Over 100 participants from the 9 partner universities, as well as from other European alliances and associated partners, participated in the activities, including panel debates, workshops, and thematic discussions, all aimed at exploring and sharing perspectives on innovative pedagogy.
The first day of the Forum was held at La Cité du Train, a railway museum in Mulhouse. Participants had the opportunity to explore parts of the largest railway museum in Europe.
The forum started with a keynote speech given by Laurent Boetsch where he reflected on “Not just how, but why do we teach?”. The event continued with two panel discussions, the first focused on “pedagogical innovation in other European alliances”, and the second focused on “how can European alliances can respond to the needs for skills in our society”. The day ended with a magical dinner, surrounded by hundreds of historical trains, featuring an opening performance by the German band Steinbach, and a captivating magic show during dinner by Eric Borner, along with relaxing lounge music.
The second day took place at UHA’s Fonderie campus, where participants engaged in five different workshops. These were followed by a plenary session, where the participants presented the highlights and the outcomes of each workshop.
- Create your European Alliance Course.
- Addressing societal challenges through research and challenge-based learning.
- Sharing resources and unlocking value: multilateral teaching and research networks within European Alliances.
- Setting up a team to fast-track pedagogical innovation Virtual Reality (VR) as an example.
- Approaches to ensuring the quality of your European Alliance educational offer.
After lunch, attendees were invited to assist in the introduction to the thematic discussions. The moderator, Donna Hurford, chair of the Education Committee in EPICUR, emphasized the many ways to collaborate in creating EPICUR courses.
The thematic discussions started with a speed-dating session, where participants had the opportunity to exchange information and ideas for future possible collaborations.
The Forum concluded with a beautiful quote: “Bringing people together with a common purpose”.
The Forum’s thematic intrigued attendees, sparking exchanges, questions, and reflections on how they can work within EPICUR over the two days. We are optimistic that this year’s event has established a foundation for future collaborations within the EPICUR community!
Photos: UHA
