CHARM-EU: Shaping Tomorrow’s Education
CHARM EU is a European university alliance consisting of nine leading universities across eight countries working together to strengthen European higher education, drive innovation, and equip students with the skills needed for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
The alliance has developed a distinctive joint Master’s programme: Global Challenges for Sustainability. Students are located at the different partner universities while following the same courses simultaneously and tackling real-world challenges provided by local organizations. To enable this, CHARM EU developed several shared innovations.
First, each partner developed a Hybrid Active Learning Classroom, linking campuses online into a single, collaborative classroom (see photo). Lecturers teach from one location while teaching assistants support students on-site in other countries. CHARM-EU also introduced a shared classroom model and a micro-credential course to help staff adopt this approach.
Second, the programme implemented Programmatic Assessment, a continuous, multi-point evaluation system that operates across all locations. This ensures consistent grading across countries while addressing cultural differences in assessment and remaining resilient in the age of AI.
Third, CHARM-EU is building a virtual campus that connects existing IT systems into one integrated digital environment offering seamless login, GDPR compliance, data exchange and student administration for students and staff.
Alumni Hazel 'The programme's transdisciplinary approach allowed me to explore sustainability from a holistic perspective, and its unique setting and assessment methods fostered peer-to-peer learning that has proven to be invaluable.'
For Utrecht University, CHARM-EU functions as a ‘living lab’ for inclusive, sustainable and innovative education. Initiatives such as the integrated digital environment and joint assessment practices, gained through CHARM-EU, are being applied within Utrecht University itself as well as across other networks.
More info:
https://www.uu.nl/en/masters/global-challenges-sustainability
