Technology September 2022 www.bookshq.net

“ We recently hired

staff members to make organising, coordinating, and implementing
equity the main focus equity initiatives throughout the district. To
expand on the work that takes place in the

of their job role” district, they also serve as a liaison between
our district, local universities, community

AMY STERCKX agencies, and, really, our community at
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF large,” says Sterckx.
TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION,
GBAPS “We're very proud to say that this person
was named one of the most influential Black

leaders in Wisconsin, which really shows our

equity for its students is what is expected support for equity throughout our district,

from parents; the ability to support its staff whether it’s a diverse background, special

to achieve great things is not so much of education or resource access from our

an expectation, but it is second to none. department, such as access to the internet

Securing a bright future for students begins and devices.”

with the interview process and works its way Equity was ingrained into the organisation

into the classroom environment to support early in its existence and it therefore strives

both students and teachers. for this across all facets of education. The

“We recently hired staff members to continuous commitment to equity allows

make equity the main focus of their job role. the organisation to further its social reach

Specifically, the person that I'm thinking and support the development of students

www.bookshq.netabout here is responsible for planning,
from overseas—some may not even know

technologymagazine.com 301

English—as well as families in the city, by also “ Now, our Board
offering them learning opportunities. of Education has

“Green Bay attracts so many families and

offers families throughout the community invested in roughly
many different learning opportunities,” 20,000 Chromebooks
says Sterckx.

“Whether a parent is looking for to support a one-to-
opportunities to focus on learning based one student device
in STEM or bilingual education, our IB

programme, project-based learning, or ratio”
learning centred around the arts, automotive

learning, culinary, manufacturing, the list of

opportunities just goes on. Parents find that AMY STERCKX

we have opportunities here in GBAPS for EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION,
www.booksGBhAPqS .net
every child.”

302 September 2022

GBAPS

been instrumental in taking schools

through transformation over many years

of partnership.

Years back, the company worked with

GBAPS to provide access to laptops across

district classrooms via a cart model. Using

these dedicated carts, students had access

to laptops directly in their classroom rather

than having to leave the classroom to go to

a computer lab. This solution is the earliest

option to be sourced by GBAPS, but now

schools’ use of laptops has increased:

students are able to take the devices home

to continue work outside of school hours.

“In our current state, the Board of

Education has invested in roughly 20,000

Chromebooks to support a one-to-one

student device ratio,” says Sterckx.

“These devices were in need of a

modernised charging station. The charging

carts were great when we had them, but

they were large. They took up a lot of space

in the room and required the charging cord

to remain in the cart.”

As a result of this new charging station,

students can now leverage the ability to work

at home, taking their personal computer to

and from school while not having to worry

Simple steps bring about a charging cord. JAR was a major cog

technology to the forefront in this project as it provided the solutions

Much of the technological development that while also solving some of the mobility

has taken place across GBAPS is adoption. issues, preempting that some students

New, personal computers are provided would return to school needing to charge

to pre-kindergarten through 12th-grade their laptops.

students and all certified staff members. “Prior to the solution that JAR helped

Cost savings is a key benefit of digital us put in place, if a student came back to

adoption experienced across schools. school with an uncharged computer or the

By working with JAR Systems, GBAPS battery was low, they would have to leave

has enabled more computer access across the classroom, walk down to the library,

schools and streamlined the way that swap devices or get a charging cord, and

students use technology throughout their come back to the classroom. JAR offered

daily lives. JAR is one of the company’s us a solution that allowed us to have

www.bookshq.netpartners for IT equipment provisions and has battery packs in all of our classrooms where

technologymagazine.com 303

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304 September 2022

GBAPS

“Green Bay attracts so many families and
offers families throughout the community

many different learning opportunities”

AMY STERCKX
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF
TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATION,

GBAPS

students can take the charged battery pack, of a routine, making sure that devices are

plug it into their computer and continue up to date and all equipment is in use and

working at their desk,” Sterckx says. functioning as it should be at regular intervals.

