3. Education

Impact learning was reinforced when the City DealIntroductions grant was awarded. This further facilitate students to work on current issues in their immediate environment. Furthermore, EUR invested in facilities in the field of E-learning. This facilitates students to work in projects with organisations outside the University. Within the European University alliance UNIC, students could learn about the challenges in other European cities, partly online because of COVID-19.

COVID-19 also had a major impact on education in 2021. Not only for EUR students, but also for pupils and students in the Rotterdam direction. In addition to many initiatives to prevent loneliness and study delays among students, EUR actively participated in an initiative to prevent learning delays in primary and secondary education.

EUR continuously renews its course offerings to train students who can become a new generation of leaders and positive influencers in a changing world. In 2021, for example, EUR prepared the efficiency application and New Course Assessment for the interdisciplinary master programme Societal Transitions for the interdisciplinary master programme. The programme, subject to approval, trains students to respond to issues related to transition. The CDHO's Effectiveness Committee gave Erasmus MC the green light for the Research Master Genomics in Society programme, and a request for accreditation was submitted to the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO). Upon accreditation, students in this programme will actively explore the role genetic technology can play in solving major social issues, together with representatives in the city and region.

The NVAO also approved the Educational Master in Primary Education in 2021. The course was developed in close collaboration with the field. Students obtain their teaching license and thus contribute to reducing the lecturer shortage. The focus of the study is on teaching in large cities. The focus is mainly on complex issues, for example in the areas of opportunity inequality, diversity and inclusion.

EUR explicitly takes responsibility for its own educational quality. An important link in EUR's quality assurance is that three years after an external approval by the NVAO, it is evaluated at the institution and programme level whether we are making sufficient steps to keep our quality of education high. In 2021, an evaluation of the functioning of quality assurance at the institutional level began. In addition to dialogues on how to develop the educational vision, a survey was conducted into the state of quality assurance among the faculties with the help of an external agency. In 2022, this will culminate in an action plan that focuses on further strengthening quality assurance.

At the request of the BoT, 45 interim course evaluations were conducted. Independent peer panels not only scrutinised basic quality; they also looked at the extent to which innovations contribute to good-quality education for students. These recurring themes are related to future-proofing of education and the role impact learning plays. Also important in this context are the final qualifications of training courses, the relationship with the strategy, the knowledge and insights acquired from the COVID-19 period, the further development of assessment and the organisation and quality assurance of assessment. The latter follows up on the project Strengthening Examination Boards.

The question ‘What is educational quality?’ cannot be answered objectively. EUR organised an internal dialogue on this subject with all those involved in education. Students, lecturers and support staff, together with representatives of higher education institutions, reflected on how to further improve the quality of education.

The University Council create a separate working group that met 20 times in 2021 to discuss progress in improving educational quality. In addition, theme groups with representation from the University Council met every two to three weeks. These relate to online learning, assessment and student wellbeing, among other things. Staff members with substantive involvement in these topics participated. The University Council also organised two conferences on the operation of employee participation in 2021 for faculty councils and programme committees.

The student and faculty members in our participatory bodies have an important role in this conversation. They jointly engage with faculty leadership on what needs to be done in education. All faculty councils agreed to improvement plans for programmes and courses in 2021, and they agreed to apply for new programmes.

Programme committees, at the level of the educational programmes for the bachelor and master degree programmes, conduct the conversation about educational quality. In 2021, the programme committees were closely involved in adjusting teaching in connection with COVID-19 and the effects of the measures implemented under the Quality Agreements.

As part of the midtermevaluation on the functioning of the quality assurance system, an EUR-wide review of the performance of the programme committees was started with the involvement of an external consultant.

The results will be reported in 2022 and will form the basis for a project proposal for further strengthening the position of EUR Programme Committees, following the example of the project examination boards from 2019-2021.

Examination boards of faculties exchange experiences within the Consultation Chairs of Examination Boards (OVE) and Consultation Secretaries of Examination Boards (OSE). The programme management and the Rector Magnificus also regularly attend. As a result of COVID-19, the regular six-weekly contact between Chairs of the examination boards has been increased to weekly and, since mid-2021, bi-weekly.

