This thesis examines strategies to address the challenges of heterogeneity in adult education by focusing on the development and refinement of the CAS-Profiler, a tool created by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). Adult education, characterized by diverse student profiles in terms of age, experience and expectations, presents significant challenges for lecturers in tailoring course materials to individual needs.

This work applies design science research to identify critical issues in adult education, evaluate existing tools and methodologies and explore the potential of the CAS-Profiler to close this gap. The CAS-Profiler leverages data collected via surveys on students’ backgrounds, prior knowledge and expectations, providing educators with actionable insights for lesson planning.

Findings from interviews with lecturers reveal key enhancements needed in the CAS-Profiler, such as a dashboard and the integration of additional features to better support lecturers. The work contributes to adult education by offering a concept for enhancing the CAS-Profiler. The concept consists of three components: A customer journey with the integration of the CAS-Profiler, a list of recommendations for developments and mock-ups to illustrate the recommendations.