Open University develops Digital Campus in cooperation with Breens Network

AMSTERDAM, JANUARY 12th  2023 – Open University (Open Universiteit Netherlands, OU) has now made the choice for Breens Network as a partner in developing a state-of-the-art Digital Campus/ Student information System for its students, teachers and staff. Smart digitisation can significantly boost the educational experience of students and teachers alike and contribute to the ongoing process of increased learning flexibility. The OU has strong ambitions on this point.

• With the Digital OU program, Open University is implementing its ambition to maintain a pioneering position in offering high-quality, personalised and activating academic distance education.
• In developing the Digital Campus on behalf of OU, Breens Network operates from a student-centred approach aimed at providing a distinct and distinguishing solution beyond the scope of existing software products and legacy ERP systems.
• The result will be a comprehensive solution providing OU with a future-proof educational environment based on operational flexibility and offering students and teachers the highest standards in user-friendliness and learning comfort.

The final solution will include a new CRM student360 platform, a student portal and SIS (Student Information System), complete with an educational catalogue and modules for flexible planning and scheduling. Options for embedding teaching aids and content systems are also being considered. The result will be a comprehensive solution for students, teachers and general staff, offering Open University future-proof flexibility and providing students and teachers with an online educational environment of optimal user comfort. 

“This project touches on the very DNA of our organisation. We can’t wait to start working with our partners of choice in making this happen and we are confident that, together, we will be able to produce something really special,” says Prof. Dr. Frank van der Duijn Schouten, chairman of OU’s Board of Directors.

OU, the leading part-time university of The Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium, is a forerunner in high-quality, personalised and engaging academic-level remote education, making scientific schooling accessible to students who prefer or depend on the flexibility of online alternatives to the classic educational process. In order to maintain its pivotal position in this field, Open University is committed to keep promoting the use of high-end digital technology. For the years ahead, its ambition is to take educational IT processes and assets to the next level of distinguishing professionalism and efficiency. In this journey, developing the Digital Campus is a key component.

“What Breens Network shares with OU is a passion for personalised and flexible answers to educational challenges, from the overall vision of Life-Long Personal Growth. We are looking forward developing this integrated solution over the years to come so we can keep improving the general student experience,” adds Breens Network CEO Geert-Jan van der Snoek, who is convinced that ”in committing to this project, Open University is proactively responding to ongoing educational developments and innovations while also preparing for the further integration of education and the job market, solidifying OU’s position as a force of progressive thinking and leadership in the academic world.”

Breens Network is a Dutch EdTech organisation, born from the ambition of supporting domestic educational institutions in the use of new digital technologies and implementation of the associated processes and procedures. From a student-centred approach and in cooperation with leading Dutch technology partners like 2at, Synigo and Visma Advitrae, Breens Network is currently implementing tested technologies and proven procedures in developing Open University’s Digital Campus which is to be the next distinguishing step beyond existing software products and legacy ERP systems. In doing so, it is leveraging multiple currently available digital solutions that have stood the test of educational merit in practical conditions, not only in terms of technical reliability but also and specifically with regard to user-friendliness and overall quality. 

About Open University

Open University is the leading part-time university for The Netherlands and Dutch-speaking Belgium, where students enrol in personalised and activating academic distance education, with research being carried out in various scientific disciplines. Open University provides complete bachelor and master degree academic programmes, while also offering compact curricula. Across the entire bandwidth of available options, the educational experience is defined by flexibility, transparency and quality. With a staff of over 750 employees, OU serves a total of more than 17,000 students. It has study centres in The Netherlands and Belgium, its main office being located in the Dutch city of Heerlen. For more information visit https://www.ou.nl/ 

About Breens Network 

As an innovator of The Learning Netherlands, Breens Network has the ambition to contribute to the digital transformation of learning in meaningful and significant ways. We do this by supporting educational institutions in the ongoing journey of digitisation and innovation of their processes and procedures. Generations of students, teachers, managers and general employees in the field of education are living the transition to a new, hybrid way of working and learning in which the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds are beginning to fade.

In this rapidly evolving new environment, we combine the reach of our advanced digital and technological expertise with the strength of profound understanding of the educational market. Headquartered in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, Breens Network serves a total of approximately two million students, teachers and employees in the field of secondary, secondary vocational and higher education. For more information visit 

https://breensnetwork.nl/?lang=en