In consultation with the examination boards, exams in 2021 were partly conducted through online proctoring. Supervision of online proctoring is ensured by biweekly feedback of irregularities by the examination boards to the examination organisation. Examination boards further closely monitored the quality of substitute assessments that replaced the on-campus assessments. Seven faculties participated in the two-year project Strengthening (Implementing) Assurance Tasks of examination boards, which began in 2020. The results were reported by the examination boards by the end of 2021. A recommendation on further strengthening of examination boards is expected to follow in the spring of 2022.

EUR also engages in a more informal and learning conversation about elaborating its educational vision. This happens in Communities of Practice. These are groups of lecturers, students, and support staff who meet regularly during the academic year on a voluntary basis to discuss ways to improve education.

Dr. Lonneke de Meijer – Community for personal and professional development of students

Prof.dr. Arwin van Buuren – Community for Impact learning

Dr. Maciej Szymanowski – Community for personalized and online learning

Prof.dr. Jeroen Jansz – Community for innovation capacity of our teachers

On 9 and 13 December, as part of a midterm evaluation, four broad dialogues took place with 140 participants from the Communities of Practice. The discussions focused on how EUR is implementing its ambition for impact learning, promoting lecturer quality, and the future-oriented design of online education.

The outcomes of the dialogues are set out in an advisory report that was presented to the vice-Deans of education. These will be used in 2022 for the conversation about continuous improvement of education with all faculties and all members of the participatory body.

The advisory notes broad support for impact learning and for the way lecturers are trained and supported by educators and mentors/tutors. Great strides have been made regarding the quality of online education. The Communitiesindicated that more overview of the outcomes of all initiatives by faculty would be welcomed. The Communitiesadvise EUR to sharpen the educational vision on a number of substantive points, specifically where it concerns having students work together on issues on a more interdisciplinary basis.

Visible quality: highlights, awards and prizes

Each year, several awards are presented to outstanding researchers at EUR. Also, a number of young, talented researchers receive fellowships from EUR or at Erasmus MC. EUR and Erasmus MC recognise the in-house talent they have and express their appreciation for scholars who have made a significant contribution.

First Dutch Higher Education premium 2021

The RASL Minor 'Re-imagining Tomorrow through Arts and Sciences'won third prize in the Dutch Higher Education Award. On 1 March, Minister Van Engelshoven of OCW announced the winners. The new teaching premium was created to endorse the high quality of teaching in Universities and Universities of Applied Sciences. It is intended for lecturer teams that are achieving top performance.

The minor is part of the Rotterdam Arts and Sciences Lab (RASL), a partnership of Codarts Rotterdam, Willem de Kooning Academy (part of Hogeschool Rotterdam) and EUR. Groundbreaking joint education and research takes place within RASL. The nominated minor is an innovative educational programme in which students redefine a self-selected social problem in a trans-disciplinary collaboration. During the learning process, students relate to their own discipline, other students and disciplines, and society. They learn to reflect critically on themselves.

Comenius Scholarships 2021

The Comenius Programme enables lecturers to put their vision of education into practice. The programme offers fellowships to Teaching Fellows, Senior Fellows and Leadership Fellows. The 'Fellows'have a distinct experience and scope of impact on education. The grants fund educational innovation projects.

Winners EUR 2021:

Delia Dumitrica, Senior Fellow: Adaptive digital environments for qualitative research learning:

Karen Stegers-Jager (Dr.), Senior Fellow. Think before you act!;

Jan Nouwen (Dr.), Teaching Fellow: Global HealthEducation and International Internships at the time of a pandemic;

Katharina Bauer (Dr.), Teaching Fellow: Is less perfect just perfect?

Floor van Rosse (Dr.), Teaching Fellow. Podcasts with an insert.

Education Prize

The Education Prize is awarded annually to a lecturer who has stood out in a special way. This may be because of her or his passionate teaching style or because of an innovative teaching style. The 2021 Education Prizewent to Dr. Ana Uribe Sandoval, a lecturer in the Department of Media and Communication at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication.

