SDU University Partners with Explorance for Academic and Institutional Surveys

Montreal, Quebec – July 2025 – SDU University, one of the leading private higher education institutions in Kazakhstan, has partnered with Explorance to provide a “unique solution” for multiple evaluations across its four faculties which support nearly 9,000 students.

From the start of the 2025-26 academic year, Explorance Blue will be used for all standard academic programs, and a host of other institutional surveys, replacing an in-house system and other survey platforms as part of the University’s digital transformation agenda.

Gulnaz Toguzbayeva, Director of the University’s Quality Assurance Department, explained why SDU had decided to onboard Explorance. “We have been on a digital transformation journey as a university, and we were actively looking for a solution like Blue,” she said. “Previously, we relied on a range of survey tools, but lacked a single platform that could be fully integrated with our learning management system.

“When I learned about Blue, I was impressed to find a solution that met all of our institutional needs – particularly in terms of streamlined survey distribution, adaptable design, and advanced analytics and visualisation. A key advantage for us is automation: no other platform brought all these functions together in such a cohesive way.

“In addition to course and teaching evaluations, we will use Blue for our first-month freshman survey, end-of-year satisfaction survey, and alumni exit survey. Adopting a unified platform allows us to centrally manage these instruments and coordinate communication across faculties and departments. It also enables us to generate tailored reports for academic units, department heads, and top-level administration.”

The University has “big plans” for this service, such as additional mid-term course evaluations and targeted surveys for specific student groups, as well as using Blue for surveys with academic partners and employers, including around internship programmes. Additionally, while focusing on the implementation of Blue for now, Explorance MLY will be introduced in the 2026-27 academic year for sentiment analysis. This may, in time, include analysis of social media feeds to support institutional planning.

Gulnaz commented: “At a university level, we have a target for data-driven decision making, and the introduction of Blue and MLY are important solutions within our digital transformation project, which is also being supported by higher education governance in Kazakhstan. What stands out about Explorance is not just the service, but the global network it enables. Being part of a community of institutions that share their lived experience helps us grow and adapt more effectively.”

John Atherton, VP Sales EMEA at Explorance, added: “We are pleased to be working with SDU University, which is dedicated to its mission in sustainable development and will continue working tirelessly for the benefit of education and society. Having had Gulnaz join a panel discussion at a recent Explorance event in Dubai, we also know the University is absolutely committed to student voice and understanding how that is working across universities in the region and beyond. This is an exciting collaboration.”

About SDU University

Founded in 1996, SDU University is one of Kazakhstan’s leading private institutions of higher education. Located in Almaty, SDU is renowned for its commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and sustainable development. The university serves nearly 9,000 students across four faculties, offering a broad range of undergraduate and graduate programs in science, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. With a strong emphasis on digital transformation and international collaboration, SDU is actively advancing its mission to equip students with the skills and knowledge to contribute meaningfully to society and the global economy.

Learn more at sdu.edu.kz.

About Explorance

Explorance empowers organizations with next-generation feedback analytics to accelerate the insight-to-action cycle, encouraging the philosophy of “Feedback for the brave” to drive purpose, impact, and growth.       

Bringing 20 years of expertise, Explorance, a member of the World Economic Forum and a trusted partner for 35% of Fortune 100 companies and 25% of the world’s top higher education institutions, has influenced over 25 million individuals with award-winning solutions like Blue, Metrics That Matter (MTM), and MLY.

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