On December 17 at 13:45, an Interactive workshop for lecturers and PHD students, „Data-Driven Decision-Making in Higher Education: Practical Strategies for Teaching and Curriculum Improvement“, will be held in room AVL2.

This interactive workshop explores how university teachers can use data from assessments, coursework, student feedback, and digital learning platforms to improve teaching quality and curriculum design. Through practical examples and simple tools, participants will learn how to identify student learning patterns, make targeted course adjustments, and measure improvements in student outcomes. The session is designed for teaching staff from any discipline and focuses on concrete, easy-to-apply strategies.

The workshop will be led by Ujkane Hana Beshiri from the University of St. Kliment Ohridski – Bitola (North Macedonia).

Ujkane Hana Beshiri is an educator and academic leader with over 20 years of experience across all age groups and educational systems, with a primary focus on American international education. She currently serves as an Academic Data Analyst and School Improvement Project Lead at the American School of Kosovo, where she drives key initiatives in assessment, digital learning, quality assurance, and strategic development.

She is also the founder of Room 4 Growth (R4G), an international tutoring and educational consultancy platform dedicated to supporting student achievement and professional growth for educators. Her experience includes teacher training, leadership development, accreditation engagement, and coordinating educational partnerships and events across Europe. Ujkane is a PhD candidate in Educational Sciences and has completed an Erasmus+ academic mobility programme, delivering workshops and lectures on data-driven decision-making and educational innovation.

We invite the community of lecturers, students and non-academic staff to gather on Wednesday, 3 December from 11.15 AM to 6:00 PM: Building II, 2nd floor, Grand Foyer next to Prof. Vladas K. Gronskas Auditorium and Auditorium 5 and Building I, 1st floor, Room 19, opposite the Public Relations Group office.

Dress code: Ugly Christmas Sweater

Event menu:

• 11.00 AM Let's decorate the Christmas trees together in the Grand Foyer and in Building I at the main entrance.
• 11.15 AM Welcome address by the Dean of the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius Univesity in the Grand Foyer.
• The Festive mood will be created by students’ musical performances.
• Festive meel and hot drinks in Auditorium No. 5.
• We invite you to take part in the creative workshop organized by the Student Council.
• The highlight of the afternoon gathering will be the lighting of the VU Kaunas Faculty Christmas tree.

It will be filmed and photographed during the event. By participating in the event, you agree to be seen in photos or videos that may be posted on social media.

The 16th International Scientific Conference "Creativity and Culture", held in Kaunas, stood out not only for its interdisciplinary content, but also for its form—creative workshops led by professional artists accompanied scientific presentations. An event organised by the “Cultural Industries and Innovations” research group at the Institute of Social Sciences and Applied Informatics of the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius University, in collaboration with the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts, discussed how culture can become a powerful force for positive change. Artists, students, and cultural professionals from Lithuania and other countries who participated in the programme shared new ideas and established important scientific and cultural cooperation contacts.

Dialogue between science and art

Organisers of the event "Creativity and Culture", Prof. Dr Virginija Jurėnienė (Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius University) and Prof. Jonas Audėjaitis (Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts), unanimously agree that this year's conference took a qualitatively new step forward. According to them, a new stage began two years ago, with cooperation between the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius University and the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius Academy of Arts, which provided an opportunity to combine art management with creativity and led to the project's main strength: interdisciplinarity.

Vilnius University (VU) has opened admissions for international students for the academic year 2026. VU, one of the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions in Europe, offers students over 70 Bachelor's and Master's study programmes, along with two prestigious Arqus Joint Master’s Programmes, which provide an opportunity to acquire education in several European countries. At the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius University (VU KnF), which has been fostering the spirit of a classical university for over 60 years, the focus on new technologies has intensified in recent years. The Kaunas Faculty differs from other faculties at Vilnius University in that it brings together researchers and lecturers from various fields, and most of the study programmes offered are interdisciplinary, combining knowledge from the humanities (languages, translation), social sciences (economics, management, finance), and computer science.