Lambers Student Excellence Award

In 2021, the second edition of the Lambers Student Excellence Award was presented to an outstanding student who has made exceptional study or research achievements during their academic career. The award went to no less than two inspiring and ambitious students: Ina Jäntgen (Philosophy and Economics) and Charlie Sewalt (Medicine). Another prize was awarded to Nikki Speklé (ESE/ ESL). She completed two bachelors and two masters in different disciplines at EUR in six years: Economics and Law (Master of Laws and Economics Programme). Both masters are completed with judicium summa cum laude. During her undergraduate studies, Nikki successfully participated in the ESE Bachelor Honours Class. She not only ranked among the top in her Honours Class,but also wrote a paper that was previously awarded the 2015 ESE Best Paper Award.

Student Societal Impact Award

The Student Societal Impact Awardwas presented to an EUR student for the first time in 2020. The prize was awarded to Max Wagenaar and Emma Peters in 2021. With their 'Erasmus Connects' initiative, they had the courage to be the gamechanger. Through their leadership, they actively connect students to major challenges in the city. They do so with great initiative, determination and leadership.

Unilever Research Prize 2021

Public administration and EUR alumnus Eleonora Kyriakou won the Unilever Research Prize 2021 with her research on compliance with EU environmental directives in the 27 member states. Her research shows that non-government environmental parties are not able to put pressure on national governments. Citizens' perceptions of the importance of environmental issues can, however, exert domestic pressure on member states' compliance with EU directives.

Rotterdam Thesis Prize for research into charging station infrastructure and consumer preferences

To encourage students to apply their scientific knowledge to Rotterdam, the City of Rotterdam and EUR have established the Rotterdam Thesis Prize. The jury looks at the relevance for Rotterdam and the scientific quality. The award consists of a certificate, a work of art by a Rotterdam artist and € 1500.

Jamila Robbeson, a master student at Erasmus School of Economics, has written an innovative and relevant thesis on consumer preferences regarding public charging infrastructure. She won the ninth Rotterdam Thesis Prize.

Profiling fund and scholarships

The regulations of the Profileringsfonds provide for financial compensation for study delays due to personal circumstances, board scholarships and exemptions. In 2021, 320 individual students and 79 boards of study and student associations received support from EUR’s profiling fund. 168 of those students received individual administrative scholarships because of being a member of the University Council, a programme committee or faculty council. In addition, financial support was provided to 35 students in force majeure situations, due to social activities or top-level sports. The remaining students received scholarships in the context of excellence or encouraging international mobility.

Europe is seeking answers to the major economic, societal and climate change-related challenges it faces. In line with its mission, EUR wants to make a significant contribution, explicitly also in education. That is why EUR is the leader of a European alliance of eight universities (UNIC): Koç University Istanbul (Turkey), Ruhr University Bochum (Germany), University of Liege (Belgium), University College Cork (Ireland), University of Deusto (Spain), University of Oulo (Finland), University of Zagreb (Croatia), Erasmus University Rotterdam (Netherlands) (https://unic.eu)

Making an impact on the development of post-industrial cities

As the leader of this 'European University', EUR wants to contribute to the development of the European higher education of the future. This education focuses on revitalising post-industrial cities through inclusive education, innovative research, and fostering civic engagement. Within UNIC, joint research and education is provided so that students work together in a European context in a trans and interdisciplinary manner to solve urban problems. In 2021 we continued to build on the structure of the partnership and work on educational models that would enable UNIC to jointly provide education and 'seamless mobility' to students. This first outline of the future governance structure and the Virtual Campus' have been outlined.

In addition to substantive initiatives in European and regional contexts, the promotion of impact learning is the common denominator of the central programme Impact at the Core. It is important that all EUR students are challenged to think about how they can contribute to and experiment with social tasks.

Programme Impact at the Core

Impact at the Core started in 2020 and aims to develop impact education. The main objective is to ensure that by 2024, every student in every EUR study programme will be offered at least one course that involves working on social issues together with direct stakeholders from outside the university. Objectives are:

• Developing courses, didactic approaches and forms of assessment within the limits of Dutch law and appropriate to the ambitions of EUR.
• Due to large student numbers and lecturer workload, designing this education to be affordable and feasible.
• Researching and implementing tools in the learning environment that support impact learning and ensure the quality of education:

1. a digital system in which companies, governments, lecturers and students carry out projects together;
2. developing and providing lecturer professionalisation.
3. - Knowledge sharing in a Community of Practice. Students and lecturers draw lessons from the many experiments. Lecturers are also offered an opportunity for peer review.

