H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N C A S E S T U DY

FONTYS ICT
Powering a New Approach to Education at Fontys ICT

LEVEL: INITIATIVE: Prioritising student

Higher education empowerment and self-directed learning

THE CHALLENGE

Fontys ICT (Fontys University of Applied Sciences, School of

ICT) is one of the largest Dutch universities, with campuses
located primarily in the south of Holland. Despite large
student numbers, education at Fontys ICT is organised on a
small scale, with personalised and individualised learning at
its heart.

Fontys ICT is committed to innovative teaching methods. For

the university staff, a traditional linear model of education
simply doesn’t work. Eric Slaats, Course Director at Fontys
ICT, tells us: “Starting a degree course where you’re told,
‘Here’s what you’ll know in four years time,’ just doesn’t work
anymore, because, simply, we don’t know how the world is
going to look in four years.”

Fontys ICT recognises that traditional university teaching

doesn’t always reflect the principles of empowerment and
freedom that it seeks to offer. So instead, Fontys ICT set out
to build an entirely new educational model, founded on the
principles of openness and collaboration.

KEY FINDINGS:

Canvas helps empower students to

develop independent learning skills

Canvas helps Fontys ICT prioritise

applied knowledge to deliver
real-world learning

CanvasLMS.eu • +44 (0)800 358 4330

© 2017 Instructure Inc. All rights reserved.
 F O N T YS I C T A N D CA N VAS
“I LOVE WORKING WITH STUDENTS, AND GIVING
THEM THE CHANCE TO GET A HEAD START IN THE
WORLD IS GREAT. THESE ARE STUDENTS WHO ARE
GOING TO CHANGE THINGS, AND WE NEED TO
DELIVER EDUCATION WHICH HELPS EVERY ONE OF
THEM SUCCEED ON THEIR OWN TERMS. DOING
THIS IS A MASSIVE PLUS FOR SOCIETY, AND
CANVAS IS HELPING US MEET THESE GOALS.”
—ERIC SLAATS
Course Director at Fontys ICT
THE DECISION
Applied knowledge is a crucial tenet of Fontys ICT’s new
pedagogy. An undergraduate student at the university
told us: “At Fontys ICT we use everything we learn, and
that’s fundamentally a better way to do things.”
Many modules incorporate what Eric calls “a real life
element,” where outside participation is employed to
ground the project in reality. “If students are working for
someone from industry—maybe even a potential
employer—then they're more motivated to learn, to
engage with the course and to deliver,” Eric continues.
At Fontys ICT students are able to define their own goals
and build their own competence profile, finding content
that fits these needs. Importantly, Fontys ICT students are
empowered to be owners of their own content, the pace
of their learning, their own style and performance and
progression data.
To meet these needs, the physical space at Fontys ICT is
different from many universities. ”Classrooms are on the
way out,” says Eric. Instead, open space allows
collaboration, makes teachers more accessible and gives
students freedom to perform at their best. But it's not just
physical space which powers this change—a more
empowered and free curriculum relies on open and
flexible technology.
So the adoption of Canvas was a crucial factor in meeting
Fontys ICT’s ambitions. Canvas is designed from the ground
up to meet the requirements of modern students, teachers
and institutions. “It’s easy to use and really powerful,” says
Eric, “and delivers on our need to let students control and
direct their own learning journeys.”
THE RESULTS
Canvas has helped Fontys ICT redefine its teachers’ roles.
Real time data, which provides actionable insights into student
performance, has given teachers the power to act as guides
for their students, helping direct them through their studies.
This provides a balance between openness and control,
harnessing the power of good teaching and applying it to the
need for student empowerment and freedom.
Canvas has helped Fontys ICT deliver on its promise to
ground learning in the real world, powering collaboration
between students, teachers and the outside world. This is
crucial, says Fontys ICT, to delivering education which helps
students prepare for their lives after studies—in employment
and beyond.
Eric finishes, “I love working with students, and giving them
the chance to get a head start in the world is great. These are
students who are going to change things, and we need to
deliver education which helps every one of them succeed on
their own terms. Doing this is a massive plus for society, and
Canvas is helping us meet these goals.”
CanvasLMS.eu • +44 (0)800 358 4330
© 2017 Instructure Inc. All rights reserved.