Michael Cavey holds an MBA from INSEAD, one of France’s most internationally renowned schools. He teaches a number of courses on the Paris campus, including courses that are part of the “Culture and Geopolitics” curriculum, and prepares our students for the famous TOEFL. He is also part of the team of professors who are preparing the new MSc program of the MBA Institute, especially on the cultural and professional part.
What was your background before joining INSEEC?
M.C: I have had a career focused on international business in the banking and industrial sectors.
For theINSEEC Bachelor program, you are responsible for preparing students for the TOEFL. What does it involve?
The TOEFL(Test Of Englishas a Foreign Language) is an exam that aims to establish and certify the English level of students.
This preparation and the taking of the exam were put in place 3 years ago. Indeed, as part of the ” Study Abroad ” program, it is necessary to have a certain TOEFL score(generally 80/120) to be accepted in the partner universities.
The test evaluates the students’ level of English in 4 areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Preparation is done in the 1st and2nd year. I dedicate 4 semesters to this preparation, 1 semester for each skill area of the exam.
Before taking the TOEFL, students practice by taking numerous practice tests.
The results of our students are very good since the average is 96/120 for the year 2012/2013 and the best, Ines, obtained the extraordinary score of 117/120. On the other hand, I have noticed a positive evolution every year.
You also teach many courses that are part of the “Culture and Geopolitics” teaching unit. Can you tell us a little about it?
Among the courses I teach, I teach ” Chinese Business Culture ” which is one of the many courses in the “Culture and Geopolitics” teaching unit.
The goal is to give and deepen the cultural knowledge of our students.
In today’s globalized world, our students will be exposed to people with different cultures. We want them to have the necessary assets and not be taken for a ride.