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Previous Events
Earlier CAT events
ECIS 2023
12 june 2023
Läs mer
Workshop on ECIS2023
A highly interesting workshop on activity theory at the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2023) conference in June in Kristiansand, Norway. The registration is still open for a few days. Please take a look.
Welcome to the 8th Reading Seminar on Key Concepts from Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
Date: 19th April
Time: 15:00-17:00 (time in Sweden)
Key concept: Historicity
This reading seminar focuses of historicity.
The first article by Engstrom identifies theoretical principles in CHAT where history and historicity are emphasized.
The second article by Lémonie, Grosstephan and Tomás show in what way history becomes incorporated in the analytical work to understand socially pressing issues.
During the seminar we want to discuss how to actively address historicity and we also would like to discuss the difference between addressing history compared to historicity in CHAT driven research.
Readings:
Yrjö Engeström (2001) Expansive Learning at Work: Toward an activity theoretical reconceptualization, Journal of Education and Work, 14:1, 133-156, DOI: 10.1080/13639080020028747
Lémonie Yannick, Grosstephan Vincent, Tomás Jean-Luc (2021) From a Sociological Given Context to Changing Practice: Transforming Problematic Power Relations in Educational Organizations to Overcome Social Inequalities, Frontiers in Psychology vol. 11
If you like to participate, please register and contribute with your questions by the 17th April at this registration link: Email adress and Qs.docx
The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting.
Looking forward to learning together!
Online CL event 8
11 april 15.00-17.00
Contact person: maria.spante@hv.se
Activity Theory publication seminar
Colleagial writing seminar
22 feb 10.00-11.30
12 apr 13.00-14.30
7 jun 10.00-11.30
Summer School "Activity Theory in Practice"
The much awaited Summer School "Activity Theory in Practice" organized by University West in Sweden will take place also this year as an online series of lectures, seminars and meetings starting on Week 23 (June 6) and ending on Week 34 (August 25).
Deadline for applying is the 29th of May 2023:
https://www.hv.se/en/education/third-cycle/activity-theory-in-practice-part-time-distance-atpf010/#register
Online reading seminars
Annalisa Sannino and Helena Wallström are initiating series of online reading seminars on foundational concepts in cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) beginning in the academic year 2022-2023.
Welcome to the 7th Reading Seminar on Key Concepts from Cultural-Historical Activity Theory
Date: 23 March
Time: 13:00-15:00 (time in Cape Town)
The germ cell- from Hegel, through Marx, to current work.
Readings (attached):
Blunden, A. (2021). The Unit of Analysis and Germ Cell in Hegel, Marx and Vygotsky. In Hegel, Marx and Vygotsky (pp. 34-60). Brill.
Hedegaard, M. (2020). Ascending from the Abstract to the Concrete in School Teaching-the double Move between Theoretical Concepts and Children's Concepts. Psychological Science & Education, 25(5).
If you like to participate, please register and contribute with 1-2 questions on the article by the 20th March at this registration link:
https://forms.office.com/e/TCJEF2y0tY
The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting.
Change laboratory for educational development and social transformation. Presentations and discussions on strengts and challanges
27-28 March 2023
TRIP
We are pleased to announce that Professor Jesica de la Torre from ITESO, Mexico, will be kicking off our TRIPP seminar series for 2023 with a presentation of her impressive research project on collective learning. We strongly encourage you and your postgraduate students to join us in engaging with Prof De la Torre in her presentation of this amazing project which is rich with extremely well-conceived and executed research processes, from the conceptualisation, data collection and ethics of the project, to the analyses and representations of data. We are confident that the project's diverse elements of collective agency, university-community relationships, environmental issues, expansive learning, and so forth, will inspire the transformative researcher in you.
Please see the details of this hybrid event in the poster below, with links to the Zoom meeting following:
Topic: TRIP Zoom Meeting
Time: Feb 21, 2023 02:00 PM Johannesburg
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85672468704?pwd=R2xNNG1aS3ArdnVuRlBrOGMzb1Zkdz09
Meeting ID: 856 7246 8704
Passcode: 804765
RESET/CRADLE Online Seminar Series for this academic year.
