Student group’s challenge

“The students came up with something of an interactive information platform. However, I think that their idea was also driven by their stakeholder. One of the women in the group worked at a call center. It was a sort of bureau that provide advice to people with rheumatism. This was an easy link for the students, and she asked this bureau to be their stakeholder of the problem. This bureau was very focused on providing information to people with rheumatism with a digital platform. So, for the students, there was not much choice in the idea, because the stakeholder already had a preference. […] Because the student worked there, she (student) became dominant in the process. It was an easy link to a stakeholder. However, that dominant student immediately took the lead from there and she (student) also felt a sort of responsibility. Personally, I do not think that is a healthy relationship. A student who has a part-time job, but her employer is also going to guide and evaluate the innovation project. Of course, that dominant student wanted to deliver a good product to her employer. The dominant student definitely took the lead there. In this case, it went well, but it does not have to go well. The other students did not dare to say, ‘hey, why, or should we do this now’? […] For the stakeholder, it was very clear, he had an interest in the solution students would be proposing. Because of that, he was steering the solution. What do you mean by steering the solution? The stakeholder owned a company that delivered telephone advice to people with rheumatism, and he wanted to make a digital platform for this, and this was actually the product that was supposed to be developed” [T4 rheumatology].

Teaching activities

“I think I mainly encouraged students to find out more about the actual need for information. Where is the lack of information, and what should the information look alike? […] If a stakeholder has a very clear idea about the problem and possible solutions, they (stakeholder) can be very directive towards students. And I expect that students will be very sensitive to that. Because then someone is the client, and you have to be accountable to them. And if the stakeholder wants A or B to happen, then you do A or B. But actually, the students should then say ‘why? Is there even a problem?’ The students should ask the same questions that I ask them” [T4 rheumatology].