The UAB and the Citilab of Cornellà launch a learning experience based on play and discovery
On 18 and 20 November 2025, the UAB Open Labs received a visit from 32 members of the Citilab of Cornellà's SeniorLab as part of a learning experience aimed at exploring new ways of discovering the campus and its ecosystem of open laboratories. The initiative responds to the shared desire to strengthen the links between the University and citizen communities interested in active, collaborative and locally rooted learning practices.
Designed and led by Paloma Valdivia Vizarreta and Miriam Aurea Marcial Manzola, from the Deparment of Educational Theories and Social Pedagogy at the UAB, with the support of the CORE in Education and Employability, the visit focused on three spaces of the UAB Open Labs (the Disseny Lab, the CircuLab and the Digital Lab). The proposa was based on the pedagogy of play and learning by discovery, which transformed the tour into an active experience: the participants freely explored the spaces, handled materials and technologies, and generated shared interpretations about the functions and potential of each laboratory.
The activity was structured into four parallel routes guided by cards that posed specific challenges in each space. Subsequently, the groups shared their discoveries and, in doing so, constructed a collective vision of the practices taking place and their connection to contemporary challenges related to creativity, sustainability and digitalisation. The tour also included augmented reality activities related to the campus' artistic heritage, integrating culture and emerging technologies in the same learning environment.
The initiative involved four students from the University at the Abast, who served as hosts and guides: Sebastià Cuadras, Ángela Baena, Carme Villameriel and Juanjo García. In addition to taking part in the programme, they are members of the Plus Actiu student association. Their involvement was made possible thanks to the coordination of the School of Continuing Education, which reinforces the value of internal partnerships that facilitate intergenerational experiences open to the community.
The activity highlights the role of the UAB Open Labs and the University at a Glance as spaces that connect lifelong learning, campus culture, and emerging technologies by fostering a model of open, participatory and locally engaged university.