Creativity Matters

Over the past month, the IT Didactics Research Group has demonstrated an exceptional level of activity, impact, and visibility across all dimensions of the Quadruple Helix—academia, industry, policy makers, and society. Our team engaged in major international conferences, strategic roundtables, policy dialogues, international development projects, and research-focused seminars, while also contributing to the development of next-generation AI-supported teaching and assessment practices. Below is a consolidated overview of our key achievements.

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IT Didactics recently organized a youth-focused hackathon under the European Commission’s DigiEduHack initiative, bringing together creativity, innovation, and future-ready digital skills. The event was co-organized by Prof. Janika Leoste and Prof. Slavko Rakić from the IT Didactics Research Group at TalTech IT College, in collaboration with Ülemiste City and the International School of Tallinn. This hackathon was designed as part of the ongoing DITEC project, aiming to support upskilling of students and fostering digital competences that the future workforce will need. By engaging with the community, we are expanding the impact of our research and strengthening the bridge between schools, universities, and the labor market.

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Last week was exceptionally productive for the IT Didactics Research Group at TalTech IT College, marking new milestones in both teaching innovation and international collaboration.

On 22 October, Prof. Janika Leoste led the workshop “Practical Examples of Using ChatGPT as a Didactic Teaching Tool for Lecturers” in Estonian, followed by Prof. Slavko Rakić, who delivered the same workshop in English on 23 October. These sessions, held within the AI Championship Program, focused on how educators can effectively integrate ChatGPT and other generative AI tools into their teaching and learning practices. Participants explored how to create a “mini-you” — a personalized AI teaching assistant — and discussed ethical and pedagogical frameworks for AI integration.

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The past week has been a remarkable one for the IT Didactics Research Group at TalTech IT College, showcasing the impact and potential of our ongoing work in AI and Robotics Didactics. Through national and international presentations, the group demonstrated how creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration are shaping the future of digital education.

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The Fellowship is an international initiative designed to empower cybersecurity experts from the Global South by strengthening their practical knowledge, policy skills, and global networking opportunities. The visit to TalTech provided participants with first-hand insights into Estonia’s innovative approaches to cybersecurity and digital education.

The delegation was welcomed by the IT Didactics Research Group, led by Prof. Janika Leoste and Dr. Slavko Rakić, who introduced the group’s activities and research directions. During the session, two key announcements were made:

• The launch of the AI Championship Program at TalTech, designed to advance applied research and capacity-building in the field of AI.
• The presentation of KOHTO25, a project led by Dr. Rakić, focused on hybrid intelligent assessment methods in higher education.

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From September 10–12, 2025, our research group had the opportunity to take part in the International Conference on Social Robotics + AI (ICSR 2025), hosted in Naples, Italy. The conference theme, “Emotivation at the Core: Empowering Social Robots to Inspire and Connect,” set the stage for three days of insightful discussions, presentations, and collaborations on the future of social robotics.

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