Audencia creates the Lighthouse training programme for its faculty, supported by Harvard Business Publishing Education and the only one in France accredited by Advance HE
Audencia’s faculty will have the opportunity to train for 18 months via the Lighthouse programme. It is the only certification for excellence in higher education in France for business school professors that meets the international standards of Advance HE, which has accredited the programme. This custom-made training is also supported by Harvard Business Publishing Education, whose contributions include best-in-class content, learning experiences, Everest simulation play, and sharing case method teaching best practices with faculty members.
Training faculty members throughout their careers
How to ensure that teaching methods and formats are in line with today’s international needs and expectations? How to carry out managerial activities in a business school? How to promote one’s expertise to companies, the media or other civil society actors? While business schools are well versed in research and teaching activities, the role and skills of faculty members are evolving, and go beyond the academic and scientific spheres. In order to maintain and certify the level of excellence of its professors, Audencia launched the Lighthouse programme in February. Open to each of the 148 faculty members and to future recruits, the programme will train one third of the faculty by 2022.
Thibaut Bardon, Academic Director, confirms the unprecedented contribution of this programme to the faculty: “Permanent professors at business schools are mainly trained in research and through research. This does not seem to us to be sufficient given the diversity of the professorial profession. With this training, we ensure that our faculty members meet the highest standards of quality in their teaching, management and civil society activities”.
A professional training recognized by Advance HE and a forerunner in France
The 18-month training programme was designed with the contribution of 25 Audencia professors according to the international standards established by Advance HE, the UK-based higher education charity that offers professional recognition for higher education teachers in the United Kingdom, through the UK Professional Standards Framework. The PSF defines the competencies and values expected of any teacher or indivual leading or supporting teaching. Audencia is the first French school to have its programme accredited by Advance HE, which will award the various degrees of Fellowship of Advance HE to the faculty members trained. It is also the third school in Europe, after Copenhagen Business School and ESIC Business & Marketing School in Spain.
As members of the Advance HE Fellows community, faculty members “are able to engage with a broad understanding of effective approaches to learning and teaching support as a key contribution to high quality student learning”.
Tamim Elbasha, Director of Pedagogical Innovation at Audencia, says: “We are proud to launch this complete training programme for faculty in business schools. The content meets the latest international competences frameworks developed in the field of higher education (by the European Commission, UNISCO, HolonIQ, Canada and the UK). Audencia thus guarantees the best learning experience for its students and learners, through a faculty guided by four principles: multidisciplinarity, learning by doing, critical reflexivity and competency-based pedagogy.”
Harvard Business Publishing Education’s support
Gabriela Allmi, Director Europe & Stefaan Van Waes, Strategic relationship manager of HBP participated in the launch of the programme. As a kick-off initiative, HBP facilitated a simulation workshop for Audencia Faculty where professors were able to experiment with Harvard Business Publishing’s award-winning Leadership and Team Simulation: Everest, and discover the merits of this teaching methodology.
In June, 60 faculty members from 15 different French business schools will participate in a one-and-a-half day seminar on “Teaching with Cases” organized by Harvard Business Publishing Education in collaboration with the CDEFM. This event will take place at Audencia’s Paris Campus.
A programme divided into 3 parts
The programme covers the following 3 blocks:
– Pedagogy: developing pedagogical practices in face-to-face and distance learning, implementing a continuous improvement process, accompanying a multicultural audience of learners, ensuring relevant evaluation methods.
– Managerial activities: steering programmes and managing faculty departments (redesigning teaching models, planning and steering projects within the school).
– Impact: putting one’s expertise at the service of companies, supporting calls for projects, developing one’s voice beyond the academic and scientific sphere.