Skip navigation EPAM
GET IN TOUCH
  • GET IN TOUCH
  • Search
    Enter your search query or select one from the list of frequent searches below. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.

    Frequent Searches

    • Blockchain
    • Cloud
    • DevOps
    • Open Source
    • RPA
    • Automation
    • Digital Risk Management
    • Contact

Universidad Continental: Student-Centered Transformation

PROJECT

CLIENT

Universidad Continental

SERVICES

  • CX Strategy & Design
  • Experience Design

INDUSTRY

  • Education

Universidad Continental was going through massive changes and needed to establish a new paradigm for education as a social ladder in Peru.

Challenge

“When I graduate, I want to feel ready to solve real problems.”

This is the story of Oliver, a student with a mother in jail and an absent father, forced to start working at a young age to support his three younger siblings.

With an education centered around his needs and aspirations, Oliver is now also an engineer, and the winner of the most important patent application contest in Peru.

This story can repeat millions of times in emerging markets. In Peru, the social ladder is steep, and change is hard. Young people are hungry to build a better future for themselves and their country, but traditional universities don’t invest in their potential or measure success in terms of practical, problem-solving impact. The most prestigious universities measure talent in ways that perpetuate inequality.

Universidad Continental was going through massive changes. New campuses in Lima, Arequipa, and Cusco, opening in March 2018, marked their entry to the national competitive market. It also represented an inflection point in their growth. The 20-year old university saw an opportunity to create a new educational model based on a better student experience.

We learned from students and alumni, faculty and entrepreneurs, and turned our insights into impact at many levels. Starting with a new and differentiated mission statement, we helped Universidad Continental shift their focus to developing students that would create positive impact in Peru and the rest of the world. In order for the institution to make the happen, we defined four strategic objectives for the organization to focus their efforts.

RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

Connect Learning to the Real World

Learning is not confined to books and classrooms. A better model is more participatory, allowing students to apply theory in practice, and connect what they are learning to its relevance in the real world. Students are hungry for collaboration and connection, with each other and with professors who bring relevant experience into the classroom.

RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

Provide Supportive Mentorship

Many of Universidad Continental’s students are the first in their family to go to college. They arrive with unrealistic or narrow expectations of themselves and the university. A supportive environment, from professors, to staff to systems, takes this reality and context into account and addresses the whole person. By stimulating reflection and more deliberate choices, students are more motivated and able to meet their goals.

RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

Leverage a Blended Model

Students come from a variety of backgrounds and constraints. Universidad Continental meets students where they are to accommodate transportation and family challenges by providing them virtual and physical platforms and tools.

RESEARCH & INSIGHTS

Build Community and Collaboration

Readiness to learn is cultivated beyond the classroom by processes and policies that are clear, consistent, and supportive. For students new to the experience of attending college, academic, administrative and emotional support are vital, so they feel like they truly belong and can focus on their education. Connections to students and projects outside their classes help foster a sense of belonging and agency.

01 / 04

Solution

To socialize the new strategic priorities, we produced a handbook for implementation and led multiple workshops.

This work was adopted by professors and administrators as they formed teams to push new initiatives forward. This project made significant changes to student touchpoints throughout their experience.

RESULTS

New Faculty Profile

We developed new faculty and staff profiles that responded to the guidance and support that students sought. These were used to adjust current professor profiles, and recruit the entire body of professors in the new campuses.

RESULTS

Reinvented Curriculum

We integrated new classes that focused on entrepreneurship, mentorship, collaboration, and real-world experiences like:

  • Leadership and innovation workshops
  • Effective communication
  • Communication and argumentation
  • Learning management
  • Hands-on research seminars

RESULTS

Innovation/Entrepreneurship Outreach

We pushed for a FABLAB maker space for students to collaborate with each other.

RESULTS

New Campus Space Design

We made recommendations to create more dynamic classroom and recreational spaces that allow more flexibility through furniture, eliminate hierarchy between professors and students, and enable opportunities for natural collaboration and exchange.

01 / 04