In view of its three campuses, the School has always been at the forefront with regard to information flow and data-sharing techniques and today EDHEC is one of the leading institutions in providing e-education resources for its students.

Since the implementation of Blackboard (the School's online e-learning platform) EDHEC has demonstrated unfailing commitment to the possibilities offered by e-learning both in terms of facilitating access to resources for professors and students and offering interactive features.  

The e-learning platform was initially designed as a form of teaching support with the more mature MBA and Masters students in mind. This allowed students to work individually and made a wide variety of resources available in order to aid them with the completion of their courses. This proved such a success that the Blackboard system was extended throughout the EDHEC campus and teaching syllabus. EDHEC currently now has over 4,500 users registered on Blackboard with over 9,000 courses. EDHEC has now become one of only 6 Blackboard Educations centres in the world, further emphasising its premier position in breaking new ground in the use of new media in the classroom.  

EDHEC : AT THE FOREFRONT OF E-LEARNING 

With the addition of the new e-learning classroom, a new form of reach media has been acquired that again cements EDHEC's position at the forefront of e-learning. The classroom allows real-time broadcast of lectures and permits the synchronisation of support material such as power point presentations, with the rest of the lecture. The new equipment also allows EDHEC to optimise e-learning content without the usual production costs associated with the setting up of new media content. This means that the greatest number of students either on or off campus can benefit from these new techniques.  

This new e-learning classroom and EDHEC 's overall e-learning policy allows the School to set itself apart from other universities in France and indeed worldwide.

Thanks to this room, EDHEC will be able to pursue its current standing as the premier e-learning institution amongst the French elite schools but this is merely part of a long road to revolutionising teaching and studying methods. The next step involves the upgrade and migration to the more powerful Blackboard Academic Suite which offers a new world of interactivity and communicative features for both students and professors. Students will be able to create their own homepages and portfolio, and professors will be able to drag-and-drop presentations and teaching tools into various student-folders at the click of a button. Communities will be able to be created allowing students to interact more effectively during the course of their studies.  

THE FUTURE

The e-learning classroom and the implementation of new software allows the opening of new international possibilities. Students will be able to access live broadcast lectures abroad. Indeed such are the opportunities offered by online learning that EDHEC could eventually envisage providing complete online courses for students and professionals who either don't dispose of the time or the financial means to be present on the School's campus.  

 For the time being these ideas are in the pipeline but the possibilities for EDHEC and e-learning seem limitless.  

 * This installation was made possible through EDHEC's links with the companies CPT, SONICFOUNDRY and MEDIASITE together with the local development board, the Conseil Régional PACA, who all generously assisted financing.