February 8 (Wednesday), 20:00-22:30 (Beijing) / 15:00-17:30 (Tampere/Helsinki)
Topic: “Redesigning teacher education: A Change Laboratory at Capital Normal University, Beijing”
Speaker:
Ge Wei, PhD, Associate Professor, Director of Research Center for Children and Teacher Education, College of Elementary Education, Capital Normal University, Beijing
REGISTER HERE FOR THIS FEB 8 SEMINAR!
Brochure of the event | Abstract
Welcome to RESET/CRADLE Online Seminar 2022
The theme is “Beyond vulnerabilities with activity theoretical research”.
Additional information and link for registration
Reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023
Welcome to the 5th reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Key Concepts in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). This time we will discuss about Transformative agency (and the role of the researcher). We will meet online the 18th of January 14:00 to 16:00 pm Chilean Time - 19:00 to 21:00 Finnish time
Together we will discuss on the articles:
1. Hopwood, N. (2022). Agency in cultural-historical activity theory: strengthening commitment to social transformation. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 29(2), 108-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2022.2092151
2. Sannino, A. (2015). The principle of double stimulation: A path to volitional action. Learning, culture and social interaction, 6, 1-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2015.01.001
If you would like to participate, please register in the form in the following link by the 14th of January, 2023:
https://forms.gle/b3rjUXW1waGbtDT4A
Looking forward to meeting with you all!
Best regards and Happy New Year 2023!!
Viviana Hojman and Pilar Valenzuela
Universidad del Desarrollo
Chile
Welcome to the fourth reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Key Concepts in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT).
We will meet online the 16th of December from 9:00 to 11:30 am Brazil time. This corresponds to 14:00 to 16:30 Finnish time, or 13:00 to 15:30 Central European time (CET).
Together we will discuss and work on the article:
Engeström, Y & Sannino, A. (2011) Discursive manifestations of contradictions in organizational change efforts. Journal Of Organizational Change Management. 24(3), 368-387.
If you would like to participate, please register, and answer a question in the form in the following link prior to 9 of December: Link to registration here!
2022-12-07 - 2022-12-09 WIL CONference
We invite scholars with genuine interdisciplinary perspectives as well as practitioners, collaboration partners and actors with cross-sector ambitions to take on challenges and opportunities to co-create a more sustainable world. For more information read here!
2022-12-01 ONLINE CL EVENT 7
An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site. Please contact Maria Spante if you would like to join.
2022-11-24 - 2022-11-25 Annual finnish Educational research association (FERA) Conference
The call for the annual meeting of the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Special Interest Group at the FERA conference (Kasvatustieteenpäivät) is now open. The conference will take place in hybrid format this year 24- 25 november, organized by the University of Oulu. If you are conducting research applyingor in dialogue with CHAT, this is an opportunity to get to know CHAT colleagues from Finland and abroad to share ideas and engage in discussions. The DL for abstracts (max. 2000 characters) is 3.10 and notification of acceptance will be sent by 18.10 at the latest. More details on the SIG and the annual FERA conference in the links below. The thematic group will be organised in hybrid form to facilitate online and in-person participation.
Links:
SIG short description
Conference website in both Finnish and English
Instructions to submit an abstract*
Conference registration and fees
* When submitting an abstract, please make sure to indicate in the appropriate section of the form that you are submitting to the SIG 14 "Learning and agency for equity and sustainability: Dialogue with activity theory"
2022-11-23 FERA CHAT SIG Pre-Seminar: "Fostering development and transformation in and beyond the academia with cultural-historical activity theory
You are warmly welcome to the Finnish Educational Research Association's CHAT SIG pre-conference seminar "Fostering development and transformation in and beyond the academia with cultural-historical activity theory”.
The pre-seminar will be held on Wednesday 23rd of November between 12:15 - 15:45 o’clock (Eastern European Standard Time, GMT+2).
