Call for projects “Learning processes and techniques” from the CNRS Mission for Transversal and Interdisciplinary Initiatives (MITI)

The CNRS is the only French organization to bring together the full range of sciences needed to address the challenges of learning and education in depth, from the multiple and intersecting angles of the human and social sciences, neuroscience, psychology, engineering, computer science and more. This spectrum covers a whole range of issues relating to human learning processes in the psychological, neuronal, biological, technological, social and societal, cultural and linguistic dimensions of learning and education. In the field of e-education, it is essential to jointly develop digital tools for analysis, learning assessment or personalized learning assistance, and usage analyses to measure the contributions and biases of digital tools and the ability of different categories of learners to appropriate them. More fundamentally, the question of the development of digital technology, and of artificial intelligence (machine learning) in particular, and its impact on human learning, is raised, and is illuminated by a reflection on the notion of intelligence. Understanding cognitive processes obviously involves considering economic and social contexts, from the issue of disability to that of inequalities (economic, social, gender or origin).

The aim of this call for projects is to encourage interface research on the question of learning and education, at a time when digital tools and social networks are being used on a massive scale, and education is a social and political priority at all stages of life.

This call for proposals is based on the possible convergence of technologies, computer science, cognitive science and social and human sciences research on education and learning: in particular, around common concepts (attention, training, consolidation, comprehension, interpretation, application, creation, reflexivity, etc.) and common scientific concerns (accessibility, remediation, effectiveness, adaptability, increasing knowledge and critical thinking skills, particularly with regard to beliefs and fake news, and the ability to make use of acquired approaches on one's own, etc.).