Joyce van Kooten and Edzard Zeinstra, professors at Johan Cruyff Academy Amsterdam, analyze the key innovations in education for top-level athletes that have been recently implemented
The continuous evolution of the sports industry demands constant updates to educational programs to incorporate new trends, technologies, and best practices. In response, Johan Cruyff Academy in Amsterdam has introduced a new educational approach that moves away from traditional subject divisions, offering an integrated curriculum through broader assignments. Additionally, exams are no longer part of the academic program. These changes have received positive feedback from both teachers and students. One example of this is that students are attending more regularly, and dropouts have decreased.
Johan Cruyff Academy offers elite athletes in the Netherlands the opportunity to combine their sports careers with a four-year Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Marketing, providing them with a flexible program that adapts to their demanding training and competition schedules. In addition, they offer a learning environment where students can directly apply the knowledge they acquire to their sports careers, fostering the development of skills both on and off the field.
In this interview, Johan Cruyff Academy professors Joyce van Kooten and Edzard Zeinstra discuss the motivations and vision behind the innovations in education for Johan Cruyff Academy’s student-athletes. They also talk about how students are developing their skills and how the quality of professional higher education is ensured.
Johan Cruyff Academy professors Joyce van Kooten (right) and Edzard Zeinstra (left).
What do the educational changes at Johan Cruyff Academy entail?
Recent developments in education extend beyond professional higher education. There is a growing belief that each person experiences unique development and therefore has unique learning needs. One of the main reasons for these changes was the need to meet the diverse needs of learners. Our goal is to help students improve their knowledge and skills to achieve their individual learning objectives.
One of the innovations at Johan Cruyff Academy Amsterdam is the introduction of learning communities. In these groups, all students work together, emphasizing collaborative learning, which is central to our approach. The two pillars of educational innovation are:
- Personalized learning: There is an increasing emphasis on tailoring education to the individual learning needs of each student. Thanks to technology, we can better align education with each student’s abilities.
- Formative assessment: The focus is on continuous student development and reflection, rather than a single testing moment at the end of a learning process. Students receive ongoing support and feedback throughout their learning journey.
Why is Johan Cruyff Academy a good place to try these educational innovations?
For a quarter of a century, Johan Cruyff Academy has offered maximum flexibility, along with online and blended learning options. These innovations allow top athletes to continue studying during tournaments and competitions. Additionally, the relatively small size of Johan Cruyff Academy creates an ideal environment for testing educational innovations. Since our target group —top athletes— places high demands on education, if it is feasible for them, it is likely feasible for other students as well. Therefore, our team uses its knowledge and experience to develop education and new curricula.
“For a quarter of a century, Johan Cruyff Academy has offered maximum flexibility, along with online and blended learning options. These innovations allow top athletes to continue studying during tournaments and competitions”
Changes in teaching methods are also motivated by the changing needs of the professional field. There was a growing disconnect between what students learned during their studies and what they needed in practice. Traditionally, higher vocational education relied heavily on reports and exams, which often do not correspond to real-world practice.
Companies increasingly value specific skills, and knowledge in fields like sports marketing changes rapidly due to new technologies, terminologies, models, and products. Businesses now prioritize having the right skill set over theoretical knowledge that can be learned from a book. By making these changes in education, we can better meet the needs of both students and the professional field and prepare students for a successful career.
Why eliminate exams?
The problem wasn’t directly in the exams and tests themselves, as our program scored well in many areas and study results were good. The real issue was that the assignments play no direct role in practice, making it increasingly difficult for students to connect what they had learned with the challenges they faced in marketing.
“In this new approach at Johan Cruyff Academy, students learn not only from the feedback given by teachers but also from their peers”
Despite this change, teachers are still responsible for evaluating all study results. In this new approach at Johan Cruyff Academy, students learn not only from the feedback given by teachers but also from their peers. This helps them to look critically at their own work and that of others, creating a continuous learning cycle where they constantly improve and gain new knowledge. Initially, students seek approval from their teachers, but over time, they realize that much can be learned from other students as well.
How would you define the current model of education at Johan Cruyff Academy?
Our vision at Johan Cruyff Academy is to remain professionally attractive, now and in the future. That’s why we offer a future-oriented education, where future professionals learn how to adapt quickly to real-world practice and develop essential skills. This requires specific didactic principles. We have chosen to have students complete four challenging projects, each worth fifteen credits and relevant to real-world practice with actual clients.
Three key aspects of our approach are:
- Collaborative learning: Students work together within learning communities and learn from each other, rather than simply following instructions. They also work more closely with teachers, who provide more feedback and are more involved in students’ work.
- Integrated education: Instead of separate subjects with individual credits, students complete four projects where all learning components are integrated. Each project covers all aspects of the learning process, ensuring that knowledge and skills are acquired coherently.
- Integrated assessment: Instead of separate knowledge tests, students work on professional products that are directly assessed, ensuring that evaluation is linked to real-world practice.
Since there are no exams, how do you evaluate the students’ work?
Teacher evaluations are based not only on theoretical knowledge but also on practical application and collaboration, which better prepares students for real-world practice. Teachers assess two main areas:
- Larger tasks in sprints: During projects, students work on substantial tasks, which we call ‘sprints’, that are reviewed and evaluated by the teachers.
- Final results of the four projects: At the end of each project, the final results are evaluated.
For example, in a sales project, students worked in pairs to design a sales strategy and individually figured out how to succeed with their sales campaigns. This allows them to earn both group and individual credits. A good example of subject integration is English. Previously, students received separate training in “English Presentation.” Now, English is integrated into projects, and students must be able to make a sales pitch in English.
What challenges do you see in the future for this educational model?
As the study progresses and topics are covered in greater depth, we expect the challenges to increase. We may also rely more frequently on specialists for specific subjects. Like our students, we as teachers continue to learn and adapt to new teaching methods and knowledge.
As an illustration, the final project often follows these dynamics: the student writes an action plan, conducts literature research, writes the theoretical framework, and then performs internal and external analyses, a SWOT analysis, and a confrontation matrix. However, we now teach that in practice, a marketing project isn’t developed in such a standard way. Consequently, the approach to internship and graduation projects will become more flexible and practice-oriented. We aim to prepare students for the reality that marketing projects are often unpredictable and require a dynamic approach.
* Header image: Imke Brommer is a Dutch Paralympic cyclist and an alumna of Johan Cruyff Academy Amsterdam. She achieved significant succes in het career. She is known for her dedication, hard work and partnership with Larissa Klaassen, her visually impaired tandem partner. Together, they have won several world championships and a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
