How do we keep up with it? With this constant influx of new technologies, media and tools? With all these new ways of creating, learning and working together that it brings along? A new generation of ‘digital natives’ (people born in the digital era) has no trouble at all and is experimenting merrily away. But what about the curious ‘digital immigrant’, and how do those who are a little older keep tuned to tomorrow’s world?
 
MU FlipLab, MU’s new educational programme, tries to find the answer to these questions by turning things upside-down. FlipLab is based on the idea of the ‘upside-down university’, where older people learn from the young by intensive cooperation between them, with seniors watching from close by what juniors are doing and how they are tackling things. By applying the principle of reverse mentoring, seniors learn from juniors, teachers from pupils, thinkers from doers, for example about art and creative tools. Here the emphasis is on exploring new ways of  learning and viewing the world in a new light.
 
The Grand Member (March 2013)
The first FlipLab pilot was the workshop The Grand Member, held in cooperation with the designer Irma Földényi. Pupils of the Sint Joris College (secondary school) designed a new family member together with their grandparents. Among other things, we learned from this that generations have more in common than you would think. For example, the youngsters showed surprisingly much appreciation for ‘ancient’ (universal) values such as genuineness and authenticity. Read more about The Grand Member.

Proof of mastery reverse mentoring (Augustus 2013-June 2014)
To probe more deeply into the interaction between generations and to focus this even more on visual culture, we are now working on a follow-up. Master student Danny van der Laan (Fontys Education in Arts) will conduct comprehensive research into reverse mentoring, and in the week from October 7 to 11 will carry out a project together with pupils of the Augustinianum College and seniors from the Academisch Genootschap (Academic Society). Click here for the promo.

LUDO's and don't in gaming (April 2014)
Workshop on gaming and gamification for seniors, which is created ​​and taught by students of Game Art & development of SintLucas. Through the reverse mentoring principle they give seniors a glimpse into the world of games, and also dive into the history of gaming to have a look at how people used to play. more

Upside Down University
Meanwhile we are developing plans to turn the Upside Down University into a structural public programme; a school where seniors learn from juniors. For example, we are discussing the possibility of cooperation with the SintLucas school, which will move to Strijp-S in 2015.