With the support of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Science and Technology, NTNU founded the Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Science with Pennsylvania State University in 2013. Since then, NTNU has been organizing International Workshop on Advanced Learning Sciences, IWALS with top universities in the world on a regular basis. The purpose is to provide a platform for scholars all over the world to learn and interact with each other in the field of language science, science learning and learning technology. NTNU aims to build a solid research foundation for learning science through strategic alliances with the world's top universities and to promote topics about learning science in a global scale.
The meeting this year is held by University of Jyväskylä in Finland. University of Jyväskylä has its origins in the first Finnish-speaking Teacher Training College (the so-called Teacher Seminary), founded in 1863. Around 15,000 students are currently enrolled in the degree programs of the university. It is ranked as the second largest university in Finland when measured according to the number of master's degrees conferred. The topic IWALS is the Multidisciplinary approaches for future learning and learning difficulties – Neuroscience, Practice and Technology. Nearly 200 experts from 15 countries attended this event. Dr Ovid J.L. Tzeng, Distinguished Research Fellow from the Institute of Linguistics at Academia Sinica, Dr. Juha Kere from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Prof. David Share from the University of Haifa were invited as keynote speakers.
Executive Vice President Sung Yao Ting, Dean of Education College Chen Hsueh Chih and other 6 delegates met with Prof. Marja-Leena Laakso, vice rectors of the University of Jyväskylä and Prof. Sirpa Eskelä-Haapanen, Director of the Dept. of Teacher Education for a discussion on faculty and student exchange and cross-national studies.
This year is a success in academic connection and collaboration. IWALS 2020 is scheduled to be held in Australia and we hope to learn from any kinds of studies related to learning science conducted by outstanding scholars in the world.