A collaborative effort between research and practice

Laila El-Hamamsy, who recently earned her Ph.D., conducted her research project at the Center LEARN as part of the EduNum project, which aimed to introduce digital education into the educational system of the Canton of Vaud.

A collaborative effort between research and practice, involving EPFL, the Department of Education, Youth and Culture(DFJC), the University of Lausanne (UNIL), and the University of Teacher Education, State of Vaud (HEP Vaud), the EduNum project included the co-creation and monitoring of teacher training programs, as well as the development of educational resources. As she prepares to publicly defend her thesis, Laila reflects on her enriching experience:

"My journey as a doctoral student has been unique. I don't think many theses are like this; it's a true outlier at EPFL.

To be part of a real project that has an immediate impact, with colleagues who want research results, who want feedback to make adjustments and continuously improve what is offered, I think it's a privilege. Having such a significant impact on a large scale has been an exceptional motivating factor.

I joined this project as an engineer, with no background in education, no knowledge of the literature on teacher training or sustaining large-scale projects. However, I was surrounded by colleagues with incredible expertise. I believe I was able to embark on this adventure thanks to extraordinary circumstances. It was because of this mandate, the existence of the Center LEARN, and my timely arrival that it was made possible.

I went directly from my Master's to my Ph.D., and I arrived at the Center LEARN right before the last training day for teachers in the pilot schools in the first year of the EduNum project, which I was able to attend. Then, Frédérique Chessel Lazzarotto, EduNum Project Manager, personally guided me throughout the summer. She explained everything to me, we analyzed the data together, tried to interpret them together, and wrote the evaluation report for the first year together. These were incredible interactions.

I had three years of field data collection, and I was able to be involved in the co-construction between the research teams and practitioners, up to the beginning of the deployment. I had supervisors like Barbara Bruno, Francesco Mondada, and Jessica Dehler Zufferey, who had an incredible ability to be constructive, offer support, and provide valuable feedback regardless of what I presented to them.

Now, as I look back on these years, I have this feeling of having reached where I wanted to achieve. I simply think, 'Wow, I made it.' I loved the entire experience, with its ups and downs—which are normal—and I would do it again without hesitation. I am extremely happy, yet also sad to see it come to an end. My goal now is to maintain connections with all the people who supported me and, who knows, perhaps reunite with them for future collaborations."

Laila will defend her thesis in a few days, all of her publications can be found here.