How has Brest Business School relied on distance learning to provide its students with flexibility while maintaining its high educational standards?
Jean-Baptiste Maurice, Director of Digital Learning at BBS, and Houssem Chemingui, a teacher at BBS, shared their experience of the school’s digital transformation: the expectations for this transformation, the key factors for success, and the contribution of Glowbl.
Background :
Let’s set the scene: Brest Business School is a well-known school, but located in a very isolated geographical area – our beautiful Brittany. Then came the health crisis, a real upheaval that forced everyone to rethink their habits. For BBS, it was an opportunity to rethink its teaching approach. And then there was the added pressure of growing competition. In the training world, which encouraged BBS to stand out from the crowd through innovation.
So Brest Business School decided to take the lead. On the one hand, by enriching its range of continuing education courses, and on the other, by reinventing the way it teaches its students.
Instructional signature:
At Brest Business School, teaching is not just courses, it is a whole experience. Using new teaching methods like active pedagogies, flexible programs and personalized support. BBS seeks to create a learning environment that attracts and inspires its students. The digitalisation of courses is therefore at the heart of Brest Business School’s strategy. Because it is simply the way to continue its growth.
=> Integrating the pedagogical signature as part of the strategy is key to the success of the transformation.
With this in mind, we created the TELeC: Technology Enhanced Learning and e-Research Center. These are the departments of digital learning and teachers who work together both on leading change and on applied research phases in progress. Indeed, it has much more impact if faculty teachers share good practices, than if digital learning imposes it.
Now we are moving into phase 2 of transformation. Before teachers had no obligation to digitize, and from this year it is mandatory.
We have set up a digitization guide in order to respect the quality standards. And of course, we support our teachers and temporary staff.
So 2 key takeaways for a successful transformation:
- The overall strategy of the organization must carry this.
- it must involve all stakeholders and, above all, end users.
Read aslo: Testimony English 4 French
Integrating digital learning into our teaching methods:
Integrating digital learning at Brest Business School is not just about adding technological tools. It’s a real change in the way we think about our courses. This transformation requires collaboration between teachers and tech to create an interactive and engaging experience that boosts learning. E-learning sections for acquisition, virtual classrooms transformed into workshops for synchronous sessions.
The aim is to enable everyone to acquire the basics of the course at their own pace. And then to plan synchronous sessions for remediation. Checking what has been learnt and getting students to work together on tutored exercises. As Houssem Chemingui makes clear: “A distance learning course is nothing like a face-to-face course”, he explains. “That’s why we strive to offer a learning experience that remains personalised and meets the aspirations of our students”. In short, the integration of digital learning at Brest Business School is a combination of tradition and innovation for a quality education.
Why Glowbl?
So Brest Business School opted for Glowbl! A solution that has changed everything about virtual classes… With Glowbl, the school has found a tool that reinvents the way courses are designed and delivered, focusing on student interaction and engagement.
Firstly, Glowbl spaces are place-spaces because they are persistent. “We have an integration with Canvas, our LMS. And a Glowbl space is a space for a group of learners, just as a classroom would be. What’s more, this space remains accessible at all times, even when the teacher isn’t there,” explains Jean-Baptiste Maurice, “so we can work in project management between starting work on one session and the next session finding the work where it was.
Secondly, “With Glowbl, we can spread our students over several tables, recreating a friendly, interactive atmosphere similar to that of a physical classroom. This immersion encourages discussion and work in small groups,” explains Houssem Chemingui.
Finally, thanks to the lesson plan tool, lessons can be scripted in advance, with resources and teaching tools associated with each stage. Scripting lessons has saved teachers a great deal of time and made them more efficient. Imagine being able to structure your lessons in advance, define the activities and integrate the necessary resources in just a few clicks. This frees up not only time, but also energy to concentrate on what really counts during the session: teaching. No more hours spent juggling logistical details! It goes without saying that we save these training sequences and use them as often as necessary.
Plus Glowbl support!
It’s not enough to have good ideas to succeed in your transformation. The challenge in training is that there are many different people to deal with, with very different profiles: learners, trainers, professional trainers, instructional designers…. Without getting everyone on board, the transformation is doomed to failure. That’s why it’s so important for this educational proposal to be at the heart of the growth strategy, because it frees up the time and investment needed to succeed.
“I don’t know if you know this, but Glowbl is not just a digital solution. It’s also an Academy that I systematically attend to train myself, and I use it to prepare training for BBS trainers,” explains Jean-Baptiste Maurice. In fact, 1 to 2 sessions of 1h15 are organised per month to train in collaborative methods and structured activities. The methods are often inspired by the methods and activities of Thiagi or Liberating Structures. Matthew Richter, director of Thiagi, regularly runs sessions alongside Meghane. What’s more, some of the sessions are in English! All users can take part in these sessions, which also allows for sharing. Jean-Baptiste Maurice has decided to work on a training programme for trainers and lecturers at Brest Business School.
The results of the system:
Houssem Chemingui shares his experience: “With Glowbl, we are able to manage the dynamics of content and participants by boosting interaction between learners and working on collaborative content that enables them to work together. We go beyond the simple poll or word cloud and move towards more reflective work. We’re using exactly the same teaching methods as we would in a classroom environment, where we’re used to organising our classes into islands”.
Students participate actively, share their ideas and work together! Quite simply, it’s a recipe for success.
Future prospects:
BBS is planning to roll out commodal courses from the start of the new academic year, with some students attending face-to-face classes and others studying remotely. Thanks to the use of Glowbl, all the students will be at the Glowbl table.
“We are convinced that the future of education lies in more active courses, where the learner is at the centre of the learning process,” says Jean-Baptiste Maurice. The convenience of Glowbl is a step in this direction, encouraging students to participate actively and work together, wherever they are.
To ensure the success of this new use, Jean-Baptiste Maurice points out that it is by working hand in hand with the Glowbl teams that the best experience can be offered. Indeed, feedback is given regularly to suggest ongoing improvements to the platform. That’s another advantage of working with a French team! It allows us to co-construct a solution that is truly developed to serve users.