Pedagogical Innovations: How to Meet the Expectations of Generation Z Learners
Addressing an increasingly shortened attention span
The digital revolution and the ever-changing professions and skills have profoundly transformed the needs and behaviours of new learners. “The first issue facing the teacher is the duration of attention, which is becoming shorter and shorter for the learner. The average attention span is now estimated to be 12 minutes. We therefore need to develop a greater variety of teaching approaches and activities to stimulate curiosity at a more sustained pace“, explains Agnès Le Bellac, Innovation Manager at MBS.
In order to tackle attention disruptors (health, fatigue, smartphone notifications), Dr Julien Granata set up an original “educational hook” at the beginning of the stress management course. “The idea is to start with some physical exercise. All the learners stand up and we start the session by working on our breathing technique,” he explains. Dr. Jacqueline Boysselle develops neuroeducation and uses exercises that stimulate the five senses and emotions: “We work on the empathy of the learner during the customer segmentation course, and we invite them to create Pinterest photo albums that reflect the atmosphere and daily life of each identified customer. »
Being in contact with reality
There is another particularly developed requirement among this new generation of learners: to consume content that is as close as possible to the news, to their ambitions and to the realities on the ground. “We are working to integrate sustainable development and CSR issues into all our programs in order to meet the students’ ambition to play a role in the responsible transition of the world and companies,” explains Dr. Helen Etchanchu.
The reality on the ground also requires the integration of serious games. “Within the Finance specialization, we give students the opportunity to participate in a Bloomberg certification based on real market data. They are invited to take part in an Investment Challenge during which they are expected to develop a high-performance stock portfolio that evolves by following the real market price,” Dr. Thi Hong Van Hoang says.
The COVID crisis has sped up the development of pedagogical innovations
The widespread use of distance learning courses has led to the development of new tools to promote interaction with the class. MBS benefits from the expertise of the Learning Center, a dedicated service to support teachers in this pedagogical agility. “Our goal is to provide a better learning experience. For example, we are trying to contribute to the gamification of the exercises through the use of the Wooclap tool, which allows teachers to vote, interact and answer questions directly with their smartphone in real time,» explains Valérie Guesnier, Head of the Learning Center.
With distance learning, case studies are digitized, in a more entertaining way, in order to stimulate reflection, debate and challenge. This digitization also integrates board and business games. “We’re adapting and we’re going to provide students with a video game in which they have to discover each department of a company, assume their role and then recruit the best profiles among the characters,” confides Beverly Leligois.
The scripting of interventions and game experiences are thus multiplying within the teaching. “With the MBS Entrepreneurship Center, we have created a series of podcasts, which guide the learner through the world of entrepreneurship, help him find innovative ideas and concepts, and create a first bridge to the school’s incubator where he will be coached.” concludes Lina Manolova, Pedagogical Engineer.
