The future seen from the perspective of young people, just half a step ahead [2]Campus Life: From "Course-Style" to "Buffet-Style"!?
Exploring the Next Shape of Campus Life
Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department (hereafter Dentsu Inc. Wakamon) held a "Tsugikuru" workshop with Generation Z students. Based on university students' reports, they are building hypotheses around the theme "The Next Shape of XX" ( see previous article here ).
This time, the theme is "The Next Shape of Campus Life." Considering recent circumstances, we explore how campus life for university students will evolve.
Co-creation Platform "βutterfly"
A new form of industry-academia collaboration project involving Generation Z students and companies. By combining Generation Z's unconventional perspectives with Dentsu Inc. Wakamon's planning and knowledge, we are developing collaborations across various fields, including new service development, product development, organizational development, and advertising expression development. At "βutterfly," current university students and Dentsu Inc. Wakamon members hold monthly "Tsugikuru" workshops. Each month, we set a theme like "The Next Shape of 'Events'" or "The Next Shape of 'Health'." Based on reports submitted by the students, we discuss and build future hypotheses for each theme.
"College students attending school almost every day" are about half the number of "college students attending classes almost every day"!!
Before building hypotheses, we first investigated the current environment surrounding university students. Using "CircleApp," a communication app dedicated to university clubs, we conducted a web survey on university life targeting 203 students (January 2022), obtaining the following responses.
Approximately 45% of university students responded that they "attend university classes almost every weekday," while only about 22% responded that they "attend university almost every weekday." This latter figure is roughly half the number of students attending classes almost daily.
Regarding the ratio of online to in-person classes, about 60% responded that "online classes are more common," while about 30% said "in-person classes are more common." This indicates that as of January 2022, online classes constitute a higher proportion. With this picture of university life emerging, let's examine how these students, who are attending campus less frequently, envision the "next form of campus life."
Campus Life: From "Course-Style" to "Buffet-Style"?!
Through the Tsugikuru "Forms of Campus Life" workshop, the following impressive worksheets emerged from the students.
[Worksheet Summary]
With online classes becoming mainstream, the need to commute disappears, and it becomes easy to take classes at distant universities outside one's own institution. In the future, opportunities to study subjects of interest online, beyond one's home university or major, may increase, and taking classes at multiple universities could become commonplace.
[Worksheet Overview]
The situation where students cannot physically attend university, with both clubs and classes conducted online, makes it seem as if universities have become online content services. In the future, university life might shift towards a subscription model, where individuals choose their own plans based on factors like duration (e.g., one month or per class unit) or library access, and pay accordingly.
After analyzing these worksheets, I identified two key points for formulating future hypotheses about the "next form of campus life."
The first is the positive aspect: "The ability to learn what you want, without constraints of time or place." As online classes become commonplace, students are increasingly freed from the traditional constraints of university learning. For example, as mentioned in the worksheet, studying at universities other than one's own may become a viable option. Additionally, saving commuting time could increase freedom in daily life. Regarding this point, a survey of university students conducted by Circle Up, mentioned earlier, revealed positive reactions to the reduced time and location constraints in university classes.
The second point is that "universities have become services that only provide classes." Looking at somewhat negative feedback from actual university students, the situation where "classes are primarily conducted online while we can't even go to campus and clubs can't meet in person as we'd like, yet we're paying tuition" suggests universities are increasingly becoming "class-providing services." Regarding this, a quantitative survey by Circle Up confirmed that over 70% of university students responded that "the value of the university as a 'place' has decreased" and "the tendency for the university's role to be merely a 'service that provides classes' has strengthened."
In today's world, where academic background and first career are no longer everything, and the importance of acquiring unique skills is becoming increasingly apparent, the environmental shift toward standardizing online classes may act as a tailwind. Consequently, the role expected of universities might increasingly be perceived as "just one efficient service for learning skills."
Considering the two points above – "the ability to learn what you want, without constraints of time or place" and "universities becoming services that provide only classes" – the next form of "campus life" could be described as a shift " from course-based to buffet-style."
Until now, the typical routine centered around life at one's university, structured around set schedules (like a "course" in a meal) such as "going to your university, attending classes, making good use of free periods, and returning home in the For undergraduates, this routine lasted about four years." This structured, routine-based approach (similar to a set "course" meal) centered around life at one's affiliated university was the norm. However, going forward, a "buffet-style" approach may become more common. This involves customizing and assembling one's experience around what one wants to do and what suits one best (with university classes being just one option among many).
Long-term internships starting right after university enrollment might become more common?
So, let's briefly consider what business opportunities might emerge as campus life shifts from "course-style" to "buffet-style."
First, from the university's perspective, offering each individual class as a paid online course or creating a special category of "online enrolled students" who can only participate in online classes would allow them to provide courses to a much larger audience.
In that case, demand wouldn't just come from current students but also from working professionals and other adults. Access could be open to anyone, or universities could limit it to alumni or students from nearby partner universities, a strategy mindful of the university brand.
From a corporate perspective, demand could rise for products and services aimed at helping university students acquire skills and qualifications. Long-term internships starting from university enrollment might also become standard. Furthermore, since students are missing out on the interactions and time they would normally experience with their university peers, services emphasizing the "community" element could be a key motivator for them.
This time, we focused on the theme "Exploring the Next Form of Campus Life," examining future changes in campus life. Stay tuned for the next installment of "Tsugikuru."
For more on Generation Z, we also recommend these articles:
・Comparing Generation Z with Millennials and Generation Y: Their Media Awareness and Mentality
・Gen Z Girls Have Their "Favorites" in Their Hearts: What is "Favorite Consumption" Among Gen Z Girls?
・ "Gotta buy before it sells out!" What is the "buzz consumption" phenomenon sweeping Gen Z girls?
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Author
Kazuya Kotani
Dentsu Inc.
Born in Tottori in 1991. Moved to Osaka for university. Primarily engaged in strategic planning while also working across a wide range of fields including campaign planning, branding, and PR. Also active as a member of the in-house organization "Dentsu Inc. Youth Research Department," which specializes in planning for young people.