It may not seem like a huge difference “I believe COVID-19 has opened our

to many, but the difference that this eyes up to opportunities that we may

modernised charging system has had on not have seen three or four years ago,”

learning and accessibility is invaluable. says Sterckx as she talks more about the

This solution, although it may seem like future of the Green Bay area, which is full

a simple fix in the modern technology of opportunities that were unforeseen

landscape, has revolutionised the way prior to digital transformation. New and

that students work and has saved students emerging technologies will soon become

important study time they would otherwise embedded into the schools’ daily practices

lose moving around school. and openness to available solutions could

Sterckx preaches the fact that more future-proof education.

intuitive and compact digital solutions “I think we're going to continue to see an

create a better learning experience. expansion of the use of virtual reality and

“At our elementary levels, charging carts augmented reality to explore learning topics

were replaced with charging stations that that maybe, traditionally, couldn't have been

have dramatically reduced their footprint. experienced within the four walls of the

They are a lot smaller and have created classroom,” says Sterckx.

more space for different learning activities “We’re really taking this as an opportunity

throughout the classroom.” to put our students at the centre of learning

As GBAPS looks to the future for both its with our teachers as guides on the side

students and the wider state, technology will to meet the needs and the desires of the

be embedded further into school practices students in their classroom.”

and open more doors for learning and

adapting to the digital landscape. Sterckx

www.bookshq.netstates that the organisation strives for more

technologymagazine.com 305

DIGITISING
PEDAGOGY WITH
OPENNESS &
EXCELLENCE

www.bookshq.net

306 September 2022

SCIENCES PO

WRITTEN BY:
ALEX TUCK
PRODUCED BY:

www.bookshBqEN.MnAeLTtBY

technologymagazine.com 307

SCIENCES PO

RANKED 3RD FOR POLITICS AND
INTERNATIONAL STUDIES RESEARCH IN
THE WORLD, PARIS-BASED UNIVERSITY

SCIENCES PO HAS CREATED A VIBRANT

DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM

O n Wednesday 11 May 2022,
Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelensky conversed for
more than an hour with
several hundred students,
including many from Sciences Po University.
Across France, dozens of auditoriums were
opened and tens of thousands of people
were able to follow, in person or online, this
unprecedented exchange.

“Today is the seventy-seventh day of the
large-scale war against Russia, which began
in the seventy-seventh year after the end of
the largest war in Europe,” began President
Zelensky, live from Kyiv. Rather than a
prepared speech, he wished to ask questions
to the students “to have a real dialogue”.

This level of discourse, plugged into the
major and pressing political issues of the
planet, is standard practice for Sciences
Po, a world-class research university based
in Paris. Its reputation has been – and
continues to be – built on an international
dimension since its formation in 1872, with
150 nationalities represented and 49% of
students coming from outside France.

Sciences Po gets its name from ‘political
science’ and is part of the social sciences,
itself emerging from the term that was
formerly used to refer to the field of
sociology, the original "science of society",
established in the 19th century.

www.bookshq.net

308 September 2022

www.bookshq.net Example of
an image caption

technologymagazine.com 309

SCIENCES PO

Title of the video

“ NOW RESEARCHERS, experience for students and teachers.
TEACHERS, STUDENTS, Originally from an engineering background,
Jean-Pierre Berthet joined the institute five

AND STAFF CAN LIVE years ago following his role as counsellor for
AND WORK TOGETHER” pedagogy and technology in the Ministry of
Higher Education.

Working in tandem with Jean-Pierre

JEAN-PIERRE BERTHET Berthet is Stéphane Auzanneau, Chief
CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER, Information and Digital Officer and Executive
SCIENCES PO Commitee member. Stéphane Auzanneau

is also responsible for driving the digital

Students from 480 global partner campus of CIVICA, the European University

universities can study at one of Sciences of Social Sciences, uniting eight leading

Po's seven campuses as part of an exchange European higher education institutions. A

programme, with students fully integrated Director since 2007, he has led the adoption

into the wider student body. of a digital campus for the entire school.

Jean-Pierre Berthet is Chief Digital Officer Working closely with Berthet, he implements

for the Institute for Skills and Innovation global digital services and has worked at

of Sciences Po and his responsibility is Sciences Po for nearly 23 years. Prior to this, he

www.bookshq.netto deliver the best teaching and learning
was Sciences Po's Dean of Students & Registrar.

310 September 2022

SCIENCES PO

EXECUTIVE BIO

JEAN-PIERRE BERTHET

TITLE: CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER
INDUSTRY: EDUCATION MANAGEMENT
LOCATION: PARIS

Jean-Pierre Berthet is Chief Digital officer in the Institute for Skills and Innovation of Sciences Po.
He was counsellor in digital pedagogy for the French Ministry for Higher Education and

co-founder of the Learning Lab Network's aims to imagine the future of learning spaces.
Between 2012 and 2018, he was Chief Digital Officer at Ecole Centrale de Lyon and

Director of the LearningLab founded with EMLyon Business School. Before 2012, he was CIO
and Associate Professor at Ecole Centrale de Lyon, after having worked in distance learning
for vocational training.

