Section 4 Quality – Six themes, one university

Table 3 shows spending based on the themes identified by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OC&W) in the Framework Regulation on Quality Agreements. There was a slight underspend (15%) relative to the allocated resources. This was due to investments made within the theme of educational differentiation. These investments remained the same as in 2021. The increased allocated resources were not fully utilised, mainly because the theme ‘impact learning’ set aside resources for the scaling up of this education from 2023. The resources were otherwise spent according to the budget.

EUR uses different theme descriptions internally to those used in the regulations drawn up by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in 2018. The reason is that the EUR terms more accurately describe the university’s ambitions in relation to improving the quality of education. The link to the OC&W theme is always stated. 

Table 4 shows spending according to EUR’s chosen themes. A description of the themes and the progress made in 2022 can be found later in the notes on the content. The reduction for the theme of Innovation Capacity is due to the completion of training activities in this area by the faculties.

Table 5 gives a summary of spending per faculty. ESHCC and the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences/Erasmus MC will be entering a second investment period with effect from the 2023-2024 academic year. They will consult with the participation bodies in early 2023 on the programmes and projects that will potentially be implemented over the next year. This explains the underspending in 2023. The ESE underspend is due to difficulties attracting new staff.

Table 6 gives a summary of spending at central university level that supports the faculties. The underspend in relation to the Impact at the Core programme is due to the setting aside of funds to strengthen teaching in impact learning in the coming years.

The plans for the Quality Agreements are set out in the quality and innovation calendar. The main changes are as follows: 

Follow-up of midterm evaluation 

Due to continuous improvements in the implementation of the quality and innovation calendar, a broad midterm evaluation was completed at the start of 2022. More than two hundred representatives from the academic community took part in a discussion on this evaluation. The evaluation led to a number of specific recommendations to further optimise the quality of education. This optimisation took place in the first half of 2022 in the form of three university-wide dialogues with the following themes: 1. How do EUR’s values foster students’ personal development? 2. How is this reflected in a more focused vision of impact-driven learning? 3. How can we translate the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic into better online education? 

Additional resources for faculties and the central programmes from 2023

EUR had a higher student intake over the period 2019 to 2022. This means that more resources also became available to improve the quality of education. Following a calculation of the remaining resources based on the increased student numbers, the Executive Board assigned these additional resources to the faculties in the second quarter of 2022 for the period 2023 and 2024. The extra funds will enable the faculties to take additional measures in 2023 and 2024 with the approval of the participation bodies. The faculties discussed possible focus areas in May 2022. The majority of the faculties had finalised their new plans by mid September 2022. These plans have been discussed and, in some cases, jointly developed with the participation bodies. The faculty participation bodies approved the spending at the end of 2022. Reporting will take place from 2023.

Additional resources will also become available for the central programmes. Broad coordination took place between September and December 2022 on the tightening up of themes in the presence of the University Council. The result was three dialogue reports that will be used to tighten up the educational vision in 2023. Themes will be earmarked for additional investment in consultation with the University Council. 

Acceleration of online learning by the CLI

Back in 2021, resources were earmarked through the ‘EU_online’ project to improve the quality of online education. This online education is in the design phase and lecturers are working on the associated teaching. A social environment is also being created for students who attend education entirely or largely online due to circumstances. 

Vision of impact-driven education: prelude to scaling up

The midterm evaluation revealed a strong need to equip students with the skills to adopt an academic approach to complex, realistic challenges. There will be greater scope in the third year of the Bachelor’s programmes and in the Master’s programmes for students to work on realistic case studies with partners from both inside and outside the university. 

Student wellbeing manifesto: an increasing focus on student success

During the opening of the 2022-2023 academic year, Rector Magnificus Annelien Bredenoord and the vice-deans of education of all faculties signed a manifesto on student wellbeing. The manifesto sets out seven points to improve the wellbeing of all EUR students. 

Student living room given a permanent home on campus

Following temporary accommodation, a new Living Room was opened in the new Langeveld Building. More than a hundred students visit the Living Room every day to relax or to obtain information on improving personal wellbeing.

To gain a better understanding of the results produced by the investments in 2022, a summary is given for each theme below. 

Personal and Professional Development (OC&W themes 1 and 2)

The projects focus on more and better guidance in small groups of students in skills training. 

The objectives for the period 2019-2024 are as follows:

• Skills courses are to focus on personal development and connection to the career/job market; 
• Students are to be proactively provided with long-term additional guidance regardless of their background, origin and prior education; 
• Plans are to focus on improving prevention and chain care, as well as making mental health issues more open to discussion among students. 

Faculties draw up personal and professional development plans for students and implement them. Student wellbeing is a central programme that strengthens the overall wellbeing of students in collaboration with the faculties. 

