Grenoble Ecole de Management promised that if health conditions allowed, classes would be delivered in a face-to-face format as of February 8 2021. This promise has been kept with controlled numbers of students’ onsite to respect social distancing measures and with no obligation to be onsite to be onsite for those who prefer to follow classes remotely. The School will continue to follow this system until the end of the summer term, subject to no further lockdowns. A free Covid screening device is also provided by GEM for its students and employees, on a voluntary basis.
Within the limit of 750 students at a time onsite and with no obligation
Since the end of August 2020, all students at Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM) can be on campus subject to prior registration. All classes have nonetheless been delivered online since March 2020. GEM is authorized to reopen its French campuses on February 8, 2020, and to offer face-to-face courses to 20% of its full capacity, which means:
- 750 students at a time on its Main Grenoble Campus;
- 133 students at a time on its Grenoble GEM Labs Campus
- 121 students at a time on its Paris Campus.
Classrooms must not exceed 50% of their capacity to respect social distancing measures. Despite these measures, Jean-François Fiorina, Vice Dean and Director of Programs at GEM shares that "we are extremely pleased to see our students back onsite". A return to to school eagerly awaited by the 1st and 2nd year students of various programs, and parents. "The idea is to strengthen the cohesion between students without forcing anyone either. Students who wish to follow the programs remotely can do so. Many last year students prefer to follow their courses remotely", explains Jean-François Fiorina. This year the School will provide online examinations for all of its students.
An agile system that can be more flexible or rigorous, in alignment with the French Ministry of Higher Education's guidelines
To further improve the student experience and better adapt our teaching, we have invested in Hyflex classrooms that allow a hybrid face-to-face and remote teaching format. We have trained our entire faculty for this. The next step is to teach students how to enhance the quality of distance learning. Our objective is to prepare our students for the world in which they will be working in, explains Loïck Roche, Dean and Director of GEM.
The Management of GEM has always aimed to preserve people and to provide reassurance in these times of uncertainty, so that can organize themselves as well as possible. Hence, the School has:
- Set up a 24 / 7 care and support line since March;
- Transitioned all of its activities online before the first national lockdown was officially announced on March 11. 2020;
- Enabled students to continue to follow their courses online and to have access to all students services, such as, the library, the careers center, support services, etc.;
- Announced a progressive return campuses on May 7th 2020;
- Allowed staff and students to go onsite and use resources subject to prior registration;
- Announced in December 2020, the option to come back onsite for face-to-face learning as of February 8 2021.