDU_Lab expert team. Vida delivers training on STEM teaching and assessment to KTU community and external partners.

Marija has always thought that people are one of the most interesting phenomena in life. She has a great interest in psychology, body language, the power of words, facial expressions and other ways of understanding the human condition. This also makes the study process much easier: the ability to “feel” the audience helps much better convey the content of the course. For Marija, the most interesting part of the teaching process is to see from the outside HOW the learning works, and what methods could achieve the best results.
Marija has 10 years of experience in English language teaching and has been part of the EDU_Lab team since its early days.

The recent research focus of Aleksandras, his study modules, and partially his hobby, is virtual and distance learning. Aleksandras became interested in distance learning back in 1994, he implemented several projects and created the Lithuanian distance learning network LieDM. Since 2003, he has been teaching remotely and in 2013, he was the first person in Lithuania to try hybrid learning. “The first year was really hard, I even thought about ending the experiment, but the enthusiastic feedback from students made me change my mind. Now it would be difficult to get me to give up this way of learning”, – says the professor.
Aleksandras is interested in science fiction and reads a lot. His hobby, he says, is holidays, because at least there is nothing to distract him from preparing for the new academic year during the holidays.
Over 50 years of Aleksandras’ teaching experience is useful at the EDU_Lab, where he has been involved since its establishment. He gives training on virtual and distance learning, its methods and technologies.

Teaching is Jovita’s passion and a vocation, and for her teaching is a constant search for new knowledge, forms and activities. Jovita has been working at the University for 19 years and joined the EDU_Lab team 4 years ago, offering a new training course “Academic Public Speaking” to KTU community. In recent years, Jovita has been studying aspects of public speaking remotely responding to environmental challenges.

Jurga never lets go of her pencil, as she is always ready to explain her thoughts with a sketch or a drawing, often incorporating unexpected natural motifs. Jurga’s favourite area of research and studies is landscape ecology and a holistic approach to shaping our environment which is also reflected in the challenge-based and design thinking methodologies she applies in the study process. She has 20 years of teaching experience and has been part of the EDU_Lab team of experts for 6 years. Jurga provides training for KTU community and external partners on teamwork activation, challenge-based learning and design thinking.

Vilma was a third-grader when she first entered the first-year classroom as a substitute teacher. Since then, she seems to have been in non-formal education ever since: teaching, helping people of all ages and backgrounds to develop their skills. Areas of training: computer and information literacy, educational technologies, e-learning, distance learning methodology, virtual learning environments. For the last 25 years, the focus has been on adult education.

Technology has become an integral part of life for the learner, who can no longer imagine the teaching and learning process without technology. Gytis has been working at the University for 23 years and is currently the Head of the E-Learning Technology Centre. Gytis provides digital technology training for teachers.