He is member of the Expert Advisory Board for the Horizon reports published by Educause.

www.bookshq.net

technologymagazine.com 311

SCIENCES PO

Making technology invisible Auzanneau adds that their strategy is
To provide the best teaching and learning “making technology invisible” to seamlessly
experience, Sciences Po values pedagogy, integrate digital services into the ecosystem
technology, and spaces. Innovation through in sync with the “general habits people are
technology is vital to pedagogy and how used to”.
to change the way people teach and learn.
In terms of digital transformation, this also “The interaction between digital spaces
includes the enhancement of physical and physical spaces is really key when we
spaces on campus as well as virtual spaces welcome our student faculty or onboard in
when using digital services. our campuses. It must correspond with what
we promote from a digital point of view,
“When we implemented the very first because users will switch very quickly from
digital services, the aim was to make them one side to the other.”
as simple and efficient as possible, at the
highest quality and level of support we can In addition to this synchronisation of
offer,” says Auzanneau. pedagogy and technology, Berthet adds that
the other game they must play is like chess,
This is particularly crucial with so many where they must “see the future coming”.
international students, where it is critical to
have simple tools that are very user-friendly. To ensure they are able to innovate with the
best technology, research and development

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312 September 2022

SCIENCES PO

is needed to check the latest software England, Switzerland and more so we can
and hardware, and to improve the flow of share our experience and hear about the
information within the ecosystem: “We need challenges of others,” says Berthet.
to evaluate these different points and make
proof of concepts with teachers,” adds Berthet. Milestones of success in the technology
programme at Sciences Po
Citing the pandemic with the COVID crisis, Crucial to the successful adoption and
Berthet states that Sciences Po was “able to put continuous growth of digital services in
all of [its] courses online in one week”, but that the SCPO technology programme is the
“was just because myself, Stéphane and our implementation of dialogical platforms –
teams were preparing this ecosystem for more which must be strong and reliable – and
than a year”. to retrieve information from the faculty,
structuring it in a way that can be integrated
The other mission is to share experience efficiently.
not just between the people inside SCPO, but
also outside with other universities all around “We are quite advanced in the services for
the world. students and also services around our library,
but we need to make the origins of data coming
“For instance, we've got an international from faculty more smooth and organised,
workshop in mid-June, where we have invited in order to integrate them in our platforms.
colleagues from the United States, Singapore,

60 minutes with Volodymyr Zelensky
- live from Kyiv

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technologymagazine.com 313

UbiCast: A Smart Video Toolbox to Make Learning Engaging

At UbiCast, we have developed Nudgis, a private platform Students interact with their peers and teachers to improve
made for teachers to create interactive and impactful their understanding. They are able to learn on their own
content in video format. Students engage with course schedule and spend quality time reviewing the videos to
material thanks to social learning features and information better prepare for exams.
learned is easier to retain. Using our time-based
annotations, teachers enrich the videos with quizzes, polls "UbiCast’ solutions are perfect for
and other attachments while students are able to review teachers looking to start in content
what they have learned at their pace, whenever they want,
wherever they are, on any device. creation: they are easy to use and
do not require any particular skill"
Since 2018, Sciences Po Paris has been using Nudgis to
offer both lectures replays and short educational videos as Jean-Pierre Berthet
well as Zoom sessions recordings to its 15,000 students. Chief Digital Officer at Sciences Po Paris

Teachers have rapidly adopted Nudgis thanks to its deep The Nudgis video platform is a vital tool for any university
integration with Sciences Po’s LMS. They can create, edit looking to make a greater impact on learners: it’s smart,
and enrich their interactive videos directly from the same easy and the best way to engage with Gen Z!
e-learning platform.

