Klaxoon and the University of Rennes 1 launch an innovation partnership

A unique R&D project to develop collaborative practices

The recipient of multiple awards over the last four years (Brandon Hall, Learning Technologies Award, Learninnov, Reimagine education), thousands of teams in 120 countries have adopted Klaxoon's tools. Today, Klaxoon is joining forces with the University of Rennes 1 to launch one of the world’s biggest experiments for the implementation of collaborative tools.

By 2021, every single one of the University's 33,000 students, lecturers, and administrative employees will be using Klaxoon, making it a unique hub for research into – and the practical application of – collaborative methods. A veritable pioneer, Rennes 1 intends to develop new collaborative working methods that everyone who works or studies there will benefit from.

The partnership provides that the two partners' R&D teams work hand-in-hand to observe, formalize, and highlight innovative collaborative practices. Convinced by Klaxoon's capacity to facilitate interactive teaching and make training more participatory, the president of the University of Rennes 1, David Alis, is delighted about this partnership: "Klaxoon gives our lecturers the opportunity to try out new pedagogical practices and it enables our students, in the era of collaborative teamwork, to be better prepared for the expectations of the working world. Digital technologies have long been part of our strategy at the University of Rennes 1. This partnership consolidates our position as a pioneering University in terms of new learning and teaching methods." Facilitated by the Rennes 1 Foundation – the University's tool for socio-economic integration – this innovation partnership reinforces Klaxoon’s standing in the region. "We have always had strong ties with the University of Rennes 1 since the beginnings of Klaxoon" remarked Matthieu Beucher, the start-up's founding CEO, and a graduate of the University of Rennes 1. "We are delighted to take them to a new level by signing this innovation partnership. The ambition of the University of Rennes 1 – to offer students an education that is perfectly suited to the changing world – allows us to develop a series of new practices that are in line with the expectations of the business world. This involves, in particular, an ability to work as a team; to collaborate effectively".

Professional tools within the University

The digital revolution is causing a rapidly growing need for collaboration within companies. Teams are looking for solutions that meet their new needs: remote work, part-time contract, teams of varying sizes, group-based decision-making, etc. Nearly 67% of employees say they want more collaboration in the workplace (Meeting in USA study, Klaxoon Propeller Insight). Beyond their qualifications, companies are now looking for people with "soft skills" – also called behavioral skills – which make a difference throughout one's career.

In the era of the collaborative company, the capacity to work effectively as part of a team has become a must-have for employees' skills toolbox. By giving its students access to Klaxoon's solution, the University of Rennes 1 hopes to help them develop this key competence, thereby boosting their employability and properly equipping them for the world of work. Accessible from your smartphone, tablet, or PC, Klaxoon is a user-friendly tool that is in line with the expectations of digital natives, who are starting to arrive in university lecture halls.

Klaxoon's applications are gamified and designed to create maximum user engagement. Lecturers are no longer content with dispensing their knowledge in a unidirectional manner; they can now exchange ideas with their students. You can, for example, use it to start activities that capture their attention, organize brainstorming sessions, conduct quizzes to immediately check if information has been correctly understood and receive feedback in real time.The first results already show notable improvements, in particular in terms of student attendance levels, as confirmed by Ludovic Babin, professor of economic sciences at University of Rennes 1: "We have seen a really positive effect on student attendance rates, which have consistently been at over 90% throughout the semester".