Changes compared with 2021 

A large number of skills training programmes were developed in the period 2019-2021. The conclusion from the midterm evaluation in 2022 is that many skills training programmes focus on academic and learning skills and on labour market orientation. In future, a greater focus is needed on the student’s broader development in the context of impact-driven education. 

The faculties completed a number of projects on the development of study and learning skills and labour market skills in 2022. These courses have been incorporated into the degree programmes, particularly the Bachelor’s programmes (ESHCC, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences/Erasmus MC, RSM, Esphil, ESL). Students are satisfied with the courses. 

Projects aimed at broader competency development from the quality and innovation calendar were continued or even expanded. One example is RSM’s MentorMe programme, aimed at students’ overall personal and professional development. Another example is the ‘Enriching the learning experience’ project of

the Erasmus School of Philosophy, in which students broaden their development through study activities outside their degree programme. 

Student Wellbeing in 2022 (OC&W theme 2)

An integral part of students’ personal development is the personal wellbeing of each student, regardless of their background or personal circumstances. The objectives are:

• To create an accessible, non-commercial space to get together in the form of a student living room (in the context of prevention); 
• To improve information on student wellbeing in the form of a wellbeing platform (MyEur) where information is easy to find and where students have easy access to support; 
• To professionalise the support structure for students; 
• To collect data on student wellbeing (including through the student monitor).

Changes compared with 2021

All project plan objectives were met in 2022. And this has paid off: the 2022 student monitor seems to show a slight improvement in student wellbeing. The student living room is doing its job. A hundred students visit the living room each day, with around 18,000 visitors already since its opening. 

The wellbeing platform web page had 42,000 page visits. The signature of a manifesto by the Rector Magnificus and the vice deans of all faculties marked an important step towards the next stage of the implementation plan. This next stage involves increasing the focus on student wellbeing within education. 

Investing in lecturers’ innovation capacity (OC&W theme 6)

Lecturers’ innovation capacity is primarily supported by the CLI. The CLI has developed a range of courses for lecturers to help them improve the quality and innovation of their teaching. The courses offered by the CLI enable lecturers to continuously adapt to new and developing ideas about excellent teaching. The CLI’s short courses relate specifically to impact-driven education, new educational insights from academia and new technological and online capabilities. 

Changes compared with 2021 

All sub-objectives for 2022 have been met. A total of 378 lecturers took part in the portfolio of 21 short courses (microlabs) that have been developed since the start of the Quality Agreements. Since the introduction of the Regulation on Quality Agreements, 1,312 lecturers have followed a microlab on topics such as impact learning, teaching, online teaching and sustainability. Lecturers received even more direct support with their knowledge questions through webinars in 2022. A database of more than 56 teaching methods is now available in TeachEUR. 

A second key tool of the CLI to enable lecturers to adopt an evidence-based approach to innovation is facilitating lecturers in the form of fellowships. Thirty fellows are now active on all themes of the EUR quality and innovation calendar. They exchange experiences in a Community of Practice. The Communities of Practice are an important tool of the CLI to engage with lecturers on their continuing development and what they need for this. The lecturers’ Community of Practice met on a regular basis. 

Personal and Online Learning (OC&W themes 4 and 5)

Personal and online learning is about modernising the online learning environment for students, therefore more effectively challenging these students. Innovations enable students to: 1. learn in their own time off campus; 2. receive more and better feedback on the learning process; 3. adapt their teaching to specific learning questions. Faculties themselves place a strong focus on designing an online learning environment, however the role of the CLI as driver and developer is vital. The faculties and the CLI are also enhanced by the ‘out of the box’ experiments of Erasmus X: the innovation lab that develops initiatives in co-creation with students. 

Changes compared with 2021

The CLI fulfilled all its commitments in the area of personal and online learning in 2022. The centre supported 43 applications from faculties, such as the request for Edubadges. These are certificates that students receive following an extra activity in areas such as impact learning. In the Edubadges project, the CLI experiments with flexible education principles in collaboration with all faculties. These will be important for students in the future. 

Responsibility for the redesign of online education in response to the COVID-19 pandemic rests largely with the CLI. Four projects involving new technology for online and hybrid education were tested in 2022. One example is the E-portfolio project that monitors students’ personal and professional development. The CLI is also continuing to build on the development of online teaching and educational design as part of the EU-online programme. 

As far as faculty projects are concerned, the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences/Erasmus MC completed three major online learning projects. The results will be used in the medicine training programmes. Investment in the online learning and assessment acceleration plan and improvement of the hybrid and online lecture halls remained unchanged. Commitment to the Personalised and Online Learning themes within ESHCC, RSM and Esphil remained unchanged. Erasmus School of Economics saw some growth in investment, however this did not result in any changes to the innovation projects on this theme. 

