Focusing on “generation Y” students’ expectations: a new way of conceiving an e-learning strategy

This paper presents how the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO) builds its blended learning strategy. Divided into two phases, the first as top down, from board of education to professors, and the second as a bottom-up approach, from students to board of education, the HES-SO e-learning strategy intends to include digital native students’ expectations, needs and requests to implement tools, instruments and new learning approaches. To illustrate the strategy, this paper presents the result of a survey carried out during May-June 2013 and depicts the new student who enrolls into higher education institutions.