Evidence-based Higher Education

Utrecht University is embracing Evidence-based Higher Education as one of the pillars of its educational model and creating expertise about educational innovation and blended learning. Taking this approach means that, as much as is possible, educational innovations implemented at the university are based on scientific findings. These findings are obtained in two ways:

• All courses that are redesigned to incorporate IT tools are evaluated.
• Additionally the effects of the programme itself are studied in a longitudinal study. This study has been running since the inception of the Educate-it programme in 2014 and examines factors like teachers' willingness to change and the effects innovations have on the learning behaviours of students.

Based on the Educate-it programme's results between 2014 and 2017, UU believes we have already bridged the gap and have now reached the Early Majority (source). Based on the results up to this point, it is assumed that by late 2017 20% to 25% of all teachers will be actively engaged in making their courses blended. Our efforts through to 2020 will be directed towards entering into the Late Majority, with about 60% of teachers. We are not assuming we will reach the laggards (the final 16%) as early as 2020.