Skip to content
  • ABOUT
  • WRITING
  • SPEAKING
  • ADVOCACY
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn

ALBERTO ALEMANNO

Primary Menu
  • Europe
  • Democracy
  • Advocacy & Lobbying
  • Health
  • Risk Regulation

Media-savvy business professors look beyond the lecture hall

Financial Times - Ian Wylie - 3/12/21

From YouTube and TV to podcasts, academics are building on the shift to online teaching

Bertrand Monnet says other academics can follow his lead and turn a class into a media-friendly story © Magali Delporte

In his imagination, Bertrand Monnet could see it all: a drone hovers above the French campus of Edhec business school, then takes the viewer into the classroom, where the professor of criminal risks management is showing students how the criminal economy equates to 3 per cent of global gross domestic product. His infographics come alive, inviting the viewer to step through the slides and into a conversation in Mexico between Monnet and a member of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

It is a powerful idea, and one that Prof Monnet turned into reality in the form of two 70-minute documentaries (Le Business du Crime), co-produced by CinéFrance Studios and KM and broadcast on French television channel RMC Story this year.

“For viewers, the documentaries are like taking students on a field trip,” he says. “It’s all based on the case study pedagogy here at Edhec. On a subject like the business of crime, there are many textbooks that are essential, but not sufficient. It’s important to hear from the criminals how they choose their targets or how they launder their money. It shows the reality and is so much more impactful.”

Edhec is fully behind his efforts to take his teaching to a wider audience, says Prof Monnet. He has written on the crime business for French newspapers and magazines Le Monde, L’Express and L’Expansion and made another documentary on Somali pirates for French channel Canal+ in 2016.

“I’ve been published in academic journals before, but my dean has agreed that my features and documentaries can also be considered as part of my publishing output, because it brings something extra to the business school.”

Prof Monnet urges other academics to follow his lead. “If you think you can turn your class into a story, just dare to do it,” he says. He also wants to explore using virtual reality to take viewers deeper into the criminal underworld.

The switch to online learning during the pandemic has made many academics more comfortable with taking their expertise and interests outside the lecture theatre. While a decade ago the makers of Moocs (massive online open courses) promised to turn professors into celebrities, digital-savvy academics now see that they can do it for themselves, through their own media channels.

Some, like Oluwasoye Mafimisebi, senior lecturer in strategic management at De Montfort University’s Leicester Castle Business School in central England, used YouTube to help students through the pandemic. The lectures he uploads to his channel, YouTube Professor, have received more than 20,000 views. And a YouTube channel of finance lectures by David Hillier, executive dean of the University of Strathclyde Business School in Scotland, has attracted more than half a million views.

Others favour podcasts. “We need academic influencers,” says Alberto Alemanno, a professor at HEC Paris, host of the Citizen Lobbyist podcast and founder of The Good Lobby, a non-profit that helps citizens and other organisations counter the influence of special interest groups.

“But we academics are not trained for engagement with the public at large. It’s not even what most universities expect us to do. By narrating the stories of individuals lobbying for good, my podcast aims to inspire our students and other listeners to play their part in today’s most controversial challenges facing our societies.”

An early Mooc professor on Coursera back in 2014, Prof Alemanno has since experimented with a variety of formats and hopes to create a dedicated media channel.

“Academics have all that’s needed to become trusted voices in today’s polarised discourse. They have a moral duty to try to go beyond the ivory towers and engage with the public beyond the classroom.”

In Italy, MIP Politecnico di Milano School of Management professors Antonella Moretto and Davide Chiaroni co-host Innovators’ Talks, a podcast in which they interview entrepreneurs, managers and chief executives twice a month. Backed by Forbes Italia magazine, the podcast was first proposed by one of their executive MBA alumni, who had launched a digital audio business.

“Following the rollout, we were contacted by Forbes, who were interested in a partnership and in sharing our podcasts on their channels,” says Prof Moretto, who adds that the podcast allows students to hear stories of innovation from different fields. “Through the podcast, you learn innovation without realising that you are learning something new.”

She admits that making podcasts is very different from what business school academics are used to — from the short lead time and importance of straight-talking to the informal nature of the conversations. “I’d recommend finding a reliable partner,” she suggests. “Podcasts aren’t something you can improvise, but need expertise to be effective. You also need to be in love with the topic and it helps if the school is recognised for the topic — it makes it much easier to attract good speakers and gain listeners.”

