We live in an era in which our society is subject to ongoing change. How should those working in education respond to this and what is the best way to ensure a consistent link-up with professional practice? How can we ensure that our students themselves are at the helm in a world that is changing at such a rapid pace? By deploying learning communities in living labs, Hogeschool Inholland is trying to find the answers to questions like these.
High-quality, relevant education; that is what Inholland seeks to provide. Education that is up-to-the-minute, aligned with what the world requires of students and with their own ambitions, in an interconnected environment where we can learn together and from one another. We provide the scope for our students to tackle topical themes that deserve attention within the city or region, and in doing so, we increasingly empower our students to take control of their educational pathway, including ample attention for their personal development. By facilitating interdisciplinary collaborative partnerships, we at Inholland make the connection between education, research and many other fields. We aim for an integral approach, whereby students and educational coaches from various studies, as well as researchers and work field partners, operate from our living labs to collaborate within equivalent partnerships.
In a living lab, we bring together all kinds of issues, initiatives and practice-oriented research. Together, the participants constitute a learning community in which everyone contributes according to their personality, qualities, expertise and background, each approaching an issue from their own perspective. In this way, all participants pull their weight, thus ensuring the best concepts possible. Our living labs are located in environments where the issues we address are actually being confronted, and this is how we make long-term connections and ensure that our efforts are of value to local communities.
