What a year ! 2020 and the health crisis taught us to find new ways of fulfilling what is the very essence of Digital Campus's mission : supporting students towards their professional future.
In Rennes, during this second lockdown, the entire team remained fully mobilised to make this period as smooth as possible for each and every student.
1. Adapting the tools
The Studialis Galileo group supports its campuses, including Digital Campus Rennes, with the BlackBoard tool. This video conferencing software is ideal for maintaining 100% of classes remotely, but also for creating dedicated spaces for school life.
Ensuring continuity of teaching is a given — but what about social connection?
The teaching team found an alternative solution: the ‘Cafet’’, a BlackBoard space open 24/7 to all lecturers and students. Every morning, a few minutes before classes begin, students can log in to chat with the DC team and lecturers. With or without a cup of coffee, it is a special moment outside of class time.
“It really is a little bubble of exchange with the students. It’s wonderful to see them first thing in the morning having breakfast before starting their day,” explains Valérie, who heads up pedagogy at the Rennes campus.
Another dedicated BlackBoard space, the ‘Coloc’’ (Flatshares), gives each class its own permanently open online session. Used as a meeting point for catching up or working on group projects, students can drop in whenever they like.
“It’s a brilliant idea! It’s exactly what we were missing — a place to get together without it being a class session,” says Marion, a first-year Master's student in Digital Strategy.
2. Strengthening monitoring and support
The lockdown periods of this exceptional year pushed us to rethink our daily routines. Agility is a strength, but the loss of landmarks is real for some of us.
Cancelled internships, apprenticeships in lockdown, isolation… These are just some of the situations to which the DC Rennes team pays particular attention.
Through attendance tracking, exchanges with class representatives, and the involvement of lecturers as class contacts, the DC team is able to respond quickly to our most vulnerable students. Phone calls and video meetings help break the isolation or distress experienced by our most fragile students, preventing school dropout.
It is through the collective efforts of everyone that a new normality is being created — one where digital tools support us, and where kindness and sharing stand as core values.