Dr. L. (Lela) Mosemghvdlishvili (cum laude MSc., cum laude B.A.) has a background the new media and technology studies. They obtained a doctoral degree for the manuscript Politics of Mobile Code: Possibilities and Limitations of Writing Software for Smartphones at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. The interdisciplinary dissertation explored the tension between mobile platform providers and the work of digital rights and free software activists, paying attention to surveillance practices and resistance to it. Lela has comprehensive teaching experience that spans over the past 13 years. They taught, mentored, and supervised theses in the International Bachelor of Communication and Media (IBCoM) at Erasmus University Rotterdam (2010-2017), and at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (2018).
Since 2018 Mosemghvdlishvili has been employed as a primary lecturer and course coordinator at the interdisciplinary honours program in Politics, Psychology, Law, and Economics (PPLE) at the University of Amsterdam, where they coordinate and lecture two mandatory courses: Research Lab (interdisciplinary research methods) and Integrative Seminar IV: Societal Challenges. As of August 1st, 2021, they also hold the position of Academic Skills Coordinator.
In June 2021, Mosemghvdlishvlii was awarded Education Research Fellowship to conduct a two-year research project in educational sciences and teaching practices. Their research project is concerned with developing design principles of contemplative pedagogy. In the context of their research, Lela regularly gives workshops to teachers on the themes: improving students' reflexivity, authenticity in teaching and contemplative pedagogy.
After ten years of working in the field of new media and technologies, Lela made a conscious choice to direct all efforts into teaching and teaching-related research inquiries. 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 education.
Themes relevant to Lela's teaching and research practice are directed at:
To this end, they have designed and continue to work on developing learning activities that employ experiential learning, embodiment, and contemplative practices to enrich the learning process.
(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 - to develop learning activities for knowledge sharing among students of different disciplinary backgrounds.
(2021-2023) Education Research Fellow - two-year design-based research intervention for exploring and evaluating contemplative practices for higher education.
The IIS webpage - dedicated to the outcome of the grant for Integrative Seminar IV: Societal Challenges.
A practical handbook for university teachers Meaningful Assessment in Interdisciplinary Education - featuring Dance as Experiential Learning (chapter 13) developed by Mosemghvdlishvili for an elective project Bridging Self and Other through mind and dance.
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.
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. Contemplative pedagogy is a novel approach to teaching which emphasizes the need and the intrinsic value of bringing the students' first-person view into the learning process to enrich, enhance, and not substitute current teaching methods.
In this train-the-trainer workshop, contemplative pedagogy – a novel approach to teaching - is presented through a comprehensive framework. Contemplative pedagogy integrates mindfulness and other experiential, embodied, and reflexive exercises to improve students' introspection, critical thinking, and overall deeper engagement with study material. Participants will (1) learn through theory, (2) experience first-hand, and (3) apply the essential elements of contemplative education to their own teaching.
The workshop is experiential, theoretical, and practical. Participants experience first-hand, learn through theory, and receive practical suggestions on how to design assignments that lead to a more authentic and more profound reflection and self-reflexivity among students.