Learning by doing, collaborative work, approach of the impact of technologies in a company, the TEMA back-to-school seminar aims to integrate the new promotion but not only.For this bachelor course, based on an innovative triptych: management, digital and creativity; the TEMA Business Week was an opportunity to introduce students to the new themes that will be the highlights of their course. Meeting and explanations with Nathalie Fontaine, in charge of the conception since TEMA Business Week.

What are the learning objectives for this seminar?

This seminar is both an introduction to business and a back-to-school seminar. Students learn about how a company operates and create a 3D model illustrating its complexity. The students are therefore able to demonstrate the different departments that make up the company and show the scope and complexity of their operations. There is also the question of gaining an initial insight into the place and the impact of new technologies on how a company is run.

In practical terms, how is the seminar organised?

The TEMA programme implies adopting an active learning approach, learning by doing. Throughout the week, students work in teams in a variety of role-play situations. They receive coaching from specialists in design, computer science and management, corresponding to the areas they will be working on during the week.

What do the students gain from this?

There are many objectives involved. For example, as this is the students’ first week on campus, there is the question of making sure the seminar helps them to settle into life at the School. Plus, as the week is organised around team work activities, our objective is also to put the key values of cooperation and working together into practice.

How does the seminar prepare students for the rest of the TEMA programme?

The knowledge and know-how acquired during the seminar will be applied by students and teachers on other courses, such as the Information systems introductory course. Students also learn to work and cooperate together in teams and this is something that is expected throughout the rest of the programme. The TEMA BUSINESS WEEK also provides the groundwork for the marketing, finance-accounting and graphic design courses, for example.

The TEMA Business Week ended with the students presenting their results on the brand new Virtual NEOMA Campus. Can you tell us how your students experienced this?

Yes, indeed, having the students from the Reims and Paris campuses together at the same time on a Virtual NEOMA Campus was a fantastic first-time experience! Although this passage towards a new technological era is important for us, it is also important for the students to discover alternative virtual environments where they can exchange and learn, a space which seemed completely unreal to them at first! But beyond the fun element, they rapidly took control and understood the interest and how to use the virtual spaces made available to them. Moreover, given the specialisation of the TEMA programme, we couldn’t possibly welcome the new intake of students without providing them with the latest technological teaching innovations!​