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Commissioned by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Dialogic recently conducted the midterm evaluation of the Acceleration Plan for Educational Innovation with ICT 2018-2022. The Acceleration Plan is a collaboration between the VSNU, VH, and SURF to drive educational innovations with ICT in higher education. In eight different zones focusing on specific themes, 39 higher education institutions are working together. Additionally, in response to the impact of COVID-19 on higher education, two working groups have been established for remote digital assessment and online education in practical skills.
The overarching ambition of the Acceleration Plan is to 'maximise the opportunities that technology offers to higher education in the Netherlands'. This broad ambition is divided into three goals: 1) improving the alignment of education with the labour market; 2) making education more flexible; 3) smarter and better learning with technology. In the midterm evaluation, Dialogic examined the extent to which the Acceleration Plan has so far succeeded in contributing to the stated ambitions, what the expectations are for the next two years, and to what extent (new) ambitions can be pursued post-plan.
Interviewed stakeholders are convinced of the added value of their contributions to improving higher education and are satisfied with the achievements to date. In the initial phase of the Acceleration Plan, significant effort was put into getting to know each other, developing action plans for the different zones, and reaching common ground. After two years, various zones seem to be gaining momentum; over 100 concrete products have been delivered, large funding applications are being submitted, and new pilots have started or will start soon. Regarding the ambitions of the Acceleration Plan, we note that these are not always recognised at the zone level. Where the formulated ambitions are recognised, stakeholders perceive them as very broad, lacking clear objectives or specific direction on what exactly needs to be achieved. While this breadth is seen as a strength because it allows room for innovative activities with yet undefined outcomes, it also means that the impact of the Acceleration Plan on the ambitions cannot be clearly determined.
Participants widely appreciate the products and the network. The collaboration between institutions, with institutions contributing to educational innovations themselves, is seen as a significant strength. Several stakeholders emphasise that maintaining this is valuable for higher education. The expectation is that full (bottom-up) uptake by institutions is unlikely, with both support and incentivisation remaining important. However, few stakeholders see value in a second Acceleration Plan following the same structure. It is indicated that while the Acceleration Plan has provided an impetus, continuing in the same manner could struggle to sustain this energy and effort.
Based on our research, we formulated five recommendations for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Acceleration Plan:
- Focus on concrete goals for zones for 2023.
- Continue to invest in disseminating and communicating results, also to the participants themselves.
- Invest in maintaining attention and activities on digital education and educational innovations post-COVID-19 crisis.
- Ensure the prerequisites for educational innovation with ICT after the Acceleration Plan concludes.
- Explore a more stimulating role for the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
For a deeper insight into the outcomes of the midterm evaluation and further elaboration on the recommendations, please refer to the report recently submitted to the Dutch House of Representatives. See the report here: rijksoverheid.nl.
For more information about the Acceleration Plan, visit versnellingsplan.nl.
Interested in learning more about this evaluation? Please contact Max Kemman.