The OpenU International Conference was organised by the Universities of Rennes 1 and Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne on the 13th and 14th October 2022 in Paris. The aim of the event – open to all stakeholders involved in European Higher Education – was to contribute to move forward innovative practices by promoting discussions, peer-learning sessions and the sharing of experiences and recommendations.

Representing the CHARM European University Alliance, Daniel Griffin (Trinity College Dublin), ​​Vanessa Vigano (University of Montpellier) and ​Dimitra Mousa (Utrecht University) presented CHARM-EU best practices at the plenary session titled “Skills and practices’ development in the trainers’ community”.

Their presentation started with the introduction of how CHARM-EU partners work together to create the university of the future and highlighted the importance of educational principles as they represent the guiding concepts underpinning the design of CHARM-EU educational experience and articulate the educational philosophy, mission and vision of the alliance’s educational programmes.

Next, they introduced the CHARM-EU Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and the Hybrid Classroom (HC) with the help of CHARM-EU’s prototype Master’s in Global Challenges for Sustainability by demonstrating the design and implementation of the five, interconnected hybrid classrooms and the way they work on a daily basis. They also talked about the participation action research methodology used by CHARM-EU and described the types of professional development activities carried out within the Alliance such as formal trainings, personalised consultations, peer-learning and community building.

The presentation was concluded with recommendations based on the lessons learned in CHARM-EU about the integration of educational principles, physical build alignment, the use of rubrics for tool selection and ongoing needs analysis as well as professional development and the importance of leaving adequate time for testing and staff orientation.

The presentation was developed through a collaboration of CHARM-EU staff including Daniel Griffin (TCD), ​ Silvia Gallagher (TCD), Jake Byrne (TCD), ​Vanessa Vigano (UM), ​Dimitra Mousa (UU), ​Sanne van Vugt (UU) and Alex Lodder (UU).

If you would like to learn more about virtual learning environments and hybrid classrooms, we recommend you to check out our Toolkit containing a range of guiding resources to help you implement a CHARM-EU approach and transform your existing practices. We highly recommend our Virtual Learning Environment Minimal Viable Product Design Guide and our Hybrid Classroom Handbook.