PEB Exchange, Programme on Educational Building 1998/01

The Innovative Pilot High School at Poitiers: OECD Futuroscrope 10 Years On

https://dx.doi.org/10.1787/523103734821

PEB Exchange Programme on Educational Building TECHNOLOGY The Innovative Pilot High School at Poitiers : 10 YEARS ON - THE INNOVATIVE PILOT HIGH SCHOOL

The Innovative Pilot High School is part of has attracted an equivalent investment from the Futuroscope complex near Poitiers in the State, European authorities and private the Department of , eastern . enterprise, leading to the development of Designed and financed by the Department, high-level education, training and research the Futuroscope is the only complex in facilities, and significant investment in Europe based on creating a synergy associated areas, such as hotels and office between the activities of leisure, work, complexes. technology, training and education. The Construction work commenced in concept of a theme park, surrounded by a December 1984. The park was first opened high technology development, unlike any to the public in 1987 with an initial total other, was first conceived in mid-1983. of 225 000 visitors. At that stage, it Since then, the Department of Vienne included only the Futuroscope pavilion has invested (and is still investing) and the Innovative Pilot High School, 1.6 billion francs in the project. This which opened its doors to students the investment, and the success of the enterprise, same year. Over the past 10 years, the 7 ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Futuroscope’s training, forecasting and communications area gathers several teaching and research institutions. • The Innovative Pilot High School/University Overlapping Project involves total co-operation between a high school and a university (from 0-level year through to the fifth-year university level). • The National Correspondence School (CNED) makes the Futuroscope a centre in France for the development of teaching by correspondence. • The International Prospective Institute organises symposia and conferences for managers in the fields of and social . • The National School of Advanced Mechanics and Aerotechnical (ENSMA) is a major engineering school specialising in the fields of aeronautics and space technology. • The Engineering Science Laboratories house research facilities devoted to the study of the mechanics of liquids and solids, physical properties of materials, electronics and chemical kinetics. • The Poitiers University and CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), in partnership with ENSMA, form the foremost teaching and research centres in France for the engineering sciences. ○○○○○○○○ • Juripole, the and Media Centre (International Legal Information Centre) represents a service centre unique in Europe in the field of European and international law. • The Higher School of Management Staff in the National Education System will provide initial training and further education for inspection and management staff in the French Ministry of Education. Futuroscope has Futuroscope continued to ex- site had an pand and has architect- become a major director who attraction with controlled the 2.8 million visitors whole project in 1996. with the separate building projects WHY AN INNOVATIVE having individual architects. PILOT HIGH SCHOOL?

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The Innovative Pilot High School (High AND COMMUNICATIONS (IT+C) School and University) is a unique project, STRATEGY with both institutions being located in the same building. The university occupies the At the regional level, the authorities are now top two floors. This system offers students trying to organise an Intranet site for 120 access to educational training which high schools, in order to enable students to includes the high school years plus five communicate among themselves. It will

years of university-level training. After ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ then be linked to a national-level Intranet completing their high school education, site including administrative staff. All high students are able to make a seamless schools will be given full access to the 8 transition to university studies. Internet at the price of a local call.

The facility attracts students who wish to There are currently 300 computers specialise in the fields of technology and available for the 500 pupils. At present, communications. The university courses because of difficulty with cabling (cables focus on the training of industry profes- installed 5 years ago are not adaptable to sionals and offers three specialist areas: new technologies), there are no comput- communications/law; science/communi- ers with access to the Internet. However, cations; psychology/ law. there are plans to develop a separate room, specifically cabled for 25 computers, The idea of the Futuroscope was initiated which will provide access. There is a in 1983 by the Minister of Education. It Centre for Information and Documents opened in 1988 and was designed for which can be accessed by computer. traditional pedagogy and was the first Students are not required to have their school to be decentralised under the own computer, as most control of the regional authority. The computer-based ○○○○○○○○○○○○ homework or work assignments are carried (e.g. testing new products etc.). However, out within school hours. Boarders at the this concept does not yet work perfectly school have full access after hours. 200 because the high school is still separated out of 500 students are boarders, but from the university with each having current facilities are not adequate to meet different administrations. The compart- the demand for places. Parents may mentalised education system at the contribute towards costs. various levels, and the necessity to have the support of the school principals (who HAS IT BEEN SUCCESSFUL? are funded according to national Demographic Changes since 1987 and the priorities) at local level to agree on Regional Development Plan Regional strategies and needs, have posed some difficulties. The number of young people in the region is decreasing but this is, to some A rapidly emerging approach is the idea extent, compensated for by the increasing that training and schooling are for length of time that students remain at lifelong learning. The Regional Develop- school. Thus, the role of the schools in ment Plan - which includes a 5-year plan the Region will change to meet changing for training - promotes relations with the needs. The Region is therefore moving professions (commencing an ongoing into long-term training and learning and dialogue) and with the aim of assessing is looking at ways of opening up to and needs (i.e. what exists and what is 9 increasing the amount of resource needed). But it has proven difficult to sharing with the community. anticipate developments as businesses The Region is also examining the role of generally have only 6-month cycles. the high school as an economic genera- Maximum flexibility of the facilities is tor for the Region by acting as a resource seen to be the solution to this problem. centre for local business and innovative transfer of THE DESIGN AND FLEXIBILITY OF technology TEACHING SPACES

The academic building, now 10 years old, was originally designed for a traditional pedagogy, with large groups of pupils in each classroom. The majority of classes still have at least 30 pupils, although 20% to 30% of classes are now taught in smaller groups. While there is a need for smaller rooms, rather than the traditional classroom, the building itself as with most schools does not have the flexibility in terms of design or construction to respond or to meet this demand. This is also a problem with accomodating newly evolving pedagogy. The high school was already The information technology and modifying buildings that were communications focus has lent only 2 to 3 years old. It seems itself to much project based to teachers that pedagogical learning activity. On a Sunday, requirements were not getting as the school was open for a through to the designers. It now European Union wide Internet needs flexible buildings so that demonstration day, groups of students groups can divide into a variety were demonstrating and actively involved of smaller spaces. in projects which used the Internet to develop cross-cultural project The high school is open for based activities. One group was continuing education, but only working on the Internet in the Chinese to a limited extent at this stage language with the assistance of their – the safety of pupils is Chinese language teacher! Others paramount. There is only one demonstrated a three-dimension entrance to the building at computer animated fly-through present because of the need to model of the Futuroscope site limit access to certain areas. If complete with music. Viewers it were to be opened more extensively were able to be taken through the inside to the public, the centre would require of buildings as if in a miniature flying 10 some redesign - i.e. public/shared/ vehicle. This demonstration software was private areas which would have three entirely prepared by the students. levels of access – student access being the first priority. Additionally, CONCLUSIONS with the expensive equipment in the centre, the school needs to Having started this initiative a control access. Sharing with the decade ago, the school is well on community works well with the the way to solving many of the sporting facilities, where there is technology infrastructure, soft- special access for the commu- ware, support and teacher nity and different access for training problems now being students. experienced in other schools and in other countries. The Regional authori- Two major features are the project based ties, in association with the school, the learning activities and the sharing of spe- educational precinct, the technology park, cialist teaching spaces by both the high Futuroscope and the clustering of school and the university. Quite information technology and well appointed and equipped communications related activities, laboratories are available for both have developed a national and types of students, with project- international identity in what is a

based experiments in progress. very special Region of France.

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○