Methods of Education Experience
In our Education Experience sessions, a method refers to a structured approach or technique used to gather and analyze information. We specialize in several methods, including Customer Journey Mapping, Awareness Mapping, Design Thinking, and Make Your Mark.
On this page, you can find detailed information about each of the methods we use.
Our approach
The Education Experience Team started in 2018 with a focus on understanding students' needs. Over time, we expanded to also address the needs of teachers and other education staff. We identify these needs by organizing sessions with our target groups on specific topics.
To keep our sessions engaging and interactive, we use a combination of methods and tools such as flip charts, post-it notes, and LEGO. We select the most appropriate method based on the questions posed by WUR teams or departments to effectively address their needs.
Our methods
Initially, we relied mainly on (Customer) Journey Mapping for our sessions. However, we discovered that Journey Mapping wasn't suitable for every type of question. To better address various needs, we explored and added new methods to our toolkit. We now use 4 different methods (see image below) to effectively identify and understand the needs of students, teachers, and other education-related staff.
1) Customer Journey Mapping
Customer Journey Mapping helps us understand the entire process of a service or product. By examining touchpoints, people involved, tools used, emotions felt, needs, and potential solutions, we gain valuable insights into the overall experience.
2) Awareness Mapping
Awareness Mapping helps us understand participants' attitudes and behaviors by focusing on their personal experiences. It examines what participants see, hear, think, and feel, as well as what they say and do. This method also highlights the challenges (pains) and benefits (gains) they have experienced.
3) Design Thinking
Design Thinking involves participants interviewing each other to define a problem, brainstorm solutions, gather feedback, and develop a final solution. The key benefit is that participants collaborate on solving each other's problems, generating and refining ideas together.
4) Make your Mark
In the Make Your Mark method, participants start by individually answering a series of questions. We then discuss the most popular responses in a group setting. Next, participants work in pairs to identify needs, followed by using Design Thinking steps to brainstorm and develop solutions based on those needs.
Curious about the results of these methods?
To see the results of our sessions or the outcomes associated with each method, please visit our Results page for a comprehensive overview.