On May 15th, Master 2 students from the SciencesCom program at Audencia tested a brand-new flipped classroom format, led by a conversational AI avatar. Designed with their professor as part of the “Responsible Information” course, this experiment aimed to evaluate the pedagogical impact of interactive, spoken, and personalized learning for a flipped classroom setting. A look back at an innovative experience conducted with Complement.
An AI to talk about disinformation
It was at Audencia, a business school in Nantes, that one of the first large-scale experiments of the e-learning platform Complement took place. The module focused on disinformation and was co-built with Estelle Prusker-Deneuville, a professor in the SciencesCom program, for her “Responsible Information” course.
The goal: to entrust an AI avatar with an introductory part of the course normally delivered in person. Students discovered key figures, charts, and issues related to trust in the media, with questions that encouraged reflection: which media do French people follow? How do you verify information? How can we combat disinformation?
Everything was done remotely via a simple browser. No software to install, no static video: the AI tutor spoke orally, analyzed responses, and adapted its pace to each student.
Creation in less than a day
The 40-slide module was designed in just a few hours based on Estelle’s course materials. “In a 1.5-hour workshop, we had finished a portion of the slide scripts and interactions, and completed half the quiz,” says Gabriel du Chalard, co-founder of Complement. Estelle then finished creating the module on her own, which was subsequently tested by the Complement team. Gabriel adds: “The idea is to make teachers autonomous in the creation process.”
Colline Thérial, co-founder and CTO, adds: “When Estelle saw that she could control everything herself – the information provided, the pace, the questions, and the exercises – she became the conductor of her own course. This is exactly what we want to enable with Complement.”
A well-received hybrid experience
On May 15th, the students (Master 2 level, work-study program) were briefly briefed in class, then followed the module on their own at home, at their own pace. The next day, they returned to the classroom to debate the experience with their professor, with Coline joining via video call.
Their feedback was very positive:
- “It’s simple, fluid, and very intuitive.”
- “I enjoyed the verbal interaction; it’s new and more engaging.”
- “I remembered the material better thanks to the speaking component and the questions asked.”
- “Being able to adapt the virtual professor’s voice and style is great.”
- “It’s fun, but it won’t replace teachers. I think it’s a tool that should be used as a complement.”
Key takeaways:
- 70% of students stated that the platform improved their understanding of the subject
- The majority found the module “fun” and “engaging”
- Verbal interactions and personalization are perceived as factors for concentration
- Ease of use: average score of 4.35 / 5
The experiment also made it possible to collect other data related to the course, including the fact that nearly half of the students in the experiment get their news from “youth-oriented” media or media with an accessible tone (Brut, HugoDécrypte, Konbini), with traditional media being cited much less, except for a few exceptions like Le Monde.
Next step: review with the school
A debriefing meeting is planned with the Audencia teams to share the detailed results. For Complement, this experiment marks a key milestone: demonstrating that AI can enrich the course experience and enable flipped classrooms without ever replacing the human connection.