How to accompany the first-year student in massified higher education?
Résumé
Since the Bologna Process (1999), Europe has positioned itself as amajor player in higher education. At the same time, France is experiencing amassification of higher education. One of the significant consequences of thesetransformations is the inability of the French higher education system to copewith these students. We wonder about the capacity of institutions to individualisecourses and give students breathing space to reflect on their personal vocationalor study plans. The Institut National Universitaire Champollion has beenproposing an innovative and flexible diploma whose objective is to preventstudents from dropping out of university if they do not wish to continue theirstudies. After five years of its deployment, we propose to review this educational“experiment”. Firstly, we will examine the pedagogical engineering process,which is based on an alternative, skills-based approach. Secondly, we will presentthe recruitment procedures for this re-engagement and an analysis of the group,the success rate and the rebound rate (continuation of studies) to measure theimpact of this new scheme.This agile and supportive pedagogical approach can provide us with importantinsights and contribute to our reflection on the current state of the French andEuropean higher education systems It shows us that the personalisation promotedby the French government must be accompanied by individualised support inorder to limit any drift. The role of the guidance counsellors and the time allowedstudents to reflect on their projects are decisive.