Impact learning, in addition to being a didactic challenge, is also an organisational and cultural challenge. Impact at the Core is actively contributing to this design and transition issue for all faculties.

Impact learning in bachelor programmes

The ambition to have at least one form of impact-driven education in every bachelor and master programme by 2024 means that the knowledge gained is already being assessed for effective upscaling. The scalability and organisational conditions are important components of this ambition and determine how it will be specified and shaped. In 2021, major steps have been taken to develop and implement education. In June 2021, the vice-Deans of all faculties agreed to develop a pilot ‘impact space’ in the third year of undergraduate courses. The goal is to facilitate each student in the third year to choose a social challenge that can be prepared during the minor and thesis phase. Students then graduate, for example, on a design or approach to an important social challenge.

Awarding City Deal Introductions grant as a driver for impact learning

The impact space makes collaborating with the outside world easier. An application for a grant within the City Deal Kennismaken was honoured with a € 100,000 grant in 2021. This will accelerate the interaction between the urban context and education in the city, and better connect the talent of the students to the tasks of the city. Two knowledge brokers organise the network. They also design a platform that links students and education to social issues together with the student initiative ‘Erasmus Verbindt’ (Erasmus Connects).

Retrieve issues from the environment

EUR retrieves issues from its immediate environment. In 2021, two 'impact education dialogues' were organised, where both individuals from the education system and stakeholders from society had a round table talk about how education better connects to social issues. The first dialogue focused on the healthcare domain and, among other things, addressed the importance of technology, ethics and interdisciplinarity. Administrators from healthcare institutions and from the Ministry of VWS (Public Health, Welfare and Sport) stressed the importance of having students work with concrete issues during their studies. In October, a dialogue was held with Medicine Students In Society (GIDS) at Erasmus MC about the importance of technology in medical education.

Impact learning in educational offerings 2021

In 2021, almost all faculties achieved a great leap forward. Eighteen projects were carried out with the help of the Impact at the Core programme. Approximately 2,000 students participated.

EUR aims to best prepare students for careers in which they can meet the sustainability challenges of the future. Therefore, EUR aims to embed both sustainability and the relevant transformation in its entire educational portfolio.

• The Faculty of Law published ‘The Right to a Sustainable Future', a vision on the basis of which the faculty will give sustainability a more prominent place in its educational offerings.
• In November 2021, as part of the implementation agenda of Strategy 2024, EUR opened the DIT(Design, Impact, Transformation) platform. This serves to enable scholars, lecturers, students and practitioners to work together on radically innovative interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary research and education, for a fair and sustainable future.
•  A micro-lab helping lecturers make their educational offerings ‘impact and sustainability’ relevant, was improved.

EUR used to have mainly faculty-based collaboration agreements, but last year it changed its partner policy to aims for institution-wide contracts where possible. Several EUR-wide contracts have already been concluded, some of them within the UNIC alliance.

In 2021, the European Universities Initiative UNIC received additional funding for research. The projects are in full swing. The first outlines of study programmes being developed jointly are emerging and several international online meetings have been organised.

Few new Erasmus+ project applications were submitted in 2021. This is due to the very late start of the new 2021-2027 policy programme, with some grant components not yet opened.

In 2021, due to the COVID pandemic, the student and lecturer mobility budget was not fully utilised and mobility decreased. Only six employees and 39 students made use of the E+ mobility grant within the European Economic Area (EEA); another 490 students put E+ funds to use for their studies (the E+ KA103 grant). Because travel outside Europe was not possible due to the pandemic, only five students and two staff members used mobility outside the EU (the E+ KA107 grant). The available budget could not be fully used up and was partially returned or carried forward to 2022.

For specific target groups, EUR develops equally specific offerings while aiming for diversity and inclusion. HR International introduces a Soft Landing programme for international staff. The International Office is currently working on policies aimed at inclusive mobility and encourages the use of the Erasmus+ app and the European Student Card. Development and results of the ‘Erasmus Without Papers’ project are closely monitored. The IO Soft Landing Programme provides administrative support and introduces students to facilities, services and the Erasmus Student Network.

In 2021, 29 students received scholarships from the Orange Knowledge Programme of the International Cooperation budget through Nuffic. The number of students using this scholarship has decreased. For many students from low and middle income countries, the scholarship is one of the few opportunities for financial aid to participate in education at ISS.

In 2021, eleven refugees participated in an educational programme that prepares students for a course in higher education: Preparatory Year Erasmus. Due to COVID measures, the course size was smaller compared to previous course years. It is too early at this stage to indicate how many trainees will advance to a higher vocational or university course. In addition, the Language & Training Centre offers intensive language lessons for highly qualified refugees in preparation for an education or job that does justice to the capabilities of the integrating person.

D&l@EUR creates purposeful and effective policies for a safe learning and working environment and social justice for all. The office works with the faculties on inclusive education and focuses on developing educational offerings and didactics that are responsive to the diversity of students. Since 2020, this focus has been expanded to include a major outreach and onboarding programme.

‘Connecting Our Future’ is EUR’s outreach programme that was launched in 2021. This programme aims to promote equality and opportunity within higher education and the path towards higher education. With this programme, EUR commits to removing structural barriers during the study career and stimulate a sense of belonging in higher education.

In 2021, the outreach programme connected with more than thirty stakeholders, such as community organisations, social entrepreneurs, the City of Rotterdam and the Education Board. In small and larger meetings, at EUR or elsewhere in the city, common goals and aspirations for joint city outreach activities were discussed.

The first connections were also made in the field of research in 2021: an interdisciplinary D&l /outreach research group was started, bringing together PhD students and post-doc students from different faculties. They present studies and share research findings in the areas of diversity and inclusion, and equity in opportunities in particular.

Building New Blocks

With the grant programme Building New Blocks, the outreach programme funds innovative project proposals of EUR students and EUR staff that are designed to promote equity in educational opportunities. Six project proposals were honoured in the 2021 grant round. The six projects will be implemented and evaluated in the coming years.

Pre Academic Programme (PAP)

Over the summer, 581 first-year students participated in the online 'Pre Academic Programme'. That's 500 less than in 2020, but still double the 2019 number. Due to COVID-19, the programme was offered in hybrid form.

Using digital lectures, assignments, Zoom meetings and a campus day consisting of lectures, workshops and assignments on personal leadership, students made a solid start to their studies. Participants went through five modules: introduction, knowledge, capital, opportunity and direction. In those modules, they learned how to do their best, how to set goals, and how to motivate themselves and others. They also gained insight into their own performance and were given tools to improve their performance. In this way, they were in charge of their own studies. Thanks to this programme, these students started their studies with a strong connection to their fellow students, the programme and the university. They begin their college years extra well prepared and motivated.

During the COVID-19 crisis, educational innovation gained momentum. Teaching and assessment had to be brought online at a rapid pace. The CLI has made a significant contribution to this. Collaboration with faculties and professional services has intensified and led to, among other things:

• preparing policy and action plan for ‘the five-feet university’, in which EUR chose a hybrid online-based model with on-campus elements where possible;
• the rapid realisation of a facility for remote testing through digital assessment and online proctoring to ensure that examinations could go ahead;
• providing didactic support for online and teaching and assessment through the CLI teams.

The results were always coordinated with the Chairs of examination boards, education directors, and the Board of Trustees.

Unfortunately, due to COVID measures, much less use could be made of the Education Lab. Through tools such as MS Teams and Zoom, coordination still took place in digital form, including during a weekly EUR-wide management meeting.

Erasmus University helps lecturers develop into educational leaders: inspiring team players surrounded by interdisciplinary learning teams composed of teaching professionals, learning technicians and content specialists. All of this is supported by advanced technology.

Lecturers' innovation capacity is supported by the CLI within the theme 'Professional Development of Lecturers’. By permanently training lecturers in a stimulating, inspiring way, they are and remain continuously engaged in strengthening the quality and innovation of their education. They can also continuously adapt it to social changes, new didactic insights from science and practice, and new technological possibilities.

Lecturers at EUR can participate in the standard courses Basic Qualification (BKO) and Specialist Qualification (SKO). The CLI awarded 108 BKO certificates and 26 SKO certificates. No leadership certificates (LOL) were offered due to COVID.

26 different MicroLabs were conducted in 2021. MicroLabs are short how-to modules for EUR lecturers on specific educational issues. A total of 934 lecturers participated. During the COVID crisis, all MicroLabs converted to a fully online variant very quickly. Two new MicroLabs were realised, namely 'How to encourage societal impact in your course' and ‘How to supervise students'. For a complete overview with all MicroLabs, please refer to www.eur.nl/microlabs.

Further work has been done to enable a Basic Qualification Examination (BKE) certificate to be awarded after completing three of the four MicroLabs regarding assessment. A Senior Qualification Examination (SKE) has also been established. There were eleven participants.

The following additional materials were developed during the COVID crisis:

• Instructional materials on online teaching and assessment have been made available online to provide lecturers with quick information.
• The online design tool for lecturers, teach EUR, has been delivered.
• Several interactive webinars were provided, such as the 'Online interaction and tool experience' and 'Online assessment'. 191 lecturers participated.

With the CLI theme Erasmus Education Research, EUR is presenting itself as a university that is committed not only to innovation of education, but also to the empirical evaluation of the effects of such innovations. Strengthening educational research contributes to educational knowledge and thus to the quality of education at EUR.

In 2021, two doctoral tracks were still active that were covered by the Quality and Student Success Research Agenda. Under the guidance of an academic sponsor, a new research agenda was established and recruitment for three PhD positions began. Under the leadership of an ambassador, an interesting series of research lunches were organised. Both PhD students and CLI fellows are actively involved and asked to present their work.

The CLI organises a network of fellows. They will have the opportunity to spend one or two years being active in educational innovation by conducting educational innovation projects and/or research projects on educational innovations. There were two rounds in which fellow applications could be submitted. After a positive decision, they will be given one day a week to carry out their project. During the term, the fellow maintains contact with the CLI and the other fellows. Examples, lessons learned and results are shared with the community, for example during the fellow connect meetings where fellows present their work. The goal was to complete 60 fellowships by the end of [YEAR]. A total of 19 fellowships were completed by the end of 2021; 8 fellowship processes are in the final phase and 11 are still in the research phase. The Fellows' research focused primarily on skills education, motivation, and student wellbeing.

The Fellows' research is primarily focused on online and blended education, student motivation and wellbeing, and skills education. One example is the creation of six digital modules for qualitative methodology courses, which combined literature with videos featuring experts and practical analysis. Students often struggle with this data analysis. Other faculties can benefit from this project. A large number of students found the modules effective, enjoyable and useful. Other examples include studies of the effect of goal setting on study success or the role of co-regulation in developing self-regulation skills in students.

Please find more about the Fellows and their work at www.eur.nl/fellowships.

Erasmus University is investing in new technologies to motivate and engage students in an online learning environment. Expectations about personalisation and flexibilisation are evolving rapidly. The ambition is to provide space for students' own learning paths and to explore what online tools help students feel at home at EUR and self-consciously build their knowledge and competencies. Many development projects currently still focus on developing asynchronous learning, where students can decide for themselves at what time they want to undertake which activities.

By the end of 2021, the CLI has helped faculties implement 80 projects, mostly at the request of the lecturers and the Learning Innovation teams who want to redesign an educational component. A fine example is the development of the online version of the Master in Employment Law (ESL) and the MOOC sustainable Finance of RSM. Educational videos, podcasts, and games have been created for many subjects. Please find more examples of innovation projects on this website.

The CLI is working on digitisation projects that require a great deal of expertise, time, and money. This requires us to share the investment with the faculties. On digitisation projects, the CLI collaborates with the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and his team. This collaboration extended to twelve digitisation projects in 2021. This was designed to set up a stable and sustainable facility for digital assessment and proctoring. The digital learning environment is enriched with functionalities of FeedbackFruits and statistics practice software. Work has been done on gamification, the virtual classroom and learning analytics. Please find more examples on this website.

Co-creation with students is an important part of Erasmus University's innovation approach. For this purpose, the CLI supports Students-for-Students. The following partnerships and initiatives were supported in 2021:

Erasmus Tech Community, Rethinking Economics NL, Turing Society, ECE Students, Enactus EUR, Erasmus Sustainability Hub, Culture Calling, Happy Students, Psychedelic Science Collective, Dutch Student Entrepreneurs. These organisations contribute to the enrichment of EUR education in a variety of ways. A great example is LifeVersity. Students organise online skills courses for students. In 2021, 725 students participated in courses focused on personal effectiveness, impact skills, among others. For more information: www.eur.nl/s4s.