Learning from the Future" symposium

This third symposium, designed and organized by the Centre de Soutien aux Innovations Pédagogiques (CSIP), was held on October 12 and 13 at the University of Montpellier. Here's a look back at a key event in the field of pedagogical transformation in higher education, attended by over a hundred national and international experts.

At this event, the CSIP brought together a group of major players from different backgrounds, continuing a collective reflection process initiated in 2018. This^3rd symposium was held on October 12 and 13 at the University of Montpellier. The program included plenary sessions, workshops, futuristic brainstorming and round-table discussions, with more than 30 high-level speakers. More than a hundred teacher-researchers, students, decision-makers, educational engineers, EdTechs... came to reflect on educational developments and imagine future prospects after a crisis that has shaken up all players in higher education.

"This event is an opportunity to look back on 10 years of educational transformation, and on a crisis that has revealed as many needs as creativity and opportunities. Over the course of these two days, we have been able to think and imagine together the university of 2031", emphasized Mireille Brangé, Coordinator of the national acceleration strategy for education and digital technology at the General Secretariat for Investment (SGPI), who opened the symposium alongside Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, and Anne-Sophie Barthez, General Director of Higher Education and Professional Integration at MESRI.

Unprecedented work sessions

The Centre de Soutien aux Innovations Pédagogiques team, in collaboration with the Louvain Learning Lab, the Université Catholique de Lille and the Centre national des arts et métiers, has proposed a number of original work sessions based on three main themes structuring the major stages of pedagogical transformation from 2010 to 2031. " The aim is to learn from the past 10 years, to question teaching and student practices, and to identify the various issues at stake in order to generate relevant questions for the next 10 years ", explains Brigitte Lundin, Director of the CSIP at the University of Montpellier.

Anticipating the future

Teachers and students from all over France shared their experiences of teaching during the health crisis. As Jean-Patrick Respaut, vice-president of training at the University of Montpellier, explains: "Over and above our shock and questions, what we want to do together is to identify different teaching initiatives to learn all the lessons from the crisis period we've just been through . We want to better anticipate the future, and not find ourselves in the situation of unpreparedness we've all been confronted with".

Finally, graphic facilitators unveiled a giant synthesis of the futuristic brainstorming workshops. These creative moments energized the collective work and stimulated innovative ideas on the future of the world of higher education, with its tensions and transformations. These two days of reflection and meetings ended with a round-table discussion on international perspectives and future directions. " The future is here and it starts now! " concluded Brigitte Lundin. See you in 2022.