First speaker
Finn Thorbjørn Hansen

Title
Learning and responsible innovation through deep wonder

Abstract
The Dutch and British philosophers of education, Gerd Biesta and Ronald Barnett, both talk about three important dimensions in education and higher education: 1) Qualification/ the Voice of Knowledge, 2) Socialization/the Voice of Skills, and 3) Subjectification/the Voice of Being. Lately, they have opened for a fourth dimension: a dimension of responsibility towards the world we live in. Based on ethical phenomenology and the phenomenology of wonder, I want to qualify this fourth dimension, which I call Emanation/the Voice of the Mystery. Through wonder-based dialogues and 'Wonder Labs' I have created a learning and innovation space in higher education.

About the speaker 
Finn Thorbjørn Hansen, PhD in Philosophy of Education, is a Full Professor in Dialogical and Philosophical Practice at the Centre for Dialogue and Organization, Department of Communication, Aalborg University, and Visiting Professor at Agder University in Norway. He has written several books on the phenomenology of wonder and on how to facilitate ‘Communities of Wonder’ in higher education.

Second speaker
Rikke Toft Nørgård

Title
Potentials of playful higher education: Poetic imaginations, ethical innovations, playful transformations

Abstract
The play philosopher Miguel Sicart, the philosopher of technology Peter-Paul Verbeek, the philosopher of design Anthony Dunne and the philosopher of higher education Jon Nixon have a shared concern for the ethical dimension and implications of their respective subjects: play, technology and higher education. Connecting the fields of play, technology, design, imagination and higher education, I want to point towards alternative futures in higher education. Based on this framework as well as student evaluations of ‘playful higher education’ I argue for the inclusion of higher education imaginations, fantasies and dreams in educational development, higher education design, academic development and teacher practice. The talk point towards the ongoing projects ‘IGNITE: Making and Design Thinking in the Arts and Sciences’ and ‘AiR: Academics in Residence’ as two examples of the framework in action.

About the speaker
Rikke Toft Nørgård, PhD in Information- and Media Studies, is Associate Professor in Educational Design & Technology at the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media, Aarhus University. She has several ongoing projects on the development of future higher education. Recent research publications include “The Worldhood University: Design signatures and guild thinking”, “Playful Learning in Higher Education: Developing a signature pedagogy” and “Teaching-based research collectives: from teaching students to academic partnerships”.