FUDIX - Future Digiexperts

The FUDIX project implemented during 2021 - 2023 renewed the teaching of digital marketing and provided students with even better skills for industry tasks. The project involved innovation and the creation of a new, inspiring digital marketing learning environment that meets the rapidly changing competency requirements of the field. The project was funded by the European Social Fund.

Digital marketing learning environment

The demand for digital marketing expertise is constantly growing. The problem with digital marketing education has been its overly theoretical nature. The FUDIX project developed a new type of digital marketing learning environment in collaboration with local companies. The learning environment demonstrates how theory and practice can be integrated from the beginning of studies.

Experiential learning is an integral part of students' everyday lives in the learning environment, alongside theoretical studies. The goal of the environment is to produce marketing professionals who closely match the needs of companies. The environment responds to the rapid changes in digital marketing by allowing the teaching content to be modified according to the needs.

In the future, companies will have an influence on the content of the education. The teacher's work will also be facilitated by the support from a network of digital marketing experts.

Initially, the FUDIX project identified the best teaching models in Finland and around the world, and then built a collaborative network consisting of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and digital marketing expert companies. In collaboration with them, the digital marketing learning environment, which serves as a foundation for the development of students' digital marketing and sales skills, while also providing experts for the use of SMEs in Central Finland, was created.

Some key points in the learning environment:

• Focusing on Generation Z and understanding the overall picture of marketing
• Practical teaching
• In addition to theoretical and experiential learning, socio-cultural and self-regulatory knowledge are also part of the learning process
• Teachers' role as mentors and curators
• Collaboration with companies

The dozens of expert and SME companies involved in the ideation of the learning environment have a strong desire to collaborate closely in the context of the digital marketing learning environment.

SMEs employ students, provide practical assignments, real data, and internships for courses. Digital marketing expert companies, on the other hand, play an important role in bringing new and practical knowledge to education.

Below are described in more detail a few examples that companies have highlighted regarding collaboration in the learning environment.

1. Research and mapping of the best digital marketing teaching methods in Finland and in Europe.
2. Agile teaching experiments together with students, teachers, and business network partners.
3. Workshops and development together with business network partners and experts.
4. The concept of digital learning environment for digital marketing.

Digital marketing is renewing at a fast pace, as do the requirements of occupational skills. The challenge of teaching digital marketing has been theory-based approach and the lack of suitable learning environments. The FUDIX project created a new concept of a digital marketing learning environment. The project helped students develop important professional digital marketing skills. The new type of teaching model and learning environment ensures that students graduate with the skills and knowledge necessary for modern digital marketing jobs.

One of the most significant marketing challenges for companies is the more effective use of digital channels and high-quality content production. The goal of the project was to ensure that graduating students possess necessary digital marketing knowledge and practical skills. The digital marketer of the future is a tech-savvy multi-expert who understands the business and works closely with sales and customer care to enable growth. At best, digital marketing is a seamless interplay with sales, communications and customer service.

The FUDIX project started with a study that mapped digital marketing teaching methods both in Finland and in European countries. New types of teaching methods were tried out and piloted with students. To support teaching pilot experiments, the project brought together a network of experts from educational institutions and SMEs of the area. The result of the project was a new concept of a digital marketing learning environment, which, when implemented, will promote the professional digital marketing skills of students and employees already in working life.

The FUDIX project was funded by the European Social Fund (ESF). The project started on March 1st, 2021 and lasted until the end of August 2023. The target groups were primarily business students, teachers from partner institutions and SMEs in the region, who participated in the development of teaching models and the learning environment concept in workshops and teaching experiments.