The project has received a total grant of €202,000, with RSM managing the full budget. The funding was provided under the "Insights for educational innovation" call by the Nationaal Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek (NRO), and the project is set to run from 2025 to 2028.
Enhancing employability skills through innovation
The ESA4all project aims to bridge the gap between non-formal and formal education by developing a hybrid curriculum that includes game-based learning activities, workshops, and micro-credentials. The curriculum will focus on equipping students with essential employability skills such as:
- Collaboration
- AI literacy
- Critical thinking
- Effective communication
- Problem-solving
- Ethical reasoning
The curriculum will be implemented and tested with university students from Erasmus University Rotterdam, Wageningen University & Research, and University of Twente.
Collaborative research
While RSM serves as the lead applicant for ESA4all, the project is conducted in collaboration with Dr Pantelis Papadopoulos from the University of Twente and Dr Omid Noroozi from Wageningen University & Research (WUR).
The grant will enable RSM to hire a postdoctoral researcher who will work on the project, further strengthening the research efforts in employability skills development.
Dr Vlachopoulos, a leading researcher in educational innovation, expressed enthusiasm about the project’s potential impact: “By integrating non-formal education elements into traditional university settings, we aim to better prepare students for the evolving job market. This grant allows us to develop cutting-edge educational interventions that will make a real difference in higher education.”
Dr Dimitrios Vlachopoulos
Dr Dimitrios Vlachopoulos is an associate professor of management education at RSM. His research explores emerging pedagogies, digital transformation in higher education, and sustainable innovation in management education. He investigates quality assurance, change management, technology use and well-being, and teacher training, aligning his work with UN Sustainable Development Goals 4, 5, and 10. His research is published in top journals, including Computers & Education (AI) and the British Journal of Educational Technology. Through evidence-based insights, Dr Vlachopoulos advances inclusive, technology-enhanced learning strategies that drive equity and excellence in education.