The seminar is free of charge and participation online is possible. Please find the program for the seminar and the necessary zoom connection information below.
12:15 Opening words and welcome, Professor Annalisa Sannino, Tampere University
12:20 Keynote: "Change Laboratories in Higher Education", Professor James Garraway, Professional Education Research Institute, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
13:00 Commentary by Vesa Korhonen, Docent and Senior University Lecturer, Tampere University
13:10 Discussion with participants
13:45 Break
14:00 Participant presentation and panel discussion: "CHAT in Academia"
(Chair, Postdoctoral Researcher Liubov Vetoshkina, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies)
* presentation by PhD Researcher Guillaume Isaac, Université Côte d’Azur:
"Conflicts of motives and contradictions in co-creative real-world problem-solving activities in higher education"
* presentation by Professor Annalisa Sannino, Tampere University:
"Cultural-historical activity theory and dialectics for a transformative agency agenda in higher education: The example of a formative intervention on academic dishonesty"
14:45 Discussion on presentations with panelists Professor James Garraway, Professor Yrjö Engeström, the presenters and the participants
(Chair, PhD, University Lecturer Jaakko Hilppö, University of Helsinki)
15:45 Closing remarks
2022-11-08-09 CHAT seminars and round table discussions
Our invited scholar Dr. Brett Bligh is a Lecturer in the Department of Educational Research, Lancaster University, and co-Director of the Centre for Technology Enhanced Learning. His research interrogates the nexus of technology mediation, physical environment, and institutional change in higher education. Brett’s work prioritises Activity Theory conceptions of human practice, and interventionist methodologies.
Most welcome to University Weas and join the CHAT seminars and round table diskussions on campus live.
For more information please contact maria.spante@hv.se
2022-11-08 CHAT reading seminar
Welcome to the third CHAT reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Artifacts and Instrumentality. The online meeting is scheduled on the 8th of November from 6:30 to 9:30 PM (Paris, France).
Together we will discuss the following texts :
Rabardel, P. & Samurçay, R. (2001). From artifact to instrument-mediated learning. Paper presented at the international symposium ’New Challenges to Research on Learning', Helsinki, 21-23 March 2001 (can be found here).
Ritella, G., & Hakkarainen, K. (2012). Instrumental genesis in technology-mediated learning: From double stimulation to expansive knowledge practices. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 7(2), 239-258. doi:10.1007/s11412-012-9144-1 (can be found here).
If you would like to participate, please register and contribute with 1-2 questions on the texts before November 6 by using the following link!
The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting.
2022-10-03 - 2022-10-07
LINA WEEK at university west read more here
LINA week!
More information can be found here
2022-09-22 Reading seminar on key concepts in cultural-historical activity theory
Welcome to the first reading seminar of the academic year 2022-2023 on Key Concepts in Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). We will meet online the 22nd of September at 1- 4 PM Swedish time.
Together we discuss the following article: Engeström, Y & Sannino, A. (2020). From mediated actions to heterogenous coalitions: Four generations of activity-theoretical studies of work and learning. Mind, Culture, and Activity. 28(1), 4-23.
If you like to participate, please register and contribute with 1-2 questions on the article before the 15th of September at the following link: Link to registration
The Zoom-link for the meeting will be sent out to the registered participants’ email addresses the day before the meeting.
2022-09-14 ONLINE CL EVENT 6
An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site. Please contact Maria Spante if you would like to join.
2022-09-12 Research seminar on AT in scientific work.
Invited scholars on campus at University West Trollhättan. The seminar is in English.
Time 12-14. For more information please contact Maria Spante.
2022-09-07 - 2022-09-09
OLkC 2022 conference organized By UNIversity West, Sweden
Call for papers! Deadline to submit extended abstract April 10.
More information can be found here
2022-06-13--16
Nordic-Baltic ISCAR 2022 conference organized in Helsinki
Call for abstracts:https://www2.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/nordic-baltic-iscar-2022
2022-06-02 Implementing and Developing Change Laboratories: Lessons from Africa
An international online event on Implementing and Developing Change Laboratories: Lessons from Africa on June 2 (12:00-16:00) and June 3 (9:00-12:00) – local time in Cape Town, South Africa. The event aims at gaining an overview of research conducted in the African continent using the Change Laboratory in different settings. The event serves the purpose of identifying and sharing insights and perspectives which can inform Change Laboratory research globally.
