Zinka Bejtic, Ph.D.

COGNITIVE EMOTIONAL pedagogy expert + professor of art and design

Zinka Bejtic is an educator and an expert in the cognitive pedagogy of experiential education, focusing on the social-emotional aspect of teaching and learning. She specializes in identifying innovative and sustainable ways that transform teaching, personalize students' learning, and enhance their creativity and motivation.

​With a doctorate in educational psychology and more than 20 years of teaching experience, Zinka has taught in the fields of design and digital media in higher education institutions in Canada, the United States, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the United Arab Emirates. She has published widely in the field of experiential teaching and care pedagogy, particularly examining behaviors and educators' personal qualities that support students' intrinsic motivation, creativity, and engagement.​

In her talks and workshops, Zinka seeks to promote care pedagogy and actively participates in the dramatic transformation in the education landscape. These changes, brought by the technological, cultural, but more importantly social-emotional shifts, emphasize students' needs for self-awareness, inspiration, connection, and autonomy. They call for a change in the way we teach and prepare students to become successful life-long learners.

Zinka is the Associate Dean at the College of Architecture, Art and Design, the American University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, where she also teaches in the department of Art and Design.