Philipp Sandner, head of Frankfurt School of Finance and Management’s Blockchain Centre in Germany, hosts a popular podcast on the technology. “I wanted to learn more myself,” he says. “People learn when they talk to other skilled people, so I thought to myself: why not ask other people questions, learn from it, record it and put it online?”

Prof Sandner enjoys the pressure of the weekly deadline. “I appreciate the just-do-it mentality of creating a podcast,” he says. “Recording the podcast takes 45 minutes, while cutting and uploading takes another 15 minutes. So, with just one hour of investment per week, we reach 5,000 people — it is much more efficient than writing academic papers.”


Continue Reading

Previous Interpol must change its practices to protect human rights
Next Lobbying, citizen assemblies and political entrepreneurs: the tools for changemakers to shape policies

RSS READ ME IN THE GUARDIAN

  • We lived the European dream. Will any politician stand up for open borders? 22/05/2020
  • Europe doesn't have to be so helpless in this crisis 26/03/2020
  • The EU won’t fix its democratic deficit with another top-down ‘conference’ | Alberto Alemanno 21/01/2020
  • There are 17 million mobile EU citizens. We deserve a political voice | Alberto Alemanno 01/05/2019

RSS READ ME IN THE POLITICO

  • The Qatar scandal shows how the EU has a corruption problem
  • Once again, FIFA has sold its own rules and values for money
  • The end of Euro-bashing
  • Facebook vs. the EU
  • The real winner of the Italy-France dispute is Europe

PODCAST: CITIZEN LOBBYIST

EP 9 I What is European Racism? &How do we fight it?
byThe Good Lobby

This episode of Citizen Lobbyist investigates racism in Europe.

After the assassination of George Floyd, we have seen a new wave of protests and indignation not only in the US, but also in Europe. While systemic racism may be harder to spot in Europe than in the United States, the roots of racism are the same on both continents. Systemic discrimination is not only present but also perpetrated by the same institutions that should fight to prevent it.

Together with the Open Society European Policy Institute – OSEPI – we gathered four amazing female activists from different backgrounds:

Layla @Azzuzi – Collective Against Islamophobia in Belgium
Dijana Pavlovic – European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture
Violeta Naydenova – Senior Policy Analyst on Roma and Anti-discrimination at Osepi
Wetsi Mpoma – Bamko-Cran: Centre for Reflection and Action on Racism

Hey, it’s me Fiorella! :
I would love to have a 60 min discussion of the topics we discussed on Clubhouse.
If you like the idea, just send me a message and we will make it happen.

You can DM me on Instagram: @flowlav
Or send me an email at: [email protected]
Clubhouse: @flowlav

EP 9 I What is European Racism? &How do we fight it?
EP 9 I What is European Racism? &How do we fight it?
04/02/2021
The Good Lobby
EP 8 I How should lobbying be regulated?
02/12/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep7 I Why civil society matters in a post Covid-19 world
13/06/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep 6 I Why academics must work for society
20/05/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep 5 I Why people work for free? The PRO BONO phenomenon
08/05/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep 4 I The future of digital activism
24/04/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep 3 I The business of lobbying – New scenarios during the Covid-19 outbreak
09/04/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep. 2 I European Citizens' Initiative: lobbying for citizens without borders
24/03/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep. 1 I Lobbying. What is it? Can Citizens do it?
21/02/2020
The Good Lobby
Ep. 0 I Intro
27/01/2020
The Good Lobby
Search Results placeholder

SEARCH BY TAG

Alessandro Chiocchetti Angela Merkel Ashoka Bloomberg Brexit Citizen Lobbying COVID-19 Davos democracy Didier Reynders ethics EU elections Europe European Commission European Parliament Eva Kaili Forbes France Future of Europe Italy Le Monde lobbying Macron Mario Draghi Meloni Neelie Kroes Netherlands Olaf Scholz orban participation Poland policymaking Politico Qatar Qatargate Renzi Russia scotland The Good Lobby The Guardian Uber Files Ukraine vaccine Von der Leyen World Cup

ARCHIVES

  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
Copyright © Alberto Alemanno - All rights reserved. 2020–2023 | Designed by Mila Branders
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookies PolicyACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT