"Getting down and dirty"

On Tuesday June 21st, 2022, the Conférence des Grandes Écoles announced the winners of its first Pedagogical Innovation Awards. L'École nationale des ponts et chaussées won in A Great Idea (La belle idée) category for its “Getting down and dirty” project, highlighting the pedagogical project of Stacey Benoit, Head of the English department at the School. Her "We Are What We Eat" course focuses on food issues and gives students hands-on experience "in English" in the School's organic community garden, Jardin Pontanique.

The evaluators found that this project broadened the definition of knowledge by adding a manual component, a source of creation, imagination and well-being. This approach therefore ticked all the boxes regarding biodiversity and student learning in the face of failure (plants that refuse to grow!), success and decompartmentalization between teachers and students.

With this Pedagogical Innovation Award, the Conférence des Grandes Écoles intends to:

• Promote pedagogical innovation initiatives within the "Grandes Ecoles";
• Promote innovations within the "Grandes Ecoles" network and among its partners;
• Confirm the driving role of pedagogical innovation in the "Grandes Ecoles" higher education landscape.

This first edition was a real success: 87 applications were received and analyzed according to five criteria (originality, response to a concrete and relevant problem, coherence of the method/tools with the stated objectives, impact, reproducibility/transferability) in line with the Conférence des Grandes Écoles' priorities (international dimension, ecological transition, links with territories, digital, inclusion).