Learning Beyond Borders – From the Open University to Crete, Greece

Two PhD students from the Open University of Israel’s program "Education: Technologies in Learning Systems" – Keren Galloway and Eran Livny – recently took part in the 19th edition of the European Association of Technology-Enhanced Learning Summer School (JTELSS), hosted by @EATEL.

Held over a full week in beautiful Crete, Greece, the summer school brought together around 110 doctoral students, postdocs, and senior researchers from across Europe. The intensive program featured lectures by leading scholars in learning technologies, hands-on workshops, mentoring sessions, and social activities designed to foster collaboration and international networking.

As Keren and Eran shared: "We discovered that sometimes the most meaningful learning happens outside the classroom – at a taverna on a mountainside, among ancient ruins and breathtaking views, or in a spontaneous conversation by the sea… We’re bringing a rich toolkit back into our doctoral work."

Their participation was made possible thanks to the support of the Office of Internationalization in the Research Authority, in collaboration with the Center for Innovation in Learning Technologies from the Department of Education and Psychology – reflecting the university’s commitment to promoting international experience and global skills among its research students.