Personalized education paths for students (University of Applied Sciences)

A Dutch university of applied sciences faced the ambitious challenge of shifting its educational approach to personalized education. The goal was to transition from traditional three- or four-year educational programs focused on single major subjects with predictable certification to personalized, student-specific learning journeys that spanned across subjects, educational disciplines, and even different institutions. This transformation aimed to create a personalized, flexible, and digital learning environment tailored to the needs of each student.

Challenges:

• Shifting from traditional educational models to personalized, cross-disciplinary learning journeys.
• Developing a process and ICT architecture to support mass-personalized learning.
• Creating a project roadmap for multi-year transformation.
• Piloting integration layers to transition towards a service-oriented architecture.
• Implementing Business Process Management and process ownership concepts.

Solutions:

1. Blueprint and Roadmap Development: The university developed a comprehensive blueprint and roadmap to guide the transformation process. This involved envisioning the transition from traditional education to personalized learning journeys.
2. Process and ICT Architecture: To support the new vision, a robust process and ICT architecture was designed. This architecture enabled a mass-personalized, catalog-enabled landscape to accommodate the diverse learning journeys of students.
3. Project Roadmap: A roadmap of projects, organized in distinct ‘Waves,’ was created to execute the transformation. These projects spanned the initial years of the shift and set the stage for ongoing changes.
4. Integration Layer Pilots: Initial pilot programs were conducted to introduce integration layers, which laid the foundation for a more service-oriented architecture.
5. Business Process Management and Process Ownership: The institute engaged in discussions and experimentation to implement Business Process Management principles and establish process ownership, ensuring more efficient and streamlined operations.

Results:

• The university successfully achieved its paradigm shift from traditional education to personalized, cross-disciplinary learning journeys.
• The new process and ICT architecture supported the realization of personalized, flexible, and digital learning environments.
• The multi-year roadmap guided the transformation process through different waves of change.
• Integration layers and service-oriented architecture were implemented, improving operational efficiency and adaptability.
• The introduction of Business Process Management principles optimized internal processes.

Key Takeaways: This case study underscores the importance of adaptability and innovation in higher education. It highlights how an institution can successfully navigate a paradigm shift by embracing personalized learning, strategic planning, and process optimization. A Dutch university of applied sciences achieved a remarkable transformation, transitioning from traditional education to personalized learning journeys that spanned subjects, educations, and institutes. The roadmap, architecture, and collaborative community made this paradigm shift possible, enhancing the institution’s ability to meet the evolving needs of its students and achieve high performance.