Exploratory study: New forms of tertiary education

 
As part of its joint initiative Future Mission Education, the Stifterverband, together with the Heinz Nixdorf Foundation, is funding an exploratory study on innovative concepts for the future of education from the global context and their transfer potential for German universities.

To ensure the future viability of universities, the traditional concept of “Bildung” as an advanced process of teaching and learning in higher education institutions needs to be reviewed fundamentally . Meanwhile, new initiatives, university prototypes and innovative tertiary institutions enter the stage globally, developing alternative learning and skill pathways. In this context, the Stifterverband is conducting the exploratory study "New forms of tertiary education" as part of the Future Mission Education.  

The exploratory study aims to:

• map national and international examples of innovative and sustainable concepts from the field of education 
• systematize them with regard to their effectiveness, success criteria and feasibility and  
• identify transfer potentials and policy recommendations for the German higher education context  
• create a basis for piloting promising concepts at German universities willing to transform as part of a subsequent funding program

The Technopolis Group will carry out the study and evaluate and process the results between October 2023 and June 2024. Relevant stakeholders will be involved throughout the entire process to verify the study’s alignment with its goals, validate the results and develop conclusions. A study advisory board with proven experts and forward-thinkers from universities and the corporate context will also accompany the process as Critical Friends.

The study phases

• Implementation and evaluation (October 2023 till March 2024)
  With the help of desk research, a crowdsourcing survey, interviews and stakeholder workshops, we will conduct:
  ●  a Landscaping phase, to collect and systematize effective, innovative institutions and approaches from the national and international context and 
  ●  subsequent DeepDive phase, in which individual approaches that were evaluated as particularly promising and effective will be subjected to a deeper analysis (with focus on the conditions for success & transfer potential)
   
• Preparation and presentation of the results (March 2024 till June 2024)
  The results will be presented to the public as part of the University:Future Festival. They will serve as a source of inspiration and show concrete options and recommendations for action to accelerate systemic change in the German university context.