Annual Report 2016, Dublin

This year, we had 13 sessions (one less than in 2015), with more than 35 presenters in loco. The average number of attending people was around 30 for each session. Internationalisation processes and progressive/alternative forms of education were broadly developed along the sessions.

We offered a workshop in ERC. The special call circulated via NW17 mailing list and social media smoothly and the presenters found it very useful for the construction of their proposals.

During the sessions, the discussions were positive and dynamic. The engagement of the presenters was quite active and they often continued discussing during the breaks. This contributed to streghten ties within the network but also with other networks whose members participated in some of our network sessions.

Supported by EERA, a joint project 'Cultural Learning, Identity and the European Project’ was introduced by members of NW17 and NW20. The focus of this project was an exploration of the interplay between two concepts being promoted within European educational policy discourse, that of the Engaged University and Cultural Learning. Theoretical concepts (‘culture’, ‘cultural learning,’ 'ecology of culture' and ‘the engaged university') and the working practices of the academics engaged in cultural learning were discussed during two workshops in Barcelona (November 2015) and Riga (March 2016). The highlight of the project was the session 'Cultural Learning as an Integral Part of Academic Practice: Rhetorical Flourish of Reality in Emergence' held in ECER in Dublin. Results of the project will be summarised in a book welcoming contributions from both networks. As it was stated during the NW17 meeting, the Cultural Learning could be an interesting topic, which could feed thoughts/researches about the position of scholar and inspire new topics: i.e. Gallery teaching, as well as an appropriate topic to share it with other networks (i.e. Art & Education).