In a ground-breaking initiative, a number of teachers have come together around a single topic to design an original course program for 1st and 2nd year Environmental Engineering students.
Addressing the theme of "pesticides" from different angles.
This program, developed within the framework of the PactDD, aims to offer cross-disciplinary teaching on sustainable development right from the first year, with continuity in the second year at Rennes.
In the first year, the aim is to familiarize students with the principles of sustainable development, raising their awareness and explaining the importance of this approach in today's world. To achieve this, a year-long project will be carried out in partnership with Bruz schools, enabling students to put into practice the concepts covered in class.
In the second year, the course focuses on a topical issue (this year, pesticides) based on the principles of sustainable development covered in the previous year. This nine-hour cycle comprises four lectures and two tutorials, with the course evolving over time to ensure a better understanding and integration of the concepts.
It is important to develop interdisciplinary courses to effectively tackle the complex issues of sustainable development. This year, topics will include pesticides, with different perspectives provided by team members.
Frédéric Ebner, teacher-researcher in ecology
This year, the teachers wanted to tackle the subject of pesticides.
Julia Jouan, a CSR teacher, took on the task of contextualizing the subject, providing a definition and presenting an overview. Frédéric Ebner, teacher-researcher in ecology, examined the impact of these products on ecosystems. Ecology teacher Antoine Tardif shed light on the functioning of agroecology in agrosystems, while ecotoxicology teacher-researcher Floriane Boullot addressed the impact of pollutants on ecosystems.
Ecology teacher Antoine Tardif emphasized the importance of tackling the same subject from different angles, thus promoting a win-win approach to teaching. The pactDD makes it possible to combine economic, environmental and social dimensions around a single subject, offering a holistic and concrete vision of CSR.
In addition to lectures, five interdisciplinary activities will be offered, enabling students to work in groups and deepen their understanding of the subject. The aim is to show students the importance of creating links between different subjects, using real facts to reinforce the credibility of teaching materials.
This initiative reflects the commitment of UniLaSalle Rennes' teaching staff to offering a quality education, adapted to contemporary challenges, while preparing students to become the responsible players of tomorrow.
We found these courses interesting. The fact that several disciplines related to the same subject allowed us to learn a great deal and to better understand the issues surrounding pesticides.
What's more, the way in which we were assessed was very innovative, with document studies enabling us to learn even during the assessment. The exam was also much less stressful than our usual exams, and we even enjoyed doing an exam because the documents were so interesting. We really enjoyed being assessed on our thinking rather than rote learning.
Thank you to our teachers for giving us such a concrete lesson on such an important subject. It's essential for us to be trained on this topic as part of our environmental training.
Camille, Manon, Elia, Pauline, Léna, Manon, Manon, Amélie, Louise, 2nd year Environmental Engineering students