Personal and Online Learning: acceleration through Erasmus X (OC&W theme 4)

Erasmus X initiates innovations that tackle problems using a different approach, aimed at better solutions. It also seeks to offer education in a more challenging and effective way. The radical innovation process used by Erasmus X means that not all innovations lead to implementation, however the projects carried out by Erasmus X in 2022 mainly show the broad impact Erasmus X has on students, lecturers and the learning experience within many faculties. As in the case of personalised and online learning, Erasmus X tests new approaches that give a boost to impact-driven learning. Last year, the driving force was the

Redefining the Classroom project. Redefining the Classroom builds a new way of learning in the community and does this with students, schools in the community and other partners. In the HefHouse, connections are established with young people in the community in collaboration with the municipality and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Students from EUR and European partner cities also develop joint projects. Here, Erasmus University College students complete a placement in a non-profit or voluntary organisation together with Stichting Werkshop and students from Rotterdam School of Management. They use the HefHouse as a springboard to carry out projects that have societal impact. The approach is being developed in consultation with faculties and with Impact at the Core. In 2023, it will be explored whether and how Redefining the Classroom helps to scale up impact learning for all faculties. 

Ace yourself App

EUR is committed to improving accessibility for students from secondary education. How can we boost the resilience of students who want to start at EUR and how can we increase their chances of success? Part of the solution lies in an app that helps students to improve their self-knowledge and their self-regulating and study skills, as well as helping prospective students to prepare for their studies. The functional design of this app was developed further together with forty partners in 2022. The app has not only attracted the interest of EUR and schools in the region, but will also be used by the universities of Tilburg and Maastricht. 

Augmented University

How do you design a digital university that better supports large groups of students during the start of their studies? This question is relevant due to the scale of a university and the wide range of digital and other platforms on which information is shared with students. Digital is convenient because, nowadays, not everything can be done face-to-face. Online facilities are also much more accessible than a physical service desk.

The development resulted in the ‘Augmented University’ project. Following research, an app was designed in collaboration with Erasmus School of Law that supports students at the start of their studies and helps them to find better information on their studies. A group of 608 students tested the app. Research showed that students who used the app were better informed and felt better informed than other students. Erasmus School of Law therefore decided to fully integrate the app in the faculty. The app was introduced for all students at Erasmus School of Law at the start of the new academic year. Three quarters of the students downloaded the app. The app was also introduced within the new faculties (ESSB, ISS). 

Online Virtual Campus

How can you challenge students in new ways to use their knowledge to solve joint problems? In 2020, Erasmus X developed a virtual campus during the COVID-19 pandemic that won the prestigious ‘best class award’. This virtual campus was also developed further in 2022. Courses have been developed and implemented at Erasmus School of Law, Erasmus School of History and Communication and Rotterdam School of Management. The essence of the innovation is that students are challenged in online and gamified learning environments to use their knowledge to solve problems. The basic principle is that students lean how to apply their knowledge in this type of learning environment. The environment is used by large groups of students. For example, 1,500 students used it on one course at Erasmus School of Law. 

Impact-driven learning (OC&W theme 4)

EUR’s goal is to ensure that its education and research helps to create positive impact on important and complex challenges. Impact at the Core started in 2020. The programme focuses on the development of impact-driven education. The aim is to offer every EUR student on every programme at least one educational opportunity to work with direct stakeholders from outside the university to tackle societal and/or transition issues. The intention is also to design a feasible and affordable teaching model. Lecturers need to be adequately supported by tools that facilitate collaboration with the outside world. One example is a stakeholder management system. 

Redesigned courses compared with 2021

A total of 31 courses were redesigned last year. Experiences were summarised, discussed and used to produce a design that can be used for teaching in all programmes. The teaching will be offered to all students in the coming years. A number of things were therefore developed in 2022:

• A shared vision of impact learning supported by all faculties; 
• A teaching framework that describes the tasks and roles of lecturers and partners from outside the university, aimed specifically at the last year of the Bachelor’s programme; 
• A pilot in a minor (Impact Space) that tested and evaluated the teaching framework. It has been found to be useful for students, stakeholders and lecturers; 
• A pilot of a digital tool that helps lecturers to organise contact with stakeholders in assignments that are attractive for students. The tool has been implemented within Erasmus School of Law and can be used by other faculties; 
• A collaboration with the higher education institutions in Rotterdam and the municipality in relation to energy transition and resilience; 
• An interdisciplinary Master’s programme at Erasmus School of Philosophy that can serve as a blueprint for the development of impact-driven education in the Master’s portfolio; 
• An experimental and impact-driven education model within Rotterdam School of Management; various courses at Erasmus School of Law involving  impact-driven education; 
• The further development of education for honours students at Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Science and Vital Cities, Vital Citizens.