Aurora Students Develop Managerial Skills Through Innovative Tabletop Role‑Playing Games

Hosted by the IAE Paris-Est at the Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), a new Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) explored the use of tabletop role‑playing games as a tool for developing managerial and transversal skills in students. Supported by Aurora, this BIP reflects Aurora’s commitment to fostering innovative, inclusive, and challenge‑based learning across its member universities.

Table-top role-playing games and managerial skills BIP participants at the IAE Paris-Est, UPEC

Advancing Aurora’s Educational Mission Through Ludopedagogy

Coordinated by UPEC with Aurora universities University of Iceland and Palacký University Olomouc, and other partner universities the University of Skövde and Valparaiso University in the United States for the Scenario Creation Contest, the BIP was  developed within the EdUTeam project at UPEC. Using  a ludopedagogical approach, the programme combined  physical and digital games as learning tools. Tabletop role‑playing games served as a creative framework for students to co‑construct narrative scenarios while strengthening key transversal skills such as creativity, collaboration, and decision‑making,  central to Aurora’s pedagogical vision.

The programme brought together 35 students from 11 nationalities and 14 faculty members representing 8 countries across the Aurora network. Following an online preparatory phase, participants met in Créteil, France, for a week‑long immersive experience at the GamiXlab of IAE Paris‑Est. The initiative was coordinated by Associate Professors Patricia Noël and Philippe Lépinard, with strong support from International Offices  across the alliance.

Throughout the week, students engaged in lectures and workshops led by European scholars from Aurora universities, exploring diverse approaches to integrating games into management education. This cross‑institutional collaboration illustrates Aurora’s ambition to build a shared European learning space grounded in pedagogical innovation.

Tight collaboration between French and international colleagues and students from Aurora universities and beyond

Learning Management With Game-based Scenarios

Working in international teams, students designed scenarios for the role‑playing game Dungeon Crawl Classics, in partnership with the American publisher Goodman Games. Beyond the creative dimension, the activity encouraged participants to reflect on how game‑based scenarios can be embedded into university‑level management courses.

This approach supports the development of essential transversal skills and key competencies in communication, problem‑solving, and strategic thinking.

“It is not the role‑playing games themselves that develop managerial skills, but the pedagogical framework built around them,” explains Philippe Lépinard. The programme also strengthened professional connections within the alliance. As Philippe Lépinard notes, “The BIP allowed us to collaborate closely with international teams and to meet new colleagues, both French and international.”

Hands-on experience in table-top and role-playing games at the GamiXlab

The scenarios designed by the students will be evaluated by an international jury, with the winning project announced during the International Game Evolution conference on 13 May 2026. Students reported highly positive experiences, highlighting the value of intercultural collaboration and the opportunities created through Aurora mobility.