The Nordic Symposium on Critical Research in Innovative Learning Environments, held in Umeå on 23–25 September 2025, brought together leading Nordic and international scholars to explore recent developments in research on innovative learning environments (ILEs). The symposium brought together Nordic and international research exploring how various dimensions of Innovative Learning Environments (ILEs) are conceptualised, designed, enacted, and developed across educational contexts. The contributions addressed critical intersections between policy, architecture, pedagogy, and digitalisation, as well as issues of participation, inclusion, and spatial competence.
Across three days, the programme featured keynote presentations by Marian Mahat, Pamela Woolner, Jo Tondeur & Sarah Howard, Ruth Stevens, Kreeta Niemi, Peter Kraftl, Ulrike Stadler-Altmann, and Bodil Hovaldt Bøjer. In addition to participants from the NNILE and CROSS networks, the symposium welcomed invited guests including architects, school leaders, municipal representatives, and doctoral researchers from across the Nordic countries.
