Technology Trends and Teaching During a Pandemic

By Christina DePinto

Technology is rapidly changing. With over 90% of the world’s data generated in the last few years and more jobs created in technology and engineering every day, it’s more important than ever for educators to stay updated with new innovations and industry standards in the classroom. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to distance learning has further emphasized the need for innovative thinking and adaptable curriculum that can meet the expectations of both today and tomorrow’s workforces.

In this episode of Innovation in the Classroom, our host Dora Smith speaks with Dr. Sabine Matook, an Associate Professor of Information Systems in the UQ Business School at the University of Queensland. Dr.Matook received her doctoral degree from the Technische Universität (TU) in Dresden, Germany. She is a senior editor of the European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS) and the AIS Transactions on Replication Research (TRR) journal.

For Dr. Matook, keeping her curriculum relevant means attending industry conferences and creating lessons that apply theoretical concepts to current software programs that give students the ability to create a cumulative product that translates outside of the classroom.

When talking about her curriculum, Matook said, “I give them scenarios of real-world cases that range from creating solutions for fitness studios, how you could book your gym sessions… So, they’re getting real scenarios as they would get in the industry. And then they are asked to work through it.”

By implementing the use of the low-code platform, Mendix, Dr. Matook challenges students to use theory to solve real-world problems and innovate using technology they might use in their careers. Students not only get the ability to apply their knowledge, they also get valuable portfolio pieces. Dr. Matook has had multiple students receive job offers after talking about their experience with Mendix during interviews.

Questions I ask:

Can you tell us about your background? (00:48)
How do you stay relevant as a technology educator? (2:46)
Have you had any opportunities to attend virtual conferences in the past few months? (4:04)
Have you had to change your teaching style at all? (8:10)
Can you expand more on how you use technology in the classroom specifically as it relates to Mendix and providing scenarios for your students? (11:04)
What can we learn from how students learn differently around the world? (18:05)
What advice do you have for students? (23:36)

In this episode, you will learn:

What Sabine does at the University of Queensland (1:44)
The importance of conferences for Sabine (3:47)
How COVID-19 is affecting academics and the University of Queensland in particular (4:41)
Sabine’s teaching philosophy (11:29)
Why Sabine is a big fan of Mendix and how she uses it in teaching (14:05)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Matook has had to transition her integrated teaching methods online, but her teaching values have remained the same. Using an interactive approach to teaching, Dr. Matook gives her students an education that will last them well past the current technologies.

“When I was in the first week of my studies, years ago, the professor said, “You are here to learn for what comes after.” And that has really stuck with me that the university is a place where you learn to learn.”

Connect with Sabine

Check out the podcast to learn more about Dr. Matook and subscribe to the series below.

Innovation in the Classroom

Innovation in the Classroom by Siemens explores best practices to empower the next generation of digital talent. In this podcast series, Dora Smith takes you through discussions with leading voices from the world of engineering education who are preparing future engineers in Academia 4.0 to shape the world of innovation.