On October 16–17, the Chair of the Study programme committee of the Master's study programme Art Management at the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius University (VU KnF), Assoc. Prof. Audronė Rimkutė participated in the meeting of members of the International Cultural Policy Network “Compendium of Cultural Policies & Trends” in Luxembourg and in the international conference “¡Watch it! – Freedom of Artistic Expression. Cultural Policies for Democracy”, organised by the Luxembourg Ministry of Culture and the National Library. In the first part of the conference, devoted to the analysis of freedom of artistic expression and its situation in European countries, the researcher delivered a paper entitled “Defending Artistic Decisions: What Arguments Work?”, in which she presented an overview of the situation of artistic freedom in Lithuania based on a qualitative case analysis.

“At a time when democratic values are facing political, social, and cultural challenges, the organisers invited participants to rethink the role of cultural policy in protecting and promoting artistic freedom. Issues of legal protection, public attitudes, and the resilience of artists and cultural practitioners have become particularly important,” says A. Rimkutė.

On Wednesday, 5th of November, we warmly invite Lithuanian and international students to take part in Kaunas Social Day – a friendly get-together bringing the international students of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, the Communications Faculty, the Physics Faculty and the Kaunas Faculty at our campus in Kaunas. Let’s meet to learn more about student activities, share your experiences, and make new international friends.

Moreover, at the end of the day you will have a chance to meet our International Studies Coordinator, Studies Administrator, Representatives of the Student Council and Public Relations of the Faculty to discuss important issues of the study process and have a possibility to get answers to important questions about the life and studies at the University.

10:30 – 13:00 Tea and social networking games. Also, join a tour around the Kaunas Faculty for guest students (Prof. V. Gronskas’ auditorium and Hall, Building No. 2)

13:00 – 14:00 Lunch Break in town (on your own expenses)

14:30 – 15:30 Visiting the Kaunas City History Museum at the Town Hall (Tickets and tour guide cost covered by the Kaunas Faculty, so the visit is free of charge but registration is necessary). https://forms.office.com/e/98H7RZG18E

15:30–18:00 Free guided tour of Kaunas City (Guest students leave back to Vilnius at 18:00)

17:00 – 18:00 Meeting with the administration staff of Kaunas Faculty for the first-year international students, especially those who arrived later in September and October and missed the introductory week events. (Prof. V. Gronkas' auditorium, Building No. 2)

Step into the shadows of VU Kaunas Faculty and explore the hidden corners that few have ever seen. Once a year, the Faculty opens its doors to places you’ve never seen before — mysterious basements, forgotten corridors, and rooms that whisper untold stories.

This Halloween, join us for an exploration combining a guided tour and escape-auditorium challenges. Solve hidden clues and uncover forgotten histories.

 Feel free to embrace the Halloween spirit — costumes are appreciated.

Please register for the tour using the link below https://forms.office.com/e/ybhZEPPah7?origin=lprLink

 The tour in English begins at 6:00 p.m. in the Linden Courtyard (right in front of Building III).

On Tuesday, 28 October 2025, the scientist of the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius University, Professor Aurelija Novelskaitė, will speak on linking gender equality and open science in the webinar “Open Science for Global Inclusion: Empowering Women Scientists” organised by UNESCO. The scientist will share the research results carried out with Associate Professor Raminta Pučėtaitė and other 18 international partners, in an EU-funded project OPUS – Open and Universal Science, whose main objective was to develop coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research(ers). Read more about the project here.

The webinar “Open Science for Global Inclusion: Empowering Women Scientists” will take place on Tuesday, 28 October 2025, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (UTC+2, Lithuanian time). Please find the Zoom registration link here.

This online event will bring together experts from UNESCO’s Open Science Working Groups (established under the 2021 UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science) and Action Groups for Women in Science (as part of the 2024 UNESCO Call to Action “Closing the Gender Gap in Science”). The session will explore the gender aspects of open science practices and assess how open science can advance gender equality, as well as how, in turn, gender equality can strengthen open science.

Further information can be found in the attached concept note.