Students as partners. Promoting competency-based education using design thinking

Abstract

Competency-based education (CBE) redefines the role of students from passive recipients of knowledge to active, self-directed learners. One approach embracing this is Students as Partners (SaP). The FHNW and its School of Business is committed to CBE and developed a new competency model collaboratively with lecturers and external stakeholders, students however, an essential stakeholder group in CBE, were not adequately involved. This mixed-methods study combined a student survey (N=373) and a design thinking process with 16 students to explore how CBE can be better understood and implemented at the School of Business from a students’ perspective. While the survey revealed low prior awareness and limited engagement with CBE, the design sprint enabled students to co-create effective prototypes to improve communication, understanding, and implementation of the competency model and CBE. The results highlight the importance of meaningful student involvement and demonstrate that participatory approaches can generate actionable solutions and strengthen organisational learning.