Via Beato Pellegrino, 28 - 35137 Padova | 049 827 8978
Access the private area
When learning theories meet marshmallows: Prof. Joellen Coryell inspires Padova’s PhD students
During a warm summer day in Padova, inside a seminar room, PhD students from across Europe and beyond can be observed – highly focused – building and balancing ideas, viewpoints, relationships, and… marshmallows? This fun, hands-on activity, known as the Marshmallow Challenge, became the perfect metaphor for the seminar’s deeper message of team spirit and collaboration, which ran like a red thread throughout the workshop day.
The seminar, titled “The Impact of Learning Theory and Teaching Methods in Organizational Learning”, was led by Prof. Joellen Coryell, visiting from Texas State University. Prof. Coryell, a specialist in Adult, Professional, and Community Education, brought much more than slides and theory. She brought a decade of partnership between Texas and Padova to life by connecting general learning theory to the individual backgrounds of the participants.
Connecting education and people across continents
As Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Educational Partnerships and Director of the TXST Italy Summer Hub, Prof. Coryell has spent years cultivating international educational experiences that go beyond academic exchange. Her work focuses on international cross- cultural adult and higher education, as well as on professional development of adult educators and leaders promoting teaching methods that connect theory with real-world impact. Her recent book Methods for Facilitating Adult Learning: Strategies for Enhancing Instruction and Instructor Effectiveness (Routledge, 2024) reflects this philosophy. In one standout chapter, she explores the interactive lecture, a teaching method that merges structure with student engagement. It’s no surprise that her seminar in Padova felt just like that: coherent, participatory, and filled with real-world examples. Students from a wide range of educational fields – K12, children’s literature, leadership, organizational learning – found the session eye-opening. The content on learning theory and teaching philosophies wasn’t just academic. The interactive teaching approach connected the theory to the students’ personal life stories. The seminar content felt personal, relevant, and grounded in practice.
A two-way exchange of ideas
Padova’s PhD students particularly enjoyed the opportunity to engage directly with Texas scholars, gaining fresh perspectives from a different academic system. Many valued the chance to exchange experiences, teaching methods, and cultural insights. “We learned as much from one another as from Prof. Coryell herself.” one student said. “It was fascinating to see how education works differently in Texas. It felt like a genuine exchange, not just a one-way lecture.”
What the students said
“It’s rare to attend a seminar that makes you rethink how you learn, how you teach, and how you work with others – all in one day,” another student shared afterwards. “Prof. Coryell created an environment where we weren’t just studying theory, we were reflecting our own experiences, including the perspectives of the other attendees.” Another participant said, “I appreciated how inclusive the session felt. Coming from a different academic background, I still saw how many concepts applied to my situation. It was inspiring.”
More than a visit – a vision for ongoing exchange
This seminar was part of a broader collaboration between Texas State University and the University of Padova, now more than ten years strong. Through the TXST Italy Summer Hub, Texas State undergraduates can study abroad, while Padova’s students benefit from the cross- cultural exchange and learning experiences. The long-term vision of this shared ecosystem includes broader participation, more joint seminars, and continued faculty collaboration to encourage international learning communities and an education that goes past theory.
In the end, the marshmallows were just the beginning. What Prof. Coryell offered Padova’s PhD students was something far more lasting: a reminder that learning, at its best, is collaborative, creative, and cross-cultural.
Author: Sarah Schmidt
Editor: Bakhtawar Khosa