Learn more at ubicast.eu

www.bookshq.net

/company/ubicast @ubicast_video @ubicast_official

SCIENCES PO

“W HEN WE IMPLEMENTED “That’s why we co-design activities with
THE VERY FIRST DIGITAL our colleagues around the faculty, not only
SERVICES, THE AIM WAS TO in the courses we offer services to students,
but we have also to take into account the

MAKE THEM AS SIMPLE AND human resources services and the financial

EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE, AT services, which are not always designed for
THE HIGHEST QUALITY AND a higher institution,” says Auzanneau.
LEVEL OF SUPPORT WE CAN
Berthet adds that SCPO “works with
large companies like Google, Panasonic,

OFFER” Promethean, Ellucian and Zoom, as well as
specialised Edtechs like Ubicast, Wooclap,

STÉPHANE AUZANNEAU Whaller and Appscho and with open source
CHIEF INFORMATION AND DIGITAL OFFICER, components”.
SCIENCES PO
“For instance, our learning management

www.bookshq.netsystem is open source. We work with the

technologymagazine.com 315

likes of Ubicast too, utilising their specialised
video solutions for education directly inside
our LMS. It’s very important to have a good
mix between all these different partners,”
he explains.

How digitisation is evolving books
In a community that still cherishes physical
books, there is an ongoing transition
between digital textbooks, interactive
video, and collaboration inside books, such
as the capacity of students to annotate
themselves and share the annotations with
other students, and the capacity as well for
teachers to assign activities to students in
parts of the book.

“A CCESS TO UNIVERSITY IS REALLY
IN THE DNA OF SCPO”

JEAN-PIERRE BERTHET
CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER,
SCIENCES PO

“We enhance the experience of the
learner, so they’re not just watching video,
but interacting with it. And, with digital
textbooks, technology gives students the
ability to print certain sections or articles
quickly and easily,” says Berthet.

It’s also a question of devices the students
use and adjusting the reading experience to
tablets rather than desktop, for instance.

Auzanneau adds: “We offer a printing
service that the students and faculty still use
very widely. Before the pandemic, we were
printing about 10 million pages of A4. And
now halfway through the year, we are at 5
million. So it's still very important.”

“We need a combination between going

www.bookshq.netdigital and having the possibility to use paper

316 September 2022

SCIENCES PO

SCIENCES PO: 1 SAINT-THOMAS OPENS ITS DOORS

Campus 2022 rethinks all of Sciences 30, rue Saint-Guillaume and 9, rue
Po’s sites in Paris, ascribing different de la Chaise will accommodate the
educational functions depending on the Undergraduate College, executive
students' education pathway. The campus education and Sciences Po’s iconic
is streamlined over four sites around the lecture theatres.
historic building, situated at 27 Rue
Saint-Guillaume and 1, Saint-Thomas.

DID YOU KNOW... Saint-Germain North
The buildings at 28, rue des Saints-
Pères, 13, rue de l’Université and
1, Saint-Thomas will be home to
the graduate schools, research, the
incubator and new learning spaces
and formats in general.

Saint-Germain South
The buildings at 27, rue Saint-
Guillaume, 56, rue des Saints-Pères,

www.bookshq.net

technologymagazine.com 317

SCIENCES PO

“I F YOU HAVE

THE TALENT AND

YOU HAVE THE

WILL, WE WILL

DO EVERYTHING

POSSIBLE TO STÉPHANE AUZANNEAU
SUPPORT YOU”
TITLE: C HIEF INFORMATION AND
DIGITAL OFFICER

STÉPHANE AUZANNEAU INDUSTRY: EDUCATION MANAGEMENT
CHIEF INFORMATION AND DIGITAL OFFICER, LOCATION: PARIS
SCIENCES PO
Stéphane Auzanneau has

been Chief Information &

and write things, because the way of thinking Digital Officer for Sciences Po since
September 2007. From July 2003 to

and the way the brain works depends very August 2007, he was Registrar & Dean of
much on this very pragmatic and practical students. From 2000 to 2003, as digital
interaction one has with staff, academic campus manager, he implemented

papers, textbooks and surfaces in the digital the new Student Information System
and virtual spaces. So I think it's still very Banner (from Ellucian): it allowed
difficult to say in which direction it'll go in Sciences Po to put in place the new

future, because even amongst very young European Higher education scheme
students, digital natives, they may still (see Bologna Process and European
use books.” Credit Transfer System), being first in
2000, and in Europe, to adopt this new
Berthet adds another example, citing system of education. Before 2000,
having “3, 4, 5 digital books on the screen

at the same time is different to using five EXECUTIVE BIO he was Director of the International
textbooks at once. It's also a question of Undergraduate Program of Sciences
the moment you’re using them”. Po. He was lecturer in Economics from

