Online streaming conference: European University Alliances, Drivers of Change and Innovation in Higher Education

Cette conférence explore le multilinguisme, l'inclusion, la mobilité des étudiants et du personnel, la "superdiversité" dans le monde universitaire et sur le marché du travail, les innovations pédagogiques et le label du diplôme européen. La conférence se penchera également sur la manière dont les alliances peuvent contribuer à renforcer la collaboration avec les universités partenaires du Sud.

La conférence (en anglais) est organisée par VLIR et le CRef et sera diffusée en streaming. Elle aura lieu le mardi 30 avril de 9h à 18h.

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Programme

Session 1: 9:00 - 10:00: The Future of Education and Language Learning in our Connected World
UCLouvain (Circle U) and VUB (EUTOPIA)

Break: 10:00 - 10:30

Session 2: 10:30 - 11:30: Cosmobility: Rethinking Student and Staff Mobility
ULB (Civis) and UGent (ENLIGHT)

Session 3: 11:30 - 12:30: Understanding and Applying Superdiversity in Academia, Higher Education and Beyond
ULiège (UNIC) and UHasselt (EURECA-PRO)

Break: 12:30 - 14:00

Session 4: 14:00 - 15:00: Alliances as Drivers of Pedagogical Innovation
UNamur (UniversEH) and UAntwerpen (YUFE)

Session 5: 15:00 - 16:00: The European Degree as an Important Milestone towards a Strong Future for the European Higher Education Area
UMONS (EUNICE) and KU Leuven (Una Europa)

Break: 16:00 – 16:30

Session 6: 16:30 - 17:30: EU and Global Partnerships / Cooperation with the Global South
VLIR-UOS and CRef

Concluding Session: 17:30 - 18:00: Policy Recommendations

Thematic Sessions

Session 1: VUB-UCLouvain: The Future of Education and Language Learning in our Connected World
European University Alliances offer promising perspectives in two pivotal aspects shaping the European Higher Education landscape: inclusion and agency. Connectedness drives educational innovations that enhance the academic experience, learning and agency of both students and staff. Emerging trends and developments will be addressed from a systemic perspective and illustrated through the lens of multilingualism, while also exploring some areas of improvement.
Keywords: multilingualism, connectedness, inclusion, curricular agency, learning outcomes

Session 2: UGent-ULB: Cosmobility: Rethinking Student and Staff Mobility
This session explores the purpose of European and global mobility and examines how mobility can be improved. The main challenges and obstacles will be discussed through innovative approaches, taking into account the students’ and the Global South perspective: sustainability and inclusion; mandatory vs. optional mobility; short-term vs. long-term mobility and their academic recognition; challenges related to non-EU mobility; brain drain/gain and BIPs as space for innovation and preparation for intercultural encounters.
Keywords: mobility, innovation, sustainability, inclusion, recognition, intercultural encounters

Session 3: UHasselt-ULiège: Understanding and Applying Superdiversity in Academia, Higher Education and Beyond
Superdiversity may appear to be a buzzword, but in the contemporary landscape of higher education, the concept has emerged as a transformative force. It encompasses the complexity of diverse identities, experiences, and backgrounds within educational settings and challenges conventional notions of diversity. After exploring the concept itself, four experts will discuss its articulation, bridging the gap between the understanding, discourse and application of superdiversity in, on the one hand, academia and higher education, and, on the other hand, the labour market.
Keywords: superdiversity, transformation, higher education, labour market

Session 4: UAntwerpen-UNamur: Alliances as Drivers of Pedagogical Innovation
The aim of this session is to showcase good practices and define challenges and opportunities related to ‘pedagogical innovation’ by giving a voice to practitioners, students and stakeholders from a variety of alliances.
Keywords: pedagogical innovation, university alliances

Session 5: KU Leuven-UMONS: The European Degree as an Important Milestone Towards a Strong Future for the European Higher Education Area
To support the development of a strong European Education Area, the European Commission financed 6 projects to examine, test and facilitate the delivery of a joint European Degree label for international programmes developed through intensive cross-border collaboration of European higher education institutions. This session will reflect on the results of these projects and consider them from a forward looking broader perspective. Representatives of different stakeholder groups will discuss the European Degree in light of the desired future for European higher education and consider the added value of a label versus a degree from a global perspective.
Keywords: European degree, cross-border collaboration, future perspective

Session 6: VLIR-UOS-CRef: EU and Global Partnerships / Cooperation with the Global South
This session will reflect on how European University Alliances can contribute to an enhanced collaboration with partner universities in the Global South. This session will also take into account the topics addressed in the other five sessions.
Keywords: Global South, multilingualism, mobility, superdiversity, pedagogical innovations, European Degree