Circle U. was represented by Fanny Meunier and Benoît Raucent, Directors of the CU.mil and of the CU.til, respectively. Together with colleagues from other alliances, they shared their take on the future of education and language learning in our connected world and outlined some of the accomplishments of alliances in the field of multilingualism.
The event was organised jointly by the Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR) and the Rectors’ Council of Universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (CRef) within the framework of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and it featured mainly the alliances with a Belgian university among their constituent members, but not only.
Topics and takeaways
Given the all-encompassing nature of alliances, several topics were in the spotlight, namely multilingualism, inclusion, student and staff mobility, superdiversity in academia and the labour market, pedagogical innovation, the European Degree label and cooperation with partners in the Global South.
These were some of the main takeaway messages from the panel on “Future of Education and Language Learning in our Connected World”, where Circle U. took part:
- Multilingualism should be seen as an asset and not as a barrier. European University Alliances can be regarded as catalysts as they are able to provide the momentum for change.
- Multilingualism is also a key driver of inclusion: languages are not simply functional tools for communication; knowledge of languages has profound benefits both on individuals and on society at large.
- Great work has been achieved through small scale initiatives and this really ought to be sustained. To this end, investment must be increased, and adequate resources need to be found in order to increase the educational offer and make sure that what has been developed so far becomes embedded and systemic within higher education institutions.
- It’s important to invest on activities that foster multilingualism but also on research on multilingualism.
- Sharing of information and good practices between alliances is crucial towards the circulation of knowledge and development.
Speakers
Speakers at this session included:
- Ann Peeters, Vice-President of the Council for International Policy at VUB (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
- Benoît Raucent, academic director of the Circle U. Teaching and Innovations Lab (CU.til) and Professor at the Polytechnic School of Louvain (UCLouvain)
- Fanny Meunier, academic director of Circle U.’s Multilingualism, Interculturality and Language Lab (CU.mil) and is Professor of English Language, Linguistics and Teacher Education at UCLouvain.
- Jo Angouri, Professor in Sociolinguistics and Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education and Internationalization at the University of Warwick, UK
- Laurence Mettewie, professor of Dutch Language and Linguistics at the Université de Namur (Belgium).
- An Van linden, Associate Professor of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Liège.
