Signpost for development of the University West Campus

METHOD AND PROCESS

COLLABORATION AND DIALOGUE

An effective, sustainable campus plan requires a clear process and clear objectives, where all parties involved share consensus regarding the process as well as the purpose and objective of the final result. This approach was implemented by appointing a project management group consisting of representatives from University West, Trollhättan Municipality, the housing company, Eidar, the property company, Kraftstaden and the Student Union. A great deal of emphasis has been placed on maintaining dialogue with various stakeholders throughout the process. Employees of the University and external parties took part in a number of workshops in the spring of 2019.

THE PROCESS OF DEVISING THE CAMPUS PLAN

1. Startup This phase involved discussion of conditions, expectations and concerns relating to the project. The mandate and parameters of the project were clarified. It was important to create involvement and consensus around different terms, the current situation, needs, purpose, objectives, timescale and roles.

2. Current situation analysis Analysis of all stakeholders and their needs in relation to the future campus. Current situation analysis, assessing the extent to which the current physical environment is compatible with the needs and success factors identified. Based on the results of this analysis, the areas of the physical environment that are effective, require development or are lacking were pinpointed. The campus area is put into a broader perspective, for example, urban development and the business community.

3. Wording of campus vision and objectives Based on the results of the current situation analysis and our strategic platform, a campus vision is devised along with overall impact targets for our campus.

4. Gaining commitment and communication The campus plan affects a number of activities, and thereby lots of individuals. Communication is key to the success of the project, and a communication plan is drawn up based on the purpose and target groups. Information about the project is posted on the University West website on an ongoing basis. This communication continues for the duration of the project in order to create participation, stimulate interest and make it easier to gain commitment.

5. Generating ideas and co-creation Internal and external workshops in order to gain commitment to the campus vision and impact targets, and pool ideas for development.

6. Investigation of prioritised areas A number of key issues and areas are prioritised based on previous work. Issues of particular importance to the campus vision. These are investigated further in different projects, where the members of the project management group are responsible for the different areas. The aim is to ensure everything included in the Campus Plan is agreed upon and viable.

7. Development of the Campus Plan and visualisation The plan is put into writing, with visualisation work carried out by 3D animators, architects and urban planners. The main purpose of these representations is to provide inspiration, and they are not a precise description of how the units will appear in future. Text and images combine to form a communicative tool for the development of the campus.

BACKGROUND AND CONDITIONS

UNIVERSITY WEST IN BRIEF

University West is Sweden’s leading higher education institution in the field of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL). This means we carry out education and research in collaboration with business, the public sector and the surrounding community. We have been mandated by the Government to operate and develop WIL. Knowledge through collaboration lies at the heart of our approach. As of 2019, University West has around 15,000 students and 650 employees.

We offer a wide range of academic courses that provide the platform for lifelong learning. Thanks to our WIL status, our students encounter working life in a number of ways while studying. It is the interaction between academia, working life and the surrounding community that best creates insight and development that meet the needs and challenges of today and tomorrow. The research conducted by the University, which is hands-on and applicable, is 50% financed through external funds. Research at University West is carried out both domestically and internationally in collaboration with other partners and academic institutions, within the following research environments in particular:

• Child and Youth Studies • Learning in and for the New Working Life • Learning and Caring for Sustainable Health • Production Technology West

The long-term research strategy, Primus (“KK” environment, supported by the Knowledge Foundation) integrates research into production technology with that on learning in working life. Research into technology and learning in working life is combined within the focus area of I-WIL (Industrial Work-Integrated Learning). I-WIL is a unique new field of research.

STRATEGIC PLATFORM

The autumn of 2017 marked the adoption of a strategic platform which defines University West’s role, identity, position and vision. This platform is the foundation upon which our future operational projects and strategies are based. And naturally, it also applies to the development of our campus. Knowledge through collaboration is the foundation and inherent philosophy of the university's vision, and thereby also for all its activities.

Vision “We are an active societal partner that, together with the wider world, creates knowledge and makes it available to more people.”

Mission “We create and share knowledge, skills and learning together with the surrounding community. It is the interaction between academia, working life and the surrounding community that best creates insight, development and problem solving that meet the needs and challenges of today and tomorrow.”

To be an active societal partner is to identify needs, define positions, take initiative and drive development. Acting and working alongside the world around us means continually seeking collaboration outside the confines of the academic sphere. It is the conviction of University West that a world in which more people gain access to knowledge and development is a more equal and sustainable one. WIL and collaboration make this possible.

THE CAMPUS AS A VEHICLE OF COMPETITION

Sweden's universities and higher education institutions face increasingly fierce competition for students, employees and finance. This is why an attractive campus is a key competitive factor. Nowadays, more and more institutions deliberately base their student accommodation on or beside the campus area, or in the city centre, to create a dynamic, attractive campus and revitalise the area. Accommodation is a key factor, particularly when competing for international students.

In his research study1, the American researcher Amir Hajrasouliha, based at Cal Poly State University, has demonstrated there are three campus-related factors which have the greatest impact on the well-being, academic results and throughput of students: “degree of urbanism, degree of greenness and campus living”. Digital development is gaining momentum and will lead to transformative changes for higher education, just as it has for other industry sectors. Students, teachers and researchers are shifting more and more between digital and physical environments. New ways of working are emerging. It is envisaged that the field of education will also change and evolve. Although physical meetings will continue to be the main approach, this will be complemented by different types of virtual interaction.

In its report entitled “Framtidens lärandemiljöer”2 (The Learning Environments of the Future), The Association of Swedish Higher Education Institutions (SUHF) emphasises the importance of highly developed campus environments and meeting places, despite the growing digitalisation of society and academic environments.

1 Campus Matters 2016 2 https://suhf.se/app/uploads/2019/07/Framtidens-lärandemiljöer-Rapport-från-SUHFs-arbetsgrupp-2016.pdf