Resource Orchestration and the Higher Education Programme Director

Abstract

[EN] With approximately half a million students, universities of applied sciences are the largest providers of highly educated professionals in the Netherlands. These programs have a certain degree of policy freedom when it comes to connection and knowledge exchange with professional practice. Program directors are responsible for the organization and development of the education program. In this role they have, within the institutional framework of the university, powers in the areas of personnel, finance, quality assurance and planning. In this study, we look at how program directors use these responsibilities in the field of innovation, knowledge management and interaction with the professional field. This research shows that innovation is often sought in a more intensive relationship with practice and that innovation requires room for experimentation.