UNamur at the sixth edition of SETT

Organized in partnership with the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and UNamur, SETT is recognized as inter-network training days by the Institut interréseaux de la Formation Professionnelle Continue (IFPC). The aim of the event is to bring together all those involved in education to discuss the latest digital and pedagogical advances. According to Julie Henry, head of UNamur's Scientific Committee and an expert in digital education, "the SETT is a key space for the dissemination and impact of our research and a unique opportunity to share knowledge, confront our work with the reality in the field and influence educational practices on a large scale. Since its creation, the SETT has provided a forum for dialogue and strategic intelligence, enabling us to discuss the challenges and opportunities of digital technology in education, a central issue in the evolution of teaching practices". Julie Henry adds: "Today, digital technology is an essential skill for every citizen. It's not just a question of mastering tools, but of developing a digital culture that integrates critical thinking and an understanding of the societal, economic and environmental issues linked to technologies. That's why SETT, a space for collective reflection, is essential to anticipate the transformations to come and to support education players in these changes."

From basic to higher education, SETT offers a variety of workshops, talks and conferences. On the program for these two days, conferences around STE(A)M, Artificial Intelligence, video games, critical digital education... Three major themes in connection with teaching and new technologies were addressed by UNamur experts:

• digital at the service of learners/teachers
• digital media education
• STEM education

Focus on some testimonials from our researchers.

Can we use Black Mirror to educate about the digital? The series, known for its dark tales of technology and its impact on society, offers a basis for discussion of digital issues. In this conference, Benoît Vanderose and Anthony Simonofski, professors at the University of Namur, looked back at the usefulness of the podcast's effectiveness as a pedagogical tool, its possible use in the classroom, and the major themes that can be tackled via this channel.

For years, learning computer science has been based on a bottom-up approach: starting with the basics of programming, via simple exercises, towards more advanced concepts of teamwork, object-oriented, version management, testing and so on. Nevertheless, this approach may seem questionable in view of the mixed results, particularly in learning object-oriented best practices. This problem could be due to the fact that we are constantly putting off complexity until later, rather than welcoming it as an intrinsic element and learning to manage it as soon as possible.

In this café-causerie, Benoît Vanderose and Xavier Devroey, professors at UNamur, proposed to discuss a new approach to learning programming, based on the good development practices in place in industry, notably, thinking through test cases before programming. The aim being to think about the program in terms of its behaviors, rather than directly tackling the algorithmic way of solving the problem.

Initially scheduled to give a talk at SETT, UNamur professor Michaël Lobet was unfortunately unable to attend due to a health impediment. Nevertheless, he was keen to share his views on the importance of taking part in such a show. "We're talking about a 3rd (or even 4th) industrial revolution with the arrival of new information and communication technologies. Recent events such as covid or the advent of AI have had a big impact on our society and, de facto, on teaching. Although not new, the challenge of digital training remains paramount to avoid aggravating social fractures. Through my talk, my message would have been to take stock of the impact of generative AI/IA on teaching. I remain convinced of the need to train teachers in this new technology, to use it critically, responsibly and innovatively. Our institutions must be able to deliver clear messages to accompany user teachers in this challenge," explains Michaël Lobet.

Sign languages emerge naturally in deaf communities around the world. The ASBL Ecole et Surdité active within the Sainte Marie school in Namur is working to offer bilingual French / Langue des Signes Francophone de Belgique (LSFB) courses for primary and secondary schools. In cooperation with them that Laurence Meurant and her team at UNamur's Research Institute NaLTT have created a collaborative lexicon enabling the deaf community to consult and propose LSFB vocabulary autonomously. This presentation by Magaly Ghesquière and Jérôme Fink, both professors at UNamur, looked back at the sources of this collaboration and offered feedback on the tool developed and its future.

Through such interventions, Julie Henry affirms that "since the first edition, the University of Namur remains invested in the quality of the program via the chaire Educonum (Faculty of Computer Science) and its members. Participating - as a speaker, exhibitor or visitor - is a way of extending this commitment and actively contributing to the evolution of digital education. UNamur, notably through the Educonum Chair, thus reaffirms its commitment to research and innovation in digital education, in the service of more effective, inclusive teaching adapted to the challenges of today and tomorrow."