Mats Cullhed

Ph.D., educational developer at the unit for Academic Teaching and Learning.

Graduate student in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology in the 1980s. Parallel to doctoral studies, I participated in the Scandinavian excavations at the temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum in Rome.

Ph.D. in 1991. The dissertation analyzed the Roman emperor Maxentius’ strategies to legitimize his hold on power in the early 300's AD.

From the late 1980s until 2004, I taught at all levels of undergraduate education in Ancient History and Classical Archaeology, both on campus and on distance learning courses, and also on courses for graduate students. During two semesters (in 1996 and 1997), I was in charge of an interdisciplinary course for humanities students, and also taught, in the late 90s, on a national distance learning, The European cultural heritage. From 2002 to 2004, I developed and taught a standalone, web-based distance course, The Classical Tradition.

From the late 90s until 2010, I have also been deputy supervisor of five PhD students, specializing in Roman history. For a few years, in the early 90s, I was also director of studies for the then Department of Ancient History and Classical Archaeology.

Between 2006 and 2013, I was employed as educational developer at Uppsala Learning Lab. Since 2013, I work as an educational developer, with a focus on IT in teaching and learning, at the Unit for Academic Teaching and Learning, within the Division for Quality Enhancement. I have been working, together with faculty, in the Experimental Classroom at Blåsenhus since its inauguration, in 2010. I teach on several of the unit's regular, academic teacher training courses, but also work extensively with on-demand work-shops for teams and departments - e.g., on course development, distance teaching, flipped classroom etc. - as well as with pedagogical and practical advice and e-learning support for individual teachers.

Apart from providing advice and training for Uppsala faculty, I have been involved in international initiatives within several university networks. In 2019, I contributed to the work of a thematic peer group, working on issues concerning the internationalisation of higher education, and initiated by the European University Association. From 2019 to 2021, I was co-organiser of a series on international workshops on, i.a., new learning spaces, as part of a wider, NordPlus-funded project on innovative teaching and learning methods and practices.

Within the Coimbra Group, I was, from 2010 to 2023, a member of the Education Innovation Working Group, working, especially, on aspects ot teaching and learning in new learning spaces. In that capacity, I was responsible for arranging an interational, High-Level Seminar in Uppsala, From Learning Spaces to Learning Environments, in November, 2022.

In 2014/15, I was secretary of e2014, a working group designated by the Vice-Chancellor in order to promote the further development of e-learning within Uppsala University. Among other things, I co-ordinated the university’s production of three MOOCs.

Since 2006, I have in various ways, been involved in the implementation of several new systems introduced at the university, e.g., a new LMS, Studium (Canvas); a new platform for digital assessment, Inspera; and the e-meeting system, Zoom.

Currently, I am working with the new recording Studio at Campus Blåsenhus, and I am also providing general advice and support to the university, regarding the rapid growth of AI tools within higher education, e.g. through these resource pages.