The Academic Teachers' Day! Education Day of Silesian University of Technology is behind us
On May the 12th 2026, the first Education Day of the Silesian University of Technology took place – an event devoted to modern academic didactics, cooperation between science and business and the future of engineering education. The conference brought together representatives of university authorities, academic teachers, students, industrial partners and experts dealing with education and innovation in teaching.
The attendance confirmed that there is a wide Interest in the event. At the ceremonial inauguration of the event, the hall of the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, there were present many academic teachers.
- The foundation of the Silesian University of Technology as a university is education. Scientific research is an extremely important part of the functioning of our university, and it enriches education, but it is the transfer of knowledge that is the most important. That is why today we are turning to didactics in a special way – said the Rector of the Silesian University of Technology, Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Marek Pawełczyk. He pointed out that the university can boast of an innovative approach to didactics, as evidenced by, among others, flexible approach to teaching.
- We allow the student to form his/her own path of education, choosing subjects from the university base of electives, even those that are not related to his/her field of studies. In addition, students can repeatedly participate in the implementation of scientific projects within the framework of project-oriented education, working in small groups based on interesting topics, most often obtained from industry, under the supervision of qualified staff of the Silesian University of Technology – he added. Silesian University of Technology is one of the leaders in the implementation of PBL (Project-Based Learning) projects, and educators are eager to join such initiatives.
A modern approach to education is necessary today to encourage young people to study and finally prepare them for entering the labour market. During the inaugural lecture, the Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Education, Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Anna Chrobok talked about education of “the engineers of the future.”
- All of us, educators and academic teachers want to cope with the education of young people, who at the moment require a very flexible approach. And we want to educate them so that they can find a job in this dynamically changing labour market, so that they can retrain as much as possible and increase their competences - said Prof. Chrobok. - This is the first edition of the Education Day, but I am sure we will continue this initiative. This is a great opportunity to share academic experiences and inspire each other.
The whole event was supervised by Dr in Social Sciences. Anna Waligóra, the Director of the Centre for Modern Education.
- Today we meet to debate, to reflect on modern methods of education, to learn from each other and to share good practices. We will talk about innovation in the education process, the application of artificial intelligence and how to educate the engineers of the 21st century.
The program of the event was very rich. There were workshops, debates, and demonstration lessons, for example how to conduct the Oxford debate during classes or how to use social media and new technologies in teaching.
At the centre of the program were parallel thematic sessions taking place in different spaces of the university. The panel “Good Practices in Engineering Education,” organized in the lobby of the Faculty of Mining, Safety Engineering and Industrial Automation, was very popular. The discussion was attended by representatives of all faculties of the Silesian University of Technology, presenting innovative didactic solutions, experiences related to practical teaching and developing competences of the future.
The panel was led by Dr Eng. Rafał Setlak, Vice-Dean for Student Affairs and Education at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering.
- We talked about key challenges related to didactics, including artificial intelligence. As it turns out, it is we – the lecturers – who teach the young to write the prompts, and not them who teach us. Secondly, we discussed together what the system should look like to evaluate works created using artificial intelligence and we were inspired how to conduct classes, what unobvious methods to use – said Dr Setlak. What is important, the teachers did not feel competition during the debate, they did not compare – who among them teaches better, but they inspired each other and shared their problems.
- It was an important discussion. We represented different faculties, but we agreed on one thing: AI is a very good tool, we use its capabilities, but we have to show young people that human beings are still the most important in this creative process. Consequently, we must teach young people that artificial intelligence should be skilfully used, verified, and checked. We must pass on the basis and teach critical thinking – said Dr Eng. Adam Mańka, Vice-Dean for Infrastructure and Organization of the Faculty of Transport and Aviation Engineering, who had no doubt that such events as the Education Day are very important for educators.
- We want more. There is a chance that these types of meetings will be more frequent. We are counting on it, he added.
The event became a space for the presentation of modern didactic methods. Seminars on the use of artificial intelligence in formative assessment, building student engagement and new communication formats in academic teaching were held at the Centre for Modern Education. The workshop “From Avatar to Roll: New formats of communication in academic teaching” was particularly interesting, showing how digital media and short video forms can support the teaching process.
An important point of the program were also discussions about the activities of student scientific clubs. Both students and supervisors of these organizations emphasized that involvement in research and construction projects allows to gain practical experience and develop team and organizational competences.
Participants could also get acquainted with the Erasmus+ program offer, good practices for the implementation of didactic projects and the rules for the preparation of educational projects. In the spaces of the university there were stands promoting the offer of faculties, PBL posters exhibition, a stand about the European University EURECA-PRO, as well as a zone of relaxation and music organized by the Student Self-Government. An additional attraction was the Xperium - a Mobile Laboratory of the Silesian University of Technology.
An important element of the event was also the Business and Education Forum at the Student Creativity Centre. During the panel “Science – Business – Education” representatives of public administration, industry and universities talked about the needs of the labour market and cooperation between academia and enterprises. Among the panellists were representatives of DB Cargo Polska, Intel, PREVAC, TAURON Dystrybucja and CNP-EMAG. The discussion highlighted the growing role of practical, project and dual education.
The Forum was held as part of the Silesian Voivodeship project entitled: “Building a system of coordination and monitoring of regional activities for vocational training, higher education and lifelong learning, including adult learning", implemented as part of the investment A3.1.1 of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. MORE ABOUT THE FORUM HERE
The culmination of the Education Day was the gala of the “Golden Biret 2026” competition, during which people who were particularly involved in the development of the quality of education and teaching activities were awarded. MORE ABOUT GALA HERE
The first edition of the Education Day of the Silesian University of Technology showed that modern academic education today is based not only on the transfer of knowledge, but also on cooperation, innovation and active involvement of students and the socio-economic environment. The organizers announced that the event has a chance to become a permanent element of the university’s academic calendar.
The partner of the Education Day at the Silesian University of Technology was the Katowice Special Economic Zone.
fot. Piotr Lasoń
