Tryggvi Thayer
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Education
University of Minnesota
Ph.D. in Comparative and International Development Education.
Dissertation title: Foresight Programs for Educational Policy: Program Participants’ Perceptions and Experiences with Outcomes.
(Adviser: Dr. Karen Seashore (was previously Dr. Arthur Harkins)
University of Minnesota
M.A. Comparative and International Development Education.
Thesis: Information and communication technology and the Millennium Development Goals in a global knowledge-based economy: A critical review of donor organization policy.
(Adviser: Dr. Arthur Harkins)
University of Iceland
B.A. Philosophy
Thesis: Truth and information – Dretske’s conceptualisation of information.
Spent 1 semester in 1995 on independent study in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Employment History
University of Iceland-School of Education (Iceland – http://www.hi.is/menntavisindasvid/forsida_menntavisindasvids): 01/2023-Present
Adjunct lecturer in educational technology, innovation and media.
– Teaching: Online/distance learning, educational technology, educational innovation, education futures.
– Research: Educational technology, educational innovation, policy, education futures. Strong focus on AI in learning environments.
University of Iceland-School of Education (Iceland – http://www.hi.is/menntavisindasvid/forsida_menntavisindasvids): 01/2019-12/2023
Academic Development Coordinator
University of Iceland-School of Education (Iceland – http://www.hi.is/menntavisindasvid/forsida_menntavisindasvids): 01/2013-12/2019
Project manager for Education Plaza (http://menntamidja.is/).
– Work with educators’ communities of practice to enhance professional development and develop innovation solutions to educational issues.
– Research and development related to communities of practice and the use of social media for professional development.
University of Minnesota-College of Continuing Education (U.S.A. – http://www.umn.edu): 05/2013-Present
Lecturer in Innovation Studies graduate program.
– Course taught: IS/LS 5100 – Imagination, Creativity and Innovation.
University of Minnesota (U.S.A. – http://www.umn.edu): 10/2008-06/2013
Graduate Assistant – Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development.
– Webmaster for Leapfrog Initiatives: http://leapfrog.umn.edu/
– Teaching assistant for OLPD 2711 Societies of the future: Changing work contexts.
Superviser Dr. Arthur Harkins.
– Teaching assistant for the online Ed.D. program for international educators. Responsibilities include creating and maintaining Moodle course websites, co-teaching, cohort management, and general teaching assistance.
– Assistance with planning and organization of international distance programs.
Superviser Dr. Deanne Magnusson.
Consultant (Self-employed) (International): 10/2007-Present
Provide consulting services to several educational and higher education institutions in Iceland on technology use and international affairs. Clients include the University of Iceland, the School for Renewable Energy Science, social partner organizations and individual professors and researchers applying for European grants.
Iðnmennt – Skills Iceland (Iceland – http://skillsiceland.is): 1/2008-10/2008
Project Manager Responsible for the Icelandic National Skills Competition and Icelandic liaison to European Skills Promotion Organisation and the World Skills Organisation.
Office of International Education – University of Iceland: 7/2006-10/2007
(Iceland – http://www.ask.hi.is/id/1006726)
Program Manager
– Manager of the Erasmus National Agency, part of the EU Lifelong Learning Programme.
– Manager of the Erasmus Mundus National Agency.
– Institutional coordinator for the University of Iceland’s foreign partnerships, managing international cooperation, institutional contracts with foreign universities and partnerships within Nordic and European programmes, i.e. Nordplus and Socrates (Erasmus).
– Secretary of the Univerisity of Iceland’s Committee on International Affairs.
– Web coordinator for the Office of International Education (OIE), responsible for development and maintenance of OIE web site and services.
Mennt – Educate Iceland (Iceland): 1/2001-8/2004
Project Manager Project manager for European projects.
Responsible for a wide range of European activities related to the development of vocational education and training.
– Technical consultant to the Leonarda da Vinci National Agency
– Provided assistance to perspective applicants in formulating project objectives and completing applications for short term study abroad projects and pilot projects related to the development of vocational and professional education and training.
– Provided reports on developments in vocational education and training in Iceland to European agencies.
– Coordinator of “ALL”
– Accreditation of Lifelong Learning, a European transnational project funded by the European Commission’s Leonardo da Vinci II program. Goal of the poject is to develop an internationally recognized accreditation system for small to medium sized learning providers.
– Technical coordinator of “Animate”, a European transnational project funded by the European Commission’s Leonardo da Vinci II program. Project provides web based collaboration and resource sharing tools for regional networks involved in research and development of vocational education and training throughout Europe.
– Managed the development of Iceland’s first national database on learning opportunities at the upper-secondary level and above, including adult and continuing education. Data entry is through a web based interface or using specifically developed Java application that uses XML to transfer data from provider to the central database.
Cedefop (Greece – www.cedefop.eu.int): 2/1998-12/2000
(European Center for the development of Vocational Education)
Seconded from the University of Iceland
Technical coordinator of the Electronic Training Village, Cedefop’s interactive website (www.trainingvillage.gr) targeting the European vocational education and training research and development community. Was responsible for writing technical specifications and planning projects within the Electronic Training Village in collaboration with other project managers, monitored and evaluated progress and led a team of 4-5 web developers.
