National University announces $20m project to help students
The San Diego National University has introduced a $20m initiative for personalising higher education through technology, called the Precision Institute. The centre will provide a four year Precision Education initiative, which will explore educational research and innovation in the student learning arena. The facility will focus on personalised approaches and diverse student learning to offer better chances of graduating.

National University President David Andrews is interviewed about the new Precision Institute. Courtesy National University

National University announced a $20 million initiative Wednesday to personalize higher education for individual student needs through the use of advanced technologies.

The San Diego-based university, which serves 28,000 students, launched the Precision Institute and funded a four-year Precision Education initiative.

“We are entering a new era of opportunity and innovation in higher education with the development of advanced technologies and data analytics tools that can better aid us in creating adaptive learning platforms on a very precise and individual level,” said Dr. David Andrews, president of the private, not-for-profit institution.

The idea is to adapt education to individual student needs and interests with the intent of better serving a diverse student population and ensuring graduation from college.

“The Precision Institute at National University will contribute to ongoing research in this field as we foster a culture of collaboration with other institutions and organizations that share our mission to better adapt to the unique needs of diverse student learners so that they can more effectively reach their academic and career goals,” Andrews said.

Officials said National University is uniquely positioned to house the Precision Institute since it was founded more than 45 years ago to serve the needs of adult and diverse learners through personalized approaches such as evening classes, convenient campus locations, a “one class per month format” and online education.