The program and invitation attached. The event is free of charge but requires a registration by the 30thof March through this link: https://forms.office.com/r/Pe2FCmz8zt The participants registered to the event will receive selected publications to read beforehand and a personal link to access the event.
2022-05-16 Seminar and Panel Discussion on Practice Theories
May 16th, 16.00-18.00 (local time in Sweden)
According to Nicolini (2012) "practice theories constitute a rather broad family of theoretical approaches connected by a web of historical and conceptual similarities". There are, however, also decisive differences between them. This seminar and panel discussion aims to make visible and understandable a) what is significant and specific to each of these three examples of practice theories, and b) how the theories converge and diverge.
The event are open to all interested colleagues and students via the following link: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/520814434
2022-05-12 The Transformative Research in Practice (TRiP)
The Transformative Research in Practice (TRiP) Research Collective invites researchers who are interested in exploring a range of Transformative Research methodologies together. We plan to hold monthly reading seminars, in which we discover, investigate, develop and experiment with arts-based, and transformative research practices, such as the expansive learning framework from cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT). Details will be shared at the launch on Thursday.
2022-05-11 Lecture and Discussion on "Activity Theory, Formative Interventions and the Change Laboratory"
May 11, 2022 16:00-18:00 (local time in Sweden)
Visiting Professor Annalisa will talk about activity theory, formative interventions and the Change Laboratory also in comparison with other (related) intervention approaches, such as action research. The seminar is given in collaboration with the Board of Educational Leadership.
The event are open to all interested colleagues and students via the following link: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/520814434
2022-05-06 DEVELOPING EDUCATION AND THE PREREQUISITES FOR LEARNING WITH
CHAT, CHANGE LABORATORY AND ART.
The seminar is about developing education and the prerequisites for learning with
CHAT, Change Laboratory and art.
Our invited guests Anne Bationo-Tillon and Yannick Lemoine work with cultural-historical activity theory and welcome dialogue around this theory and related methodology. Round table discussion will only be held at University West in Trollhättan, Sweden.
10.15-11.00 Webinar https://hv-se.zoom.us/my/lina.webinar
11.15-12.00 Round table discussion at campus in J111 not at Zoom.
No registration - For more information please contact maria.spante@hv.se
2022-05-05 Work against unequal access to educational success
The seminar focus on how to work against unequal access to educational success
Our invited guests Anne Bationo-Tillon and Yannick Lemoine work with cultural-historical activity theory and welcome dialogue around this theory and related methodology. Round table discussion will only be held at University West in Trollhättan, Sweden
13.15-14.00 Webinar https://hv-se.zoom.us/my/lina.webinar
14.15-15.00 Round table discussion at campus in J113 not at Zoom.
No registration - For more information please contact maria.spante@hv.se
2022-03-31 Developing organizations with cultural-historical activity theory, and vice-versa
Seminar with Dr Jaakko Hilppö from the University of Helsinki.
Summary for the seminar:
"In this talk, I will present three lines of ongoing investigation opened by me and my colleagues to develop organizations and practices with the help of cultural-historical activity theory. Throughout my talk, I will also discuss how each line of investigation contributes to the ongoing development of cultural-historical activity theory."
2022-02-28 Online cl event 5
An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.
2021-11-30 Online cl event 4
An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.
2021-11-26 fera chat sig
Presentation of collective paper by an international groupe of resarchers about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.
2021-11-25 fera chat sig
Presentation of collective paper by an international groupe of resarchers about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.
2021-09-30 collaborative Writing on zoom and google docs
International groupe of resarchers meet online and write about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.
2021-09-28 collaborative Writing on zoom and google docs
International groupe of resarchers meet online and write about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.
