Pioneering a new student experience

There’s a new way of looking at the educational experience. It’s a long journey that starts as early as the course recruitment stage and continues through to graduation day and far beyond. A lifetime of knowledge, friends, contacts and influence begins with EDHEC. In recognition of this, EDHEC is leading the education sector in reinventing the education experience around students, with them, and for them. EDHEC Dean, Emmanuel Métais, has made it one of his core missions. 

Understatement of the millenium: Times are changing. Fast. For Emmanuel Métais, EDHEC is not the kind of place that simply waits to see what the future will bring.

“We are making the educational experience a point of policy. It’s a part of who we are and improving the journey for every student is something we truly believe in.” - Emmanuel Métais 

“Any business school that wants to thrive today has to embrace the challenge of ongoing evolution. We’re setting the example.” Dean Métais has long seen the importance of the student experience at EDHEC. “It’s one of the key assets of our business school and a clear point of differentiation for the future. For me it seemed obvious that we needed to build this aspect in an organized way, which is why we’ve assembled a dedicated management team to focus on the Educational Experience.” The 130-strong taskforce, which covers all but the academic departments, is headed by Associate Dean, Anne Zuccarelli.

BUILDING AN EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE STRATEGY

Anne Zuccarelli points out that calling it ‘Educational Experience’ was intentional, to underscore how all the school’s activities support or complement the academic side of the EDHEC Experience. “The approach encompasses many aspects not commonly associated with a student’s journey through EDHEC and beyond.” The initiative includes the organization of programs, IT and facilities, the Career Centre for life, the pedagogic innovation lab, in fact every element that goes into creating the student’s journey within our campuses.

LISTENING TO STUDENTS

“The linchpin in the whole operation is the student’s voice,” explains Anne Zuccarelli. “This doesn’t mean that everything bends to the slightest whim of the student body, however everything is being reconsidered through the lens of student needs.” More than ever before the students' impressions, opinions, ambitions and wishes are being woven into the thread of our institution. At EDHEC, the student experience rests on four pillars: academic life, social and club life, international life, and connection with business. 

ACADEMIC LIFE

In the academic sphere, we’re moving towards a three-channel model where students can learn in a combination of classroom, online and teamwork activities. This approach allows us to know each student better, especially with the online aspect, and enables personalization. We’re also looking at this as a superb opportunity to innovate. Hand in hand with the pedagogic laboratory, we’re working on training programmes for teaching staff, creating tutorials so parts of their teaching can be available digitally, and supporting the process by sharing best practices. For students, the promise of ultimate flexibility is becoming a reality. It will mean they can choose to be present or remote, all the time or sometimes. 

SOCIAL LIFE AND CLUBS

With over 80 associations active under one roof, our students are spoiled for choice. Connecting with others is an integrated component of the Educational Experience. So too is the health and wellbeing of students. Anne Zuccarelli is emphatic that mental well-being in particular is on their radar. “We’re working with young adults who have left their families behind, they’re no longer within the strict framework of high school, and suddenly they’re expected to be incredibly independent and responsible.” In paralell, we offer a large range of sport activities, from leisure to competition. ‘Care and Share’ campus is our motto!

INTERNATIONAL LIFE

As a vital pillar of EDHEC, exposure to international experience is one of the best advantages we offer our students. They now have the opportunity to do study stints with more than 250 of our academic partners across the planet. Every EDHEC campus is a cosmopolitan hothouse of nationalities so wherever students find themselves, they’re meeting people from a broad range of backgrounds, expanding their horizons on many levels.

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