Physical spaces enriched by 2000 to 2016 and also member of
digital experiences the AERES’s experts’ team in 2014 on
digital questions (the French Evaluation

To celebrate their 150th anniversary, Agency for Research and Higher

Sciences Po enlisted a top architect to Education, that became in 2014 the

design a new campus in the centre of Paris. High Council for Evaluation of Research

“We can gather all our research and Higher Education - HCERES).

www.bookshq.netdepartments in the same place, whereas

318 September 2022

SCIENCES PO

before that, we had more than 20 locations building, a research library and more.
in Paris and it was difficult for them to And all standardised across the different
meet to work together, but also to live installations so technology functions across
together. Now, researchers, teachers, lecture rooms,” says Berthet.
students, and staff can live and work
together,” says Berthet. Based on a living lab created four years ago,
the ecosystem is fine-tuned and based on a
In the Sciences Po classroom, there are charter to ensure everything is run sustainably.
digital opportunities to work with different
kinds of tools such as big interactive Alumni includes heads of state
displays and to write things on the walls. “To have double degrees with many
universities all over the world is very
“The new campus is very special. It is important. We also have a fantastic network
one of the most attractive campuses in in terms of alumni – over 90,000 of them.
Western Europe and combines history Some of them are Presidents or former
and technology. We try to provide the Presidents, ministers of different states,
best equipment such as a TV studio and a or they're also working in prestigious
radio studio for our school of journalism, organisations as well,” says Berthet.
a video recording studio, an innovation

www.bookshq.net

technologymagazine.com 319

Social sciences offer many different European institutions, NGOs, journalistic

career paths for when students embark on roles and, as part of the European Union,

post-graduate life. These include academia, workforces around Europe, who take on

but also public sectors, private sectors, students after their studies.

and international roles, such as working in

European institutions. A truly international University

“We have a very good career support Berthet is keen to mention that the university

team for students,” says Berthet. is committed to removing barriers to

“We have nine job fairs every year and higher education, explaining: “Access to

plenty of preparation workshops, numbering university is really in the DNA of SCPO, and it

around 200. Then more than 10,000 started 20 years ago with one of our former

internships. We also have seven specialised directors, Richard Descoings. We have a

schools with strong relations with institutions specific programme, the Equal Opportunity

and companies. Programme, and we're working with 166

Auzanneau adds that “big French or high schools over France and overseas,

international banks” are frequent destinations, helping the students with their preparation

www.bookshq.netas well as the French administration or
for higher education and to come to SCPO.

320 September 2022

SCIENCES PO

Auzanneau concludes: “I say to all

prospective students: if you have the

talent and you have the will, we will do

everything possible to support you. Our

system is adapted to the income of families

throughout Europe.”

It is a very selective process however, with

standards high. Technology aids their search

for the best talent, with admission interviews

held not only in Paris, but also in several

cities across Europe and the Americas as well.

“We put all these admission interviews

online, and it represented 4,500 in two months.

“It worked perfectly for students who are

all over the world to have the possibility

to interview with two different examiners

from their home or their high school, for

instance. We can remove the stress of

going to a specific place, via a plane or train

or hotel, and then to a specific building for

that. The interviews are more comfortable

for them,” says Berthet.

In terms of social inclusiveness,

Auzanneau says: “I'm very proud of this

new system we implemented last year,

because it is an example of digital services

The objective is to have 200 partners in high increasing student confidence in order not

schools to cover all the French territory. to self-censor themselves.”

“It’s very interesting to work with these According to Berthet, “it's very simple

students. They're really amazing. We are for examiners to use it”. “Our digital

spending around €11 million each year for services are simple and easy to use,

diversity, scholarship and financial aid to helping people all over the world, without

students; 35% of them don't pay any student any problem. This is what we mean by

fees. We also have specific programmes making technology invisible.”

for student refugees, such as those coming “What is our next challenge? To combine

from Ukraine at the moment. digital and sustainability transformations,

Berthet adds that it is important not only inside our courses to prepare our

to prepare “future managers that are students for these crucial challenges, but

representative of as many societies also at the heart of our daily practices.”

as possible”. Why? Because “talent is

everywhere, and our job is to help find

them and to help them to transfer into

higher education”. www.bookshq.net

technologymagazine.com 321

THE FUTURE OF
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