One hundred participating co-creation colleagues came together at the Van der Valk Hotel Veenendaal on Tuesday 25 March for a diverse programme of meetings and discoveries. Collaboration partners did not only get to catch up on their own co-creation projects, but they also got the unique opportunity to get to know other co-creation teams in person. Curious to see how that went? Watch the aftermovie here:
Cross-pollination NOLAI community at first Meet-up
Working in the triangle of education, science and business is one of NOLAI’s most important principles. During our very first Meet-up, the co-creation partners from these three fields got to know each other better and exchanged valuable experiences.
Entrepreneurial NOLAI
The afternoon focused on the companies within the co-creation projects. NOLAI colleagues Martijn Luiks and Inge Volman let the participants get to know each other in an interactive manner through an exploratory networking activity. “All companies from the co-creation projects were invited to this afternoon programme. Partners from our company development programme were also present,” says Martijn Luijks, quartermaster at NOLAI.
After the plenary session, the group split up to participate in two workshops: ‘Cyclical product development’ and ‘Sales strategy and marketing’. “These informative sessions were led by two experienced entrepreneurs at EdTech Station, who have a lot of knowledge about start-ups and scale-ups in Flanders. It was an excellent opportunity for the companies to gain practical knowledge from fellow entrepreneurs during these workshops.”
“Challenged to really think about the impact of your product”
And that provided valuable insights, says NOLAI researcher Karcie Snoeijen: “In the ‘Cyclical product development’ workshop, you were challenged to really think about the impact of your product, so that you don’t only focus on the bare minimum required to offer a well-functioning product. It requires you to reflect regularly, so that you can evaluate in good time whether you are on the right track.”
A wealth of experience
In the evening, the partners from education and science also joined the programme, and it became clear how diverse and rich the various co-creation teams are. The participants took their knowledge and experiences with them into four workshops.
Biases in algorithms
In this workshop, teacher in residence Kilian Geryszweski explains that everyone has prejudices, and algorithms are no exception: “There was a lot of interest in this topic, which is great. We considered the biases that exist in the various co-creation projects. The great thing about this meeting is that you get to discuss the different perspectives from education, science and business. We got to hear everyone’s voice and that gives us food for thought as we move on to the next step.”
Tarot cards: discussing ethical dilemmas
The co-creation partners received a lot of valuable feedback with the help of The tarot cards of tech. Teacher in residence Lilian Vrolijk chaired the session: “The participants heard from each other what was going on in the various teams, and took the experiences and tips back to their own co-creation projects. The tarot cards gave you a specific role, enabling you to quickly take a position on the cases presented, and that proved to be a very pleasant way of working.”
Design-Based Research: methodology for co-creation
How do you conduct research for NOLAI? And how do you deal with the scientific side of the co-creation project? “These are abstract questions, and in this workshop, people got to the heart of the matter in no time. That was really great to see,” says teacher in residence Laurens Runderkamp. “You could see a lot of recognition among the project participants when they shared the key principles underlying different research methods.”
Groow Toolkit, create your step-by-step action plan
Congratulations, the steering committee has approved the grant for your co-creation project! But how do you create that ‘roadmap to success’? NOLAI’s co-creation manager Ramon Moorlag explains: “During our workshop, we used the Groow Toolkit to develop a project proposal into an activity plan. The challenge is to work this out in detail.” It was a useful and interactive meeting that made time fly by. “It was great to see how enthusiastic the participants were, and we had to actively cut the session short,” laughs Ramon.
In the final activity, participants discussed ten different questions about NOLAI, AI in education and co-creation in short one-on-one conversations: an accessible way of exchanging knowledge. Co-creation director Kim Brandes looks back with satisfaction: “Our NOLAI community has a national task: to develop AI prototypes for and with the education sector. During this Meet-up, our community come together for the first time. It was wonderful that the members from the triangle of education, science and business immediately started talking with one another. It provided a nice cross-pollination. This was the first Meet-up and it certainly won’t be the last.”
Contact information
- Organizational unit
- National Education Lab AI (NOLAI)
- Theme
- Artificial intelligence (AI), Education