From November 6-8, 2024, the ECIU Challenge-based Learning Event took place at UAB. The event brought together close to 30 professors and researchers from ECIU member universities, including Dublin City University (Ireland), University of Stavanger (Norway), Lodz University of Technology (Poland), Tampere University (Finland), Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona (Spain), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (France), Hamburg University of Technology (Germany), University of Aveiro (Portugal), University of Trento (Italy) and Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania).The training, titled “Challenge-based Learning, Enhanced by Virtual Reality,” aimed to foster collaboration and knowledge exchange through hands-on prototyping and virtual tools. It focused on building capacities in the integration of Agile methods in learning and teaching, advanced strategies for creating interactive digital learning resources, and the use of digital technologies to improve learner interaction.
These themes and tools were well-aligned with our project approach. Moreover, given that the event involved the ECIU educational community, it was a unique opportunity to engage with the potential end-users of the future Distributed Lab and gather their needs and ideas.
On Wednesday, 6th of November, Konstantinos Kourkoutas from UAB presented the objectives of our ULALABS project, the work done so far, and our approach and considerations regarding the Mutual Learning Communities and Strategies for Engagement.
He then posed the following challenge to the group:
“How can we design a hybrid, distributed, and inclusive learning space that meets the evolving needs of the ECIU, fostering innovative collaboration, problem-solving, and knowledge generation, through a shared teaching and experimentation environment?”
Over the next few days, four groups composed of professors and researchers from different ECIU universities tackled this challenge. They learned about various virtual reality tools and how to use them to propose solutions. On the final day, Friday 8th of November, the groups pitched their proposals and models, providing valuable inputs and food for thoughts.
While each group proposed unique solutions, focusing on different aspects of the challenge, their ideas were complementary and showcased a high level of creative thinking, system change, and design thinking. The groups emphasized the importance of creating open, safe, and inspirational spaces that foster transversal skills, transdisciplinary collaborations, and co-creation. They explored various strategies to ensure inclusiveness, aiming to engage a diverse range of stakeholders from both the academic community and beyond. This approach not only aims to bring research closer to non-researchers but also to create a more integrated and collaborative learning environment.
The proposals highlighted the potential of hybrid, distributed, and inclusive learning spaces to meet the evolving needs of the ECIU community. By leveraging virtual reality tools and innovative teaching methods, the groups demonstrated how such spaces could enhance problem-solving, knowledge generation, and collaborative efforts. We will analyze the inputs from these groups and share our findings with the ULALABS community. These insights will be invaluable as we are co-creating our future vision with the community and continue to develop and refine our strategies for creating effective and engaging learning environments. Thank you to the organizers of the event for incorporating the ULALABS challenge in the workshop and to all the participants for their great work and sharing with us the valuable inputs and vision for the future distributed Lab of Labs.
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