2021-09-27 collaborative Writing on zoom and google docs
International groupe of resarchers meet online and write about lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transrformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather then at site.
2021-09-09 Online cl event 3
An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.
2021-10-06 webinar with Professor Clay Spinuzzi from the University of Texas, at Austin, USA with the title A typology of different work configurations.
Topic:
What do teams try to accomplish at work? The question seems simple—until you actually observe people working. Then it becomes obvious that teams can (and usually do) try to accomplish many things simultaneously, including internal cohesion and dynamics, regularly produced outcomes with tight tolerances, arms’-length transactions, and creative problem-solving. That is to say, they often have multiple objects, and these imply different activities and thus different configurations for work.
Here, we will discuss a typology for understanding such objects, the work configurations that they necessitate, and the tensions across these work configurations. We will examine changes in labor over the past 50 years that have led to current work configurations and we will look at cases that illustrate them. Finally, we will discuss ways to intervene at the level of activity, addressing organization-level disruptions.
2021-05-04 Online cl event 2
An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.
2021-03-09 Online cl event 1
An international group of researchers meet online and discuss lessons learnt during ongoing adaptations and transformations when running change laboratories and learning labs online rather than at site.
Her research is in demand by the British Parliament
Nóra Kerekes from University West has just returned from London and the British Parliament. There, she had the opportunity to discuss her research on yoga and its positive impact on incarcerated individuals with members of the House of Lords as part of an international ...
New slideshow in Padlet!
Padlet is not just a collaboration tool but also serves excellently as a presentation tool!
Fall cleaning in Canvas, hide old courses
With favorite marking, you can decide which courses are displayed on the Dashboard.
Hidden grading becomes the default
One of the updates for the autumn Canvas courses is that hidden grading will become the default for assignment submissions. Teaching staff have long desired for the grading of assignment submissions to be automatically hidden, and now the change is here!
300 international students
Programmes and courses designed with industry in mind, attracts students from all over the world to Trollhättan, Sweden.
Modified course menu in Canvas
The survey Student barometer, showed that courses in Canvas are perceived as difficult to navigate. As part of the effort to make it easier for students, the course menu will be modified. This will be available in the autumn Canvas courses.
Successful pilots for digital in-hall exams!
In June, the first exam pilots took place in the Digital Examination project. A total of 97 aspiring students from 5 courses participated in the new B104 hall. The students took their exams using the new examination system, Inspera.
The art of avoiding cracks when welding alloys
When welding different alloys together, there is a risk that cracks and other defects will form. Mikael Johansson is an industrial doctoral student at Alleima, and is currently developing new knowledge to enable alloys to be designed with the right welding properties. “...
Annalisa Sannino hopes that Work Integrated Learning can lead to a better world
Annalisa Sannino is a Professor at the Faculty of Education and Culture at Tampere University. She is also a Professor in Work Integrated Learning at University West. Her research focuses on collective learning and transformative agency formation processes in educationa...
University West becomes European University
The application by the STARS EU Alliance to become a European University has been approved by the European Union. The decision was made by the European Commission on Monday, July 3. The total funding for the Alliance amounts to 12,4 Million Euros.
Graduation Ceremony
In June, celebrations were held at University West. All the students who finished their studies were congratulated and celebrated in a two day Graduation Ceremony.
Podcasts for lazy summer days
Time to go on vacation? Take the opportunity to enjoy in the hammock with entertaining and educational listening.
Updated Canvas guides in English
A lot has happened in Canvas since it was first introduced at Högskolan Väst in 2018. Therefore, we are now releasing a new version of the Canvas course about Canvas. Since the course is often used as an encyclopedia, the name has been changed to Canvas Guider. The cour...
Newsletter to students
During the term, we send out newsletters to you who are a student at University West, with the latest information, support and tips for your studies etc.
Visit from Portugal strengthened collaboration
Five deans from our strategic partner in Portugal, Institute Polytechnic of Braganca (IPB) recently visited University West. The visit was conducted as a part of the development of the STARS European University alliance but also not least our joint bilateral collaborati...