Newsletter of the Third LTT (Learning Teaching and Training Activity) in Reutlingen, Germany
Figure 1: Consortium members of the Fashion DIET project in front of the “Texoversum”
From 21 to 23 March 2023, the third and last “Learning Teaching and Training” (LTT) event took place as part of the Fashion DIET project at the TEXOVERSUM Faculty at Reutlingen University. This last LTT could be held in a hybrid format, which was a nice development compared to the two previous ones, which could only take place online due to COVID-19. While the consortium members met in person on site during all three days, the second day managed to significantly expand the number of participants by including a considerable number of online participants, which led to an extremely fruitful exchange.
The audience in this context was not only composed of the members of the consortium, but also of a variety of other participants and stakeholders. These included professors and staff from the Texoversum Faculty at Reutlingen University, the University of Education Freiburg, the Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi in Romania and the Trakia University of Stara Zagora in Bulgaria. Also represented were researchers, students and doctoral candidates from the participating partner institutions.
In addition, representatives and researchers from the Technical University of Berlin, the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, the University of Education Weingarten, the University of Oldenburg, the University of Education Tyrol and the American University of Paris were among the participants. This underlined the international orientation of the event, which not only enabled an exciting exchange about the various aspects of the Fashion DIET project, but also brought together diverse perspectives and expertise. The successful combination of face-to-face and online participants as well as the wide range of experts contributed significantly to the success and richness of this final LTT event.
The First Day, 21 March 2023
The consortium hosted the first day of the event, which was dedicated to IO 3, which deals with teaching and learning materials. The event was opened by an introductory presentation by Prof. Dr. Anne-Marie Grundmeier, who gave a comprehensive overview of the topic.
Figure 2: Presentation of Prof. Dr. Anne-Marie Grundmeier about Teaching & Learning Materials
Afterwards, the partner universities had the opportunity to present the status of their teaching and learning materials developed so far and to discuss them together with the entire consortium. These presentations made it possible to gain insights into the different approaches and progress of the individual institutions and to provide valuable feedback.
During the day, informative workshops were held to explore different approaches and ways of designing teaching and learning materials. Participants brought their expertise and perspectives to enrich the diversity of approaches and deepen understanding together.
The Second Day, 22 March 2023
On the second day of the event, the large hybrid meeting awaited the participants in the morning. This meeting brought together a total of 43 participants who were either physically present or connected online from different countries. The main objective of this meeting was to present the project main goals and results. Individual exciting lectures from the repertoire of the ESD module developed in IO 2 were presented. There was also an introduction to the structure of the e-learning platform „Glocal Campus“, where the material developed in the project is available, and the textile database F+TD.
After a warm welcome and introductory words to the event by the Dean of the Faculty Texoversum at Reutlingen University and at the same time member of the Fashion DIET project, Prof. Dr. Jochen Strähle, the opening presentation was held. During a short round of introductions, the responsible persons from the various partner universities presented themselves, including Prof. Dr. Mirela Blaga from the Technical University of Iaşi, Prof. Dr. Anne-Marie Grundmeier from the University of Education Freiburg and coordinator of the Fashion DIET project, Prof. Dr. Zlatina Kazlacheva from Trakia University, as well as Prof. Dr. Jochen Strähle from Reutlingen University.
Figure 3: Introduction of the Project Partner
Afterwards, Prof. Dr. Dirk Höfer from the University of Education Freiburg and Prof. Dr. Mirela Blaga offered interesting insights into the main goals and results of the project as well as a comprehensive presentation of the contents and competences of the developed ESD module. After a short coffee break, which was intensively used for networking purposes, the event continued with exciting keynote speeches.
Prof. Dr. Zlatina Kazlacheva started with an inspiring lecture on „The Meaning of Design for Sustainable Fashion“, followed by Prof. Dr. Anne-Marie Grundmeier, who spoke about the importance of ESD as a guiding principle in textile education and the role of Open Educational Resources. Marlen Wagner and Dr Marcus Adam then explained live the use and structure of the e-learning platform „Glocal Campus“ chosen for the project and the textile database F+TD in the context of Open Educational Resources.
The successful hybrid meeting in the morning was rounded off by a discussion round and an online survey led by Prof. Dr. Jochen Strähle and Prof. Dr. Zlatin Zlatev.
Figure 4: Online Audience of the third LTT
In the afternoon, the programme for the consortium members continued with a visit to the local textile company „Karl Mayer Stoll“, a manufacturer of flat knitting machines.
On site, the consortium members were given a fascinating tour of the company and its showrooms. A stimulating exchange about the Fashion DIET project and sustainability in the textile industry brought this eventful day to a close.
Figure 5: Fashion DIET Consortium at the company “Karl Mayer Stoll”
The Third Day, 23 March 2023
On the third day of the LTT, the focus was on formal and informal textile education. In this regard, the team from Reutlingen University had organised various appointments in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg.
The first appointment took the members of the project to the vocational school “Kerschensteinerschule Stuttgart”, where Cathrine Strobel-Theunissen, also a member of the Fashion DIET consortium, works as a fashion design teacher for prospective trainees in the textile industry. At the beginning of the visit, the project members were warmly welcomed in Ms Strobel-Theunissen’s class. An exciting exchange developed between the future custom tailors and the future stage designers. This was followed by a guided tour through the premises of the textile departments, where the various ateliers and projects were admired.
Figure 6: Pupils of the Kerschensteinerschule in Stuttgart together with the Consortium Members
In the afternoon, the consortium continued their activities with a guided city tour called “Future Fashion Walk”. These tours are offered by the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management Baden-Württemberg as a part of Education for Sustainable Development. During this tour of Stuttgart, outstanding sustainable fashion labels, second-hand shops and innovative concepts such as the “Kleiderei”, where clothing and accessories can be rented on a monthly basis, were visited.
The inspiring day concluded with a discussion and reflection session within the consortium on the topic of “formal and informal textile education”.
In summary, these three days were both eventful and educationally valuable. During the event, the project could be presented to a wider circle of people in the textile sector. It also provided opportunities for stimulating discussions and exchanges on relevant topics.
Fashion DIET consortium, April 2023
