Umeå University's logo

National, regional and local governments are currently positioning themselves to be part of the Internet revolution, and as technology improves, greater attention is being given to its use in developing the business of governments. However, this aspect does not seem to have been an object of interest for university education. Developments have been done on the operational level where net based learning platforms and environments have been introduced, but strategically universities still seem to be organised from a supply oriented perspective. Hence, few methods and tools are developed for student driven development of lifelong learning. This paper presents three models for improving universities ability to develop demand oriented lifelong learning for its students. The first model considers the idea of a one-stop shop at universities. Today potential students communicate with different units/actors; student service, study counsellors, teachers, directors of undergraduate studies, etc. Currently common information systems, which collects and records requests from students are lacking. This type of information system could be similar to a customer-relation management system and help the organisation to make strategic decisions based on real needs. The second approach considers efficient models for development and maintenance of courses delivered over multiple channels. The objective is to generate the necessary foundation for making decisions based on student needs that is of practical and financial value to the organisation. The third model aims at finding private-public partnerships that deliver different forms of educational solutions. These aspects are all of importance when developing a sustainable strategic development of universities.