This is a two-week extensive hands-on course in interaction design. The main goal of the course is to empower people to shape their digital environment thus providing a new level of digital literacy. The course introduces core design and interaction design topics in a provocative stance, inviting participants to reflect upon ongoing shifts, connections, and re-framings in just about every area of interaction design, and inciting a rebellion against passivity. This is complemented with the development of skills in systematic evaluation of usability and user experience of interaction designs. The expectation is to see participants take ownership of the interaction design process.

This course is a hands-on introduction to generative artificial intelligence. You will learn to use AI tools (not just ChatGPT!) to generate and manipulate text and images, and analyse textual data. These skills will be put to use right away in the form of a small guided course project, completed in teams of 1-3 participants. The project choice is entirely up to the participants; template project ideas will also be provided. The goal is to use AI to go from idea to product in four days. This outcome could be a research paper, data analytics project, blog, AI-assisted learning of a new skill, AI-driven product prototype, or anything else. Collaboration will be encouraged. Reading materials will be provided in advance. The course culminates with project presentations on the final day. The instructor will do his best to provide guidance and mentorship in the project development process. This course itself will serve as a proof of concept to demonstrate that many tasks that would otherwise have taken weeks or months can now be completed in a matter of days using the right tools.

Innovation and collaboration give power to education, they build premises for its successful present & future and impact the schools, families, communities. Day 1: We will illustrate the Estonian educational system, exploring state-level strategies and future directions. Participants will engage in group work to share their countries’ educational landscapes, discuss their motivations for joining the course, and the expected outcomes. The day concludes with a comparative analysis of educational systems, identifying key changes and trends. Day 2: Unpacking core concepts, theories and practices of pedagogy, educational innovation and change management. Day 3: Exploring digital tools such as Avastusrada, and STEAM. Day 4: We will visit an Estonian school and meet the principal or teachers there to hear firsthand insights from them. A reflection workshop will be held about the visits. Day 5: Participants design and present solutions for the specific educational challenges they would like to work on. Please note that some components of the program can be modified to ensure more relevant experience for all participants.

As Estonia is one of the Uralic nations, it is the best place to get to know Finno-Ugric cultures! A 6-lecture series on Finno-Ugric Studies provides an overview of the Finno-Ugric nations’ history, culture, and modern developments. As scientists found out, the Finno-Ugric peoples have inhabited the European continent for around ten thousand years. Mainly, they live in the territory of Estonia, Russia, Finland, and Hungary. How are these countries connected? During the lecture series, we will study how the Hungarians, Finns, Estonians, Sami, Komi, Mansi, and many other Finno-Ugric nations are related to each other, how they settled so far from each other, and what the roots of their origin are. The topics covered by the course include not only the history of the Uralic peoples but also contemporary politics, modern forms of cooperation, and cultural trends. We will have a chance to learn the basics of some Finno-Ugric languages and talk to representatives of organizations working with Finno-Ugric issues (for example, NPO Fenno-Ugria, NGO Komi Cultural Society).

It is a well-established fact that the best way to learn a foreign language is to visit a country where it is spoken. Estonia’s historical connection provides students with one of the best opportunities to learn Russian in the region. The teachers in the course are all native speakers of Russian and they all use the most up-to-date teaching materials. Furthermore, the course offers a real opportunity for genuine communication in Russian – while at the same time offering European standards of safety and service. This programme differs from other summer schools located in Russia or western countries since it offers a unique bridge to the Russian language and culture. After a short written test, students will be divided into groups based on their initial proficiency in the Russian language. The number of groups depends on the number of participants, usually, there are 3-4 groups. Please note that participants in one group might have slightly different levels, more advanced students can ask for additional tasks.

This is a 5-day practical course on crossmedia storytelling in marketing with the primary goal of equipping marketing enthusiasts or specialists working in SMEs with the knowledge of storytelling aspects of marketing and teaching them how to create multi-platform marketing projects.