HEI-UP

Key facts

Project title: HEI-UP (Improvement of Business Process Management in Higher Education institutions)

E-learning platform: hei-up

Programme: Lifelong Learning Programme, Erasmus Multilateral

Contract number: 2011-3846/001-001

Project number: 518035-LLP-1-2011-1-AT-ERASMUS-ECUE

Duration: 1 October 2011 – 31 September 2013

Results

Online courses:

Partners

  • IMC Fachhochschule Krems, Austria (Applicant partner)

  • BICERO, Business Informatics Center Rozman Ltd., Slovenia (partner, idea)

  • DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social Studies Maribor, Slovenia (partner)

  • I.S.C.N. International Software Consulting Network LTD (partner)

  • Vakaru Lietuvos verslo kolegija, Lithuania (partner)

  • Szczecińska Szkoła Wyższa Collegium Balticum, Poland (partner)

  • American University in Bulgaria, Bulgaria (partner)

Project background

SMEs and enterprises usually have well-managed core business processes. Identified, documented, standardised, managed, automatised business processes ensure they stay competitive.

Nowadays, HEIs (higher education institutions) are faced with a shift from mass education, an almost uniform age group (adolescents), employment status of students and finance sourcing to a very different position. HEIs should adapt to study-programme specialisation, a broader target age group (lifelong learning), already employed students coming from companies and other sources, and combinations of types of financing (state, tuition, projects, services and more). This does not only apply to private HEIs; public HEIs are also faced with these changes.

To improve the satisfaction of their clients (students, employees, partners) and to remain competitive, HEIs should manage their business processes in a similar way to enterprises and SMEs. Therefore, a business process management knowledge transfer should be initiated and maintained. Business Process Management (BPM) methodologies should be adapted to HEI specifics. Additionally, best practices of business processes used by enterprises and SMEs should be gathered, analysed, modified and compiled into a unified methodology for HEI management.

A constant flow of BPM knowledge between HEIs and enterprises should also be maintained, to ensure exchange of field-based BPM experiences and theoretical knowledge. Existing BPM courses should also be improved with HEI process best practices, to raise the next generation of BPM-capable students.

Main results

The main results of this project will be:

  • analysis of the current state of BPM practices in HEIs

  • a set of BPM project case studies - transferred from ENTs to HEIs

  • a BPM framework for HEIs

  • a new course unit: Certified Business Process Manager course

  • educated HEI management staff

  • a consortium which gathers ENTs and HEIs in the field of BPM.