Dr. L. (Lela) Mosemghvdlishvili (they/she) is a contemplative teacher working on the intersections of innovation, wisdom traditions, and embodied practices. Lela received a doctoral degree from the Erasmus University Rotterdam for the manuscript “Politics of Mobile Code.” Their research background is in Critical Studies of Technology.
At the University of Amsterdam, Lela has been employed (since 2018) at the PPLE Honour College as a course designer and lecturer. From September 2023, they will chair a committee of the new IP Theme grant ‘Responsible AI: teaching and learning with AI’ and TLC special interest group (Sig) on the Educational use of AI.
Lela has 15 years of experience teaching undergraduate students and is committed to bringing novel pedagogical methods to support meaningful and fulfilling education. They have received a number of educational grants, among them TLC’s Educational Research Fellowship and FRIS grant.
With the advent and use of GenAI chatbots, Lela expanded their interest in integrating novel technologies in whole-student-centered and holistic pedagogy and is committed to finding a balance between deep (and slow-phased) learning with technologically supported learning.
A notable part of Lela's life is devoted to the ongoing study and practice of wisdom traditions, meditation, and regular silent retreats for introspection. These modalities are vital sources of insight and understanding to them. Lela is also an authorized meditation teacher.
A significant part of Lela's academic engagement is related to education research and innovation in teaching methods and pedagogies. They are committed to integrating experiential learning, embodiment, and contemplative practices to enrich teaching methods at the university and contribute to a more wholesome, fulfilling and meaningful learning experience for students.
(2019) IIS grant for Project-based learning - to develop learning activities for cultivating students' metacognitive skills, namely reflection and self-awareness.
(2021) TLC Education Innovation grant for the project Designing knowledge sharing practices to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among student
(2021-2023) Education Research Fellow Two-year research fellowship in education research developing and validating Design Principles of Contemplative Pedagogy for university education.
(2022) Fair, Resilient & Inclusive Societies (FRIS) grant for project Cultivating resilience among students to engage with (emotionally) challenging learning material.
TLC course in Contemplative Pedagogy for experienced UvA lecturers designed and taught by L.Mosemghvdlishvili
The IIS webpage dedicated to the outcome of the grant for Integrative Seminar IV: Societal Challenges
Interview about Education Innovation Grant (coming soon)
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Mosemghvdlishvili, L., & Jansz, J. (2018). Free your' most open' Android: a comparative discourse analysis on Android. Critical Discourse Studies, 17(1). doi: 10.1080/17405904.2018.1554536
Mosemghvdlishvili, L., & Jansz, J. (2013). Negotiability of technology and its limitations: The politics of App development. Information Communication and Society, 16(10). doi: 10.1080/1369118X.2012.735252
Hofmann, S., & Mosemghvdlishvili, L. (2014). Perceiving spaces through digital augmentation: An exploratory study of navigational augmented reality apps. Mobile Media and Communication, 2(3). doi: 10.1177/2050157914530700
Mosemghvdlishvili, L., & Jansz, J. (2012). Framing and praising Allah on YouTube: Exploring user-created videos about Islam and the motivations for producing them. New Media & Society. doi: 10.1177/1461444812457326
Book chapter
Mosemghvdlishvili, L. (2015). Mobile Internet: Politics of Mobile Code and Networks. In A. Bechmann & S. Lomborg (Eds.), The Ubiquitous Internet: User and Industry Perspectives (Routledge Studies in New Media and Cyberculture) (pp. 171-184). New York: Routledge
Other output
Doctoral thesis
L. Mosemghvdlishvili (2021, February 25). The Politics of Mobile Code: Exploring Possibilities and Limitations of the Programmability of Smartphones. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. J.(Jeroen) Jansz & Prof. Dr. P.(Payal) Arora.
Dr. L. (Lela) Mosemghvdlishvili regularly offers workshops and talks regarding novel ways to approaching pedagogy in the university. Their emphasis is on increasing student-centered learning activities, which fascilitate deep engagement with content and highten students self-awareness and cultivate relational qualities in the classroom such as community feeling, compassion, understanding.
Open for enrollment TLC course Designing Contemplative Pedagogy in Higher Education professionalization course for (experienced) teachers (open for UvA, AUC, and ACTA faculty)
Authenticity in learning: teaching and grading reflections
The workshop brings into question the authenticity of written reflections. How can teachers support students to engage in self-reflection, and most importantly, how can such written assignments be assessed?
Introductory Workshop in Contemplative Pedagogy
In this workshop, moments of silence, mindful attention, invitation to engage with inner dialogue, and embodiment exercises are interwoven with the presentation of theory and applications of contemplative pedagogy in higher education. The faculties can request the two-hour workshop and be followed online.
Mindfulness in Academic Education
In this train-the-trainer workshop, the theory and practice of mindfulness for teachers and students are introduced not through a therapeutic framework but educational. The central message of the workshop is the integration of mindfulness in the classrooms and not only offering it as separate courses.
To request on-demand workshops for your department, please get in touch with Lela via email.
Designing contemplative learning activities for higher education, online, Network of Contemplative Pedagogy, March 9, 2023
From empathy to compassion, invited experiential lecture at honors course: Reimagining Equality as Academic Citizens, University of Amsterdam, November 24, 2022
Communal Reading: a powerful pedagogical tool for connection, Education Day, University of Amsterdam, October 6, 2022
Authenticity in Learning: how to teach reflection, Amsterdam Law Practice, February 24, 2022
Mindfulness in Academic Education Teaching and Learning Center of Amsterdam Law School (TLC-FdR), February 9, 2022
A Quest Towards Contemplative Pedagogy, talk at TEDxUvA, Theater Bellevue, November 15, 2021
Contemplative Practices for Meaningful Education, Education Day, University of Amsterdam, October 8, 2021