The Knowledge Hub of the Media College Amsterdam

It's something that every vocational school has to contend with; in a world where developments are happening at lightning speed, a curriculum irrevocably lags behind practice. That challenge is greatest in tech courses like the one for Software Developer at Mediacollege Amsterdam. To narrow that gap and continue to provide relevant education for the field, we facilitated a Design Sprint last February. The result is a prototype of an online platform that connects education, business, alumni and other stakeholders and leads to more collaboration.

A thorough analysis and interviews with all stakeholders helped the sprint team get a clear picture of the assignment. The gap between education and professional practice, we concluded, can only be closed with the exchange of knowledge. Our sprint goal was thus sharpened to the development of 'a reliable and relevant expertise center for the Software developer course and the professional practice'. But all the necessary knowledge is already available on the Internet. The challenge therefore lies in finding and collecting the best online sources; information that has been validated by experts and the students (or others) with a need for knowledge.

We think we have a rock-solid proposition: "Help build a source of knowledge for students, teachers, companies and yourself. This is how you contribute to the education of the professionals of the future." Now for a product.

With a validated prototype and convincing presentation, we will now look for support and resources to make the Knowledge Hub a reality. The ambition? A sustainable innovation that will not only be used for education and professional practice of Software developer but for all fields for which the Mediacollege Amsterdam wants to be an open educational institute and expertise center. We will keep you informed!