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Education Innovation

Working Group

Chair: Nicoleta Laura Popa

Dr. Nicoleta Laura Popa is professor of educational sciences and vice-dean for scientific research and international relations of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi in Romania. Her research interests and expertise cover intercultural education, mobility and migration, educational assessment and evaluation, gifted education. She has held teaching and research fellowships in several European universities, with activities connected to the theme of education and transnational migration. She coordinates the Research Center in Educational Sciences and is a member of the Research Laboratory for Studies on Intercultural Relations, Migration and Education. She has been a member of the Education Innovation Working Group (Coimbra Group) since 2016.

 

Vice-Chair: François Lecellier

François Lecellier is associate professor in Computer Science at the Institute of Technology of the University of Poitiers in France. His research interests are focused on image, videos and data processing and clustering. He also works in the field of Learning Analytics in the program Elans to allow a “tailor-made” follow-up, essential to better accompany students’ learning trajectories. He is also chair of Coda project regarding links between high schools and universities. In pedagogy, he works on gamification and use of video games to enhance students’ engagement.

Focus of Working Group

The EDU Working Group aims to share best practices in pedagogy across various domains, learning spaces, internationalization of the curriculum, and the integration of technology for teaching and academic pedagogy.

Regarding learning spaces, we exchange innovative approaches to classroom design, instructional delivery methods, and student engagement techniques. By sharing insights and experiences related to optimizing learning spaces, educators can enhance the effectiveness of their teaching practices and create environments conducive to student success.

For the internationalization of the curriculum, it involves infusing global perspectives, cultural competencies, and international experiences into the academic programme. We work also on blended mobility and internationalization at home as possibilities to expand the international aspect of studies.

More recently, our Working Group exchanges on technology enhanced teaching and learning by focusing on Learning Analytics and then on Artificial Intelligence (AI). More specifically, we focus ourselves on the development of generative AI in the different fields of higher education.

Priorities for 2024-2026

  • CG High Level Policy Seminar on Education Policy “AI in Higher Education”, with a forum on Artificial Intelligence (21-22 November 2024, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași).
  • Survey on the different aspects of Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching.
  • Development of a web-resource on Learning Spaces.
  • Inter-Working Groups meetings on AI.

Recent highlights

  • Walkabout Session at the 2022 Coimbra Group High-Level Seminar on Education Policy, “From learning spaces to learning environments”, organized at the University of Uppsala. EDU WG members contributed to the event with examples of innovative teaching and learning activities during the Walkabout Session which featured innovative use of learning spaces across the CG network. The WG also proposed the creation of a collegial network on learning environments.
  • 2023 Webinar on “Hybrid and Virtual Learning Spaces” at the Open Education Week hosted by the EDEN Network. The webinar built on the work conducted by EDU WG members on innovative learning spaces. Hybrid and virtual learning spaces are increasingly planned, designed and evaluated for their rich instructional potential, especially in the context of transnational teaching and learning initiatives, but also as an effect of post-pandemic developments in higher education institutions.
  • 2023 EDU WG Seminar on Learning Analytics. This seminar launched the work on Technology Enhanced Learning and Teaching through the scope of Learning Analytics. The strong increase of Learning Management Systems (LMS) usage in Higher Education due to the COVID crisis also increased the amount of data that are collected by those systems. With Learning Analytics, it is possible to analyse and to provide information to students and teachers on Intelligent Tutoring Systems for example. It also allows three levels of application, micro-level (ITS, individual engagement), meso-level (for the whole classroom and/or the whole university) and macro-level (for the whole educational system).

Ongoing/forthcoming activities

2024-2025

  • Working Group Meeting at the Coimbra Group Annual Conference and General Assembly, June 2024, University of Turku
  • CG High Level Policy Seminar on Education Policy – AI in Higher Education, 21-22 November 2024, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași.
  • Working Group Meeting in Spring 2025.
  • Continuing EDU WG Subgroups’ activities.
  • “AI in the Coimbra Group Universities”: inter-WGs activities with online webinars and/or white papers on the topic.

2025-2026

  • EDU WG meeting and thematic seminar, March/April 2025, University of Durham. Provisional topic: “Digital understanding, knowledge, and competence”.
  • EDU WG meeting during CG Annual Conference and General Assembly, University of Bologna, June 2025.
  • EDU WG online meeting in Fall 2025 to define the WG priorities for the next years.
  • Continuation of the “AI in Coimbra Group Universities” inter-Working Groups activity.
  • EDU Working Group meeting and inter-Working Groups meetings during the CG Annual Conference and General Assembly, University of Würzburg, June 2026.
  • CG High Level Policy Seminar on Education Policy, Fall / Winter 2026, on at topic to be defined in connection with the Executive Board.

Contact person at the CG Office: Catarina Moleiro (moleiro@coimbra-group.eu)