ErasmusX

Dear LinkedIn Network,    After four incredible years of challenging-the-status-quo and tech-enabled innovation, the ErasmusX programme is coming to a close. We are proud to have developed almost 30 projects that touched over 12.000 individuals, including Erasmus University Rotterdam students and staff, external partners, and the local community in the city of Rotterdam.    Even though ErasmusX is officially closing down from 2025 onwards, the impact we have created will live on. The HefHouse, which houses our Redefining the Classroom project, will continue operating under the supervision of Frieda Franke, where it will continue impacting Rotterdam’s youth and connecting the university to our local communities.   The AI & Edtech pillar of the programme will be embedded within the Community for Learning & Innovation - Erasmus University Rotterdam, where its development will continue to future-proof education at the Erasmus University. You can follow Vanessa Abel, Milan V. and Jonathan Flores as they will continue their work on these projects and share the outcomes here in this group with you.    Thank you to the entire Erasmus University community for your continuous enthusiasm and support for our projects, and the challenges you gave us!   And lastly, a big thank you to our team of pirates who have made ErasmusX such a wonderful place! We could not be more proud to have worked alongside such a diverse and creative team of dedicated individuals. Your creativity, commitment and new ideas brought exploration and curiosity, as well as the drive for innovation and balanced growth to the core of ErasmusX and we will cherish you forever. ❤️ Happy Holidays! ✨ 𝗣𝗦: We couldn't tag all the beautiful individuals that have worked with us in this post because we would exceed the max possible mentions, so we decided to tag all of you in the comments.

Before hitting the holiday season, here's a recap of October's EUR GenAI Monthly Meetup! 🎉 Bas Smit shared exciting updates on Erudite 2.0, a Generative AI tool currently in development that promises secure, privacy-first GenAI for the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Learn all about what Bas shared with us in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/dn3Hng8E #GenAI #EducationalInnovation #AIinEducation

📢 𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗔𝗜 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗽: Confirmation Bias in GenAI and How to Overcome It 🎉 Did you know you might unknowingly reinforce your own assumptions when using AI tools such as ChatGPT? 🤔    In our next #GenAI Meetup, we'll uncover how GenAI tools can subtly validate our existing assumptions and judgements, which can impact the quality of our insights and decisions.  We'll go over practical strategies to address this bias and harness GenAI for more objective (and innovative) thinking. Whether you're an avid user or a newbie, this session is designed to sharpen your skills and help you get the most out of your AI interactions.    Our meetups are open to anyone within the Erasmus University Rotterdam community, whether you are a student, teacher, or professional staff member.   📅 When: Thursday, 21 November, 15:00–16:30, followed by a social hour (first round of drinks is on us! 🍻) 📍 Where: Langeveld 1.16 - Join us in person or online (Note: practical activities are better suited for in-person participation)   👉 Don’t miss this chance to engage in a critical conversation about AI’s impact on our thinking. Signup link in the comments! #LLM #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #HigherEd #ErasmusUniversity #AIInEducation 

🌟 Teachers, are you ready to empower your students with the essential soft skills for success? Our latest blog, written by the wonderful Daria Ilishkina, dives into the Ace Yourself App—a tool we designed that guides students in building study, social, and personal skills, tailored for minimal teacher intervention. If you're passionate about cultivating confident, resilient, and effective learners; this is a must-read! Discover how small steps can make a big impact, and see how you can effortlessly integrate soft skills development into your courses. 👇 Check out the blog to see it for yourself 👇 https://lnkd.in/e-3pf-sv

During our last GenAI Meetup, João Gonçalves showed us how to fine-tune open-source Large Language Models. If you missed it, here's your chance to catch up! If you were there, then this is a way to refresh your memory 😎 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴? 🤔 In short: it's like taking a relatively untrained LLM (like the Erasmian Language Model or #Llama) that you modify to serve your (specialized) needs. For example, you could modify an LLM so it starts generating text that looks just like your own! You simply feed it your own, high-quality data (texts written by you), and show it what you are looking for. Sounds hard, and it surely looks daunting at first, but João made it very easy for you to do it yourself. In this blog we show you everything that he discussed in the last GenAI Meetup, and we also included an easy to follow step-by-step guide so you can start fine-tuning an LLM today! Thanks again João for sharing your knowledge with all of us! 👉 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: https://lnkd.in/eP6QdPSJ

