A learning lab at university. But why? What for? For what purpose?

  • Category : Seminar
  • Dates : March 22, 2023
  • Timetable: from 5 to 6.30 p.m.
  • Location: Videoconference

The LETS Learning Lab project takes place in a context where pedagogical innovation is highly valued in higher education establishments.

By innovation, we mean revising curricula and the way they are implemented (Bajada et al., 2019). It is therefore an engineering approach designed to enrich social practices (Chevallard, 1982). It is in fact an innovation that goes beyond the technological dimension and is context-dependent (Lison et al., 2014). It takes different forms, concerns different levels, and the challenge often lies in developing a culture of innovation (O'Banion et al., 2011).

As part of the LETS Learning Lab project, a consortium of four universities conducted design-oriented research (Sanchez & Monod-Ansaldi, 2015) with the dual aim of developing a network of learning labs as well as documenting the design process, implementation and challenges. In this webinar, the learning lab model that emerged from the consortium's work will be discussed, and the implementation process will be described based on experiences and observations in Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Switzerland.

This project led us to define a learning lab as a physical, digital and human space offering teachers, students and educational researchers the opportunity to observe, exchange, experiment with and evaluate learning and teaching methods at university (Sanchez et al., 2021). It has also enabled us to identify the main challenges in designing and implementing a learning lab.

The challenges are to institutionalize it, and to build, develop and maintain a learning community.