For those who think that "teachers don't live in the real world", Thibault Cuénoud, Associate Professor in our Strategy Department has a simple retort: "Pedagogical hybridisation through the corporate world". When you incite students to think about the local region and its players, new perspectives tend to emerge.
The presentation of economic forecasts by the Director of the Banque de France, in terms of hybridisation, was a bit short, don't you think?
Yes indeed! But the principle economic indicators that were presented had already been seen during lesson time. The Director of the Banque de France asked the School to get students involved in a conference that took place on Tuesday 11th February, so that they could ask questions that were important to them. She wanted the professional world to have a better understanding of the expectations of the youth by listening to their questions... questions she had previously reviewed and endorsed without changing anything.
What was your objective in getting 80 students to participate in this conference?
As an educator, my aim was for the students to have an awareness of their local economy. Although they will be here for the duration of their studies, they are not necessarily familiar with the local ecosystem and its many issues and challenges. The La Rochelle area is not just about the sea and the historic port!
What does all this have to do with pedagogical innovation?
As the School is very internationally-oriented, we often talk to our students about the amazing companies out there that are so glamorous! The idea of this exercise is to introduce a perception of business that is perhaps less attractive and exciting but is, however, a reality.
Let's talk about another event, the Hackathon, which took place on 14th February. Same question... how can this be seen as educational innovation?
Spending 48 hours on a theme, in this case "Zero-carbon Region", was an opportunity to put together groups of people with very different skill sets, and to get them to work together to find innovative and unique solutions. The limitations of some can often be a source of strength for others.
The students had to imagine Excelia in 2040. Did they surprise you?
The issues put forward troubled them a little, because normally they think of a promising future, in a world where anything is possible. This time, however, they were faced with certain constraint. For example, in 2040, a suggestion of carsharing would be irrelevant because, by then, cars will have been banned from the Minimes district! Along with our partners, we observed that although our students have strong values, such as solidarity, they don't yet know how to really put sustainable development into action. They need practical examples. This experience showed us that we put a lot of pressure on young people to 'change the world', however it is our responsibility to guide and accompany them.