🚀 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗘𝗨𝗥’𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝘁𝗚𝗣𝗧! We’re excited to show you the next version of Erasmus University Rotterdam’s own, data-safe ChatGPT: 𝗘𝗿𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲! The session will be led by Bas Smit from the CIO office, who will demonstrate a 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 of the new environment (before its official release) and features of this data-secure tool. You will have the opportunity to (1️⃣) learn about the new features of Erudite, (2️⃣) discuss use cases for productively using Erudite in educational settings, and (3️⃣) provide input on how to best use Erudite at EUR, as a data-safe genAI tool. Whether you’re a 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 or 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳, this is your chance to learn more about Erudite and its potential, and to provide direct input before it is released across the EUR. 📅 When: Thursday, 17. October, 15:00–16:30, followed by a social hour (first round of drinks is on us! 🍻)   📍 Where: Van der Goot Bldg. M1-04 (Montreal Rm.) - Join us in person or online (Note: practical activities are better suited for in-person participation)   ➡️ Register through the link in the comments! #LLM #ArtificialIntelligence #ErasmusUniversity #AIInEducation 

🌍 Community Sharing 🌍 De studenten van de minor Global Migration van Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam Erasmus University College zijn nu al een aantal weken gekoppeld aan hun MDT op Zuid-buddies, en vorige week hadden we een prachtige Culturele middag. De studenten kwamen zelf met het idee om dit te organiseren en brachten eten mee uit hun land van herkomst, terwijl ze in traditionele kleding verschenen. We hebben samen gegeten en er werd volop gedanst! Van de Afghaanse Atan dans en de Arabische Dabke tot aan de Hollandse polonaise – het was een feest van cultuur en verbinding. Dit evenement liet perfect zien wat "community sharing" betekent. 💫 The students from the Global Migration minor have been paired with their MDT op Zuid buddies for a few weeks now, and last week we had a beautiful cultural afternoon. The students came up with the idea to organize this event themselves, bringing food from their home countries and wearing traditional clothing. We shared a meal together and danced the night away! From the Afghan Atan dance and Arabic Dabke to the Dutch polonaise – it was a celebration of culture and connection. This event truly embodied the essence of "community sharing." 💫 Stichting Werkshop | ErasmusX | Roy Kemmers |Gera Noordzij | Lisenne G. | Frieda Franke | Djawad Ahmadi | Abdulsatar Saleh |

🚀 Customize Your LLM! We're excited to invite you to a hands-on session led by Dr. João Gonçalves from ESHCC, where we’ll dive into the world of Large Language Models (LLMs). Practice customizing the Erasmian Language Model (ELM)—a data-safe environment for academic and professional applications. João will compare it to other open-source LLMs as well as commercial alternatives like ChatGPT. Whether you’re a teacher, researcher, or professional staff, this is your chance to practice and apply customization techniques to LLMs in your work. Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to enhance your AI toolkit! 📅 When: Monday, 30th September, 15:00–16:30, followed by a social hour (first round of drinks is on us! 🍻) 📍 Where: T3-06 Register today and stay ahead in the world of AI! https://lnkd.in/efafM85d #LLM #ArtificialIntelligence #ErasmusUniversity #AIInEducation

This week we are welcoming 6 educational minor programmes at the HefHouse from Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Erasmus University, namely Creating Resilient Cities, Impact Space, Education for Social Change, RASL, Public Health and A global View on Migration. Thank you to the teachers - Matthijs van Lente, Harriet Kos, Wander van Baalen, Irina Shapiro, Sake Zijlstra, Mathijs de Ruiter, Isa Sánchez Cecilia, Joost Oude Groeniger, Ginie Servant-Miklos, Roy Kemmers… to name a few - for choosing HefHouse for their interdisciplinary and impact driven education that engages with several local organisations. But next to education taking place in the HefHouse, the inhouse youth hub run by Stichting L.E.S. will be buzzing with activities for the local youth. Rechtswinkel Rotterdam and the GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond department Sense will be picking up their usual weekly consultations on Wednesday as well. Erasmus University Rotterdam, the civic university is already taking shape at the HefHouse! #hefhouse #education #erasmusuniversity

🌟 Calling all first-year bachelor teachers at EUR! 🌟 Did you know there is a very specific reason behind why most new students struggle during their first year of university? Hint: It's related to soft-skills. Last month, we introduced our (tested) solution to the EUR community, called ACE Yourself. And now we need passionate educators like you to bring it to life in your classrooms! 🧠 To learn more about how you can help your students and what our solution looks like, we wrote up a quick blog about the initiative: https://lnkd.in/ePSRVsER