For three days in October, Télécom Saint-Étienne metamorphasized into an immense fab lab for the Edumix event. Halfway between a hackathon and a startup weekend, the “remix” concept was born in 2011 with Museomix at Paris’ Museum of Decorative Arts. Following train station and church remixes, Lyon’s living lab Erasme and the Learning Lab network cofounded by Télécom Saint-Étienne brought the concept to a Lyon region middle school in 2017.
School Model Remodel
In October, it was Télécom Saint-Étienne’s turn. Amidst a sea of Post-its, cardboard models, Legos and 3D printer creations, the roughly 40 participants, mainly from outside the school, fashioned prototypes. The seven teams had just three days to redesign grading and the school’s atrium, among other challenges.
Télécom instructional designer Sandra Lalanne selected the challenges based on the Edumix charter and two days of interviews with students, professors and administrative staff. Not surprisingly, education’s digital transformation was a hot topic.
Inspiration Donation
Edumix has given Télécom fresh inspiration. While some ideas are somewhat far-fetched, “certain prototypes could trigger real changes at the school and other schools could follow suit,” notes Jean Pouly, head of development at Télécom’s digital practices platform IRAM. He views French universities as “heavy, inflexible institutions. We have to shake things up and convince the administrative staff, professors and students. That’s not always easy.”
Pouly estimates that Télécom spent €60 thousand on the event, half of which went to staffing. It was a group effort. The Ministry of Higher Education provided partial funding, nearby universities loaned equipment, a hotel school provided lodging and IRAM digital communications students handled the press coverage.
Focus on the Future
Jean Pouly envisions creating an incubator for the Edumix projects. He argues, “The event format and network could appeal to investors.” Whether Edumix scales up or not, change is already afoot. The piano and sofas that were brought in for the event are here to stay.