Other notable project work at CEDEFOP:
– CEDRA, project produced a suite of XML based content authoring tools and an online knowledge sharing environment for researchers making extensive use of metadata.
– “Technology supported learning” (TSL). This project aimed to provide overviews on emerging metadata standards for electronic learning materials.
University of Iceland, Research Liaison Office: 4/1997-12/2000
(Iceland – www.rthj.hi.is/Apps/WebObjects/HI.woa/wa/dp?id=1000616)
Project manager
Responsible for public relations and design, construction and maintenance of the Research Liaison Office’s website (www.rthj.hi.is).
– Produced promotional materials for European exchange and transnational collaboration programs.
– Led development of multilingual and multicultural “On The Move” website (www.onthemove-eu.hi.is), a transnational project funded by the European Commission’s Leonardo da Vinci program. Was responsible for all technical aspects of the project, i.e. web development, hosting and electronic marketing. The website helps young people in Europe prepare for work or study abroad. This project was selected as one of 200 outstanding projects out of the thousands that have were funded by the Leonardo da Vinci program.
Publications & Presentations
Peer Reviewed
Lee, M., Thayer, T., & Madyun, N. (2008). The evolution of the European Union’s lifelong learning policies: An institutional learning perspective. Comparative Education, 44(4), 445-464.
Books, chapters, etc.
Thayer, T. (2002). Limitations of computers in the management of knowledge. In Nyhan, B. (Ed.) Taking steps towards the knowledge society – Reflections on the process of knowledge development. Cedefop.
Thayer, T. (2003). Compendium of current and recent Icelandic led Leonardo da Vinci II projects. Research Liaison Office – University of Iceland.
Thayer, T. (1997). Compendium of current and recent Icelandic led Leonardo da Vinci projects. Research Liaison Office – University of Iceland.
Articles
Thayer, T. (2023). Identifying similarities and differences in sustainability education and foresight and futures education: a comparative analysis of competence frameworks. On the Horizon: The International Journal of Learning Futures, 31(2), 95-109.
Tryggvi Thayer. (2022) Framsýni og menntakerfi: Mótun menntastefnu með framtíð að leiðarljósi. Netla – Veftímarit um uppeldi og menntun: Sérrit 2022 – Framtíð og tilgangur menntunar: Sérrit til heiðurs Jóni Torfa Jónassyni, prófessors emeritus. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24270/serritnetla.2022.82
Thayer, T. (2014). Constructing optimal futures for education-technology foresight in educational policy and planning. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy, 9(2), 148-165.
Jakobsdóttir, S., Sigurdardóttir, A. K., Thayer, T., Thorsteinsdóttir, T., & Pétursdóttir, S. (2013, June). Education Plaza: Teachers’ professional development. In The joy of learning: Enhancing learning experience, improving learning quality, Conference proceedings, Budapest, European Distance and E-Learning Network IP (Vol. 165, No. 209.15).
Lee, M., Thayer, T., & Madyun, N. I. (2008). The evolution of the European Union’s lifelong learning policies: An institutional learning perspective. Comparative education, 44(4), 445-463.
Presentations
Tryggvi Thayer (2024). Notkun gervigreindar í háskólakennslu: Tilraun með sérsniðna
aðstoðarkennara í ChatGPT. Ráðstefna Kennsluakademíu opinberu háskólanna: Til móts við nýja kynslóð – að mæta þörfum háskólanema nútímans. Reykjavík, Ísland.
Tryggvi Thayer (2023). Framtíð menntunar með gervigreind. Málþing Nýmenntar um Gervigreind og háskólakennslu. Háskóli Íslands, Reykjavík, Ísland.
Thayer, T. (2022). What happens after Covid? Some musings about the future of education and society. Spring conference for Grunnur – Association of municipal education directors. Fáskrúðsfjörður, Iceland.
Thayer, T. (2017). Augmented reality: The next frontier for learning. Invited presentation at SETTDagarna. Stockholm, Sweden.
Thayer, T. (2016). The future of ICT in education and teachers’ professional development. Erasmus+ Nordic/Baltic Thematic Seminar. Reykjavík, Iceland.
Thayer, T. (2016). Exponential technological change and teachers’ knowledge needs: What do we need to know and how will we know it? University of Akureyri – Center for School Development spring conference. Akureyri, Iceland.
Thayer, T. & Ásgeirsson, B. U. (2015). Education Plaza: Supporting teachers’ continuing professional development in online communities. Invited presentation for the German Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training. Berlin, Germany.
Thayer, T. (2013). Nomadding in virtual knowledge spaces: Technology driven collaboration in the 21st century. eTwinning workshop. Reykjavík, Iceland.
Thayer, T. (2013). Augmented reality and the future of education. Presented at the annual Spring Conference of the Society for ICT in Education, Reykjavík University, Iceland.
“Finland’s educational policy environment: The role of strategic ambiguity in policy communication”. Presentation at CIES Conference, Montreal, QC, CA, 2011.
“Lifelong Learning as a Future-oriented Policy Concept”. Horizon Forum, University of Minnesota. Minneapolis, USA, 2010.