Section 4 Quality – Six themes, one university

Table 3 provides an overview of the funds that were available to implement innovations and improvements. In addition to the government funding, in the early years, the faculties were able to apply for extra money from EUR’s reserves. This allowed us to speed up the quality and innovation programme. It worked well. Table 3 shows how much we received, along with the extra funds contributed by EUR. Table 4 shows that all funds received from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschap, ‘the Ministry’) were fully spent. The table provides an insight into how much of the university’s own funds were spent during the period. 

In the period 2019–2021, a fixed amount of Quality Agreement funds was available for faculties and programmes, based on the central government grant. However, student numbers increased during this period. Following the 2022 midterm review, the calculations were corrected and the participation bodies were able to help determine how the additional funds (€2.985 million) would be spent. Additional meetings with the participation bodies were held to discuss this matter.

The Quality Agreement funds are linked to mandatory themes in the framework. The table below shows the spending on each theme set by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

The personal and professional development objectives for 2019–2024 were:

1. Skills courses focusing on personal development and connection to careers and the job market. 
2. Additional guidance for students. 

The faculties drew up and implemented the associated plans. 

The theme of ‘personal and professional development of students’ was implemented at the decentralised level by the faculties, in consultation with their faculty participation councils. This allowed each faculty to have a different emphasis. RSM and ESL focused on faculty developments. For both faculties, reviews of their Bachelor’s programmes in particular prompted them to invest more in feedback on personal development (RSM) and on developing the specific skills required for final projects and future careers (ESL). The other faculties invested in improvement goals within the framework of the university’s mission and educational vision.

In 2019, training in skills (study and learning skills, career preparation, competency development and academic skills) was implicitly offered within discipline courses in most faculties. Other than in the Erasmus School of Social Sciences and Behaviour (ESSB), there were no explicit learning pathways for skills training. In 2024, all faculties had a learning pathway for academic skills, or offered multiple skills courses as a structural component of their Bachelor’s programmes. The skills are explained in the appended Diagram 7. Additional lecturers and mentors were used to provide better guidance for students in this area. The structural focus on skills training is rooted in the educational vision. Skills training contributes to student resilience, learning skills and the professional skills needed to solve complex challenges in collaboration with others as academic professionals.

Following the midterm review of the Quality Agreements, this theme led to adjustments to EUR’s educational vision in 2023. Those adjustments will continue to contribute to the development and quality of education in the years ahead.

EUR has been committed to the personal wellbeing and development of students since 2019, well before the introduction of the National Education Programme (Nationaal Programma Onderwijs, NPO) or the inclusion of the theme of Student Wellbeing in the new Administrative Agreement. Before 2019, the emphasis was on preventing study delays in the first year of Bachelor’s programmes and monitoring academic achievements in subsequent years. Since 2019, EUR has been committed to developing a vision and implementing measures for student success. The focus on academic achievement was retained, alongside a much broader examination of students’ competencies and skills to develop mental resilience. A university-wide innovation programme was launched, with the ambition of promoting student wellbeing across all faculties and curricula. Since 2023, the programme has worked on disseminating the results of academic research on the effects of the programme at the national level.

There is broad support in all faculties for the importance of student wellbeing. The focus on student wellbeing is rooted in the educational vision, and is thus embedded for years to come.

All faculties endorsed a manifesto expressing commitment to normalising the conversation around mental wellbeing and providing timely and comprehensive support to students. This is done with interventions underpinned by academic research on their effectiveness.

Better information

A short animated video was created on how to keep your life in balance as a student and how to study with motivation. This video has been screened at the start of lectures since mid-2022. The video contains a link to a clear overview of EUR’s full range of support services. These include services aimed at prevention (such as workshops on dealing with stress or procrastination) as well as peer support and online coaching from a student psychologist or external professional. 

The student living room

The student living room is an accessible, permanent, non-commercial place to socialise. The living room serves 22,000 students a year (an average of 90 per day), some of whom visit the living room multiple times. Hosts are present in the living room to give students information and refer them to internal and external resources if necessary. 

Fresh Thoughts and online services

The online wellbeing platform for students had around 200,000 page visits in the period from 2021 to 2024. The peer-to-peer chat service Fresh Thoughts has been part of the online wellbeing platform since 2021. Student satisfaction is high. 

Additional psychologists and online services

Following an internal investigation, an additional psychologist was appointed. In addition, online coaching was implemented and EUR joined Caring Universities. This initiative provides access to online mental health modules for students.

A GP clinic also opened near the campus in 2022 for students to visit. 

Mission and Data (KPI)

From 2020 to 2023, student wellbeing was measured every year. EUR also participated in the nationwide Monitor on Mental Health and Substance Use (RIVM/Trimbos/GGD-GHOR) in 2022 and 2024. After 2024, the two monitors will alternate each year. The fourth EUR Student Wellbeing Monitor, conducted in 2023, showed that although there had been minor improvements in the percentage of students experiencing poor mental wellbeing, the overall situation remained concerning and was similar to the result from the third Monitor. It showed that 40% to 60% of students were struggling with mental health issues – mainly anxiety, depression, loneliness and burnout. The 2023 nationwide Monitor on Mental Health and Substance Use showed that EUR scored significantly more positively on mental health than other universities. However, the score for substance use was slightly more negative.

Before 2019, lecturer training was offered as a comprehensive programme. Lecturers were individually responsible for the entire process, from design to implementation of their courses. The aim was to split up design and supervision tasks, thus allowing for more team-teaching.

Based on the mid-term review (2021/2022), the approach was incorporated in EUR’s educational vision, then developed into a supplementary policy framework:

In 2019, the ‘Flipping the classroom’ programme was completed, with university-wide courses in a select number of degree programmes having been redesigned to incorporate digital online elements, such as the Master’s in Employment Law. After 2019, it was agreed with all faculties to establish a programme on personal and online learning. The objectives focused on revamping the online learning environment for students so that they were more personally challenged and education was more flexible. Innovations enabled students to a) learn off campus, in their own time; b) receive more and better feedback on the learning process; and c) ensure that teaching was adapted to their specific learning questions. ESSB appointed a learning innovation team focusing on online education. This team incorporated this innovation into the Psychology degree programme, among others. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all teaching was delivered online. This was possible due to the commitment of learning innovation staff in the faculties, and with the CLI playing a major role. The CLI provided technical support, as well as numerous workshops, webinars and toolkits to help lecturers deliver their lessons online. This ultimately led to a new toolkit for lecturers, the refinement of several fully online programmes and the development of chatbot technology to give students better and faster feedback on frequently asked questions. These tools were mainly used in RSM. 

The mid-term review led to the decision to provide primarily on-campus education. The aim was to use hybrid and online learning until 2030 to facilitate target groups who, for various reasons, are less able to participate in on-campus education.

Overall, all faculties adapted many of their courses, and four projects relating to assessment were successfully completed. The improved courses better matched students’ initial situations and motivation. The courses included features such as ‘serious gaming’ (ESHCC), adaptive modules (Erasmus MC) and making learning independent of time and location. The knowledge clips developed by the Faculty of Economics are an example of time and location-independent learning. Students prepare for tutorials at home. In addition, online tools are used to allow students to collaborate in simulations or case studies, including in interdisciplinary scenarios (ESPhil). 

A broad-ranging midterm dialogue on hybrid, online and personalised learning was held in 2021. It showed that the role of online learning in the transfer of knowledge needed to be established, that knowledge must be applied to solve issues, and that students’ personal development needed attention. In this regard, it may be necessary to individualise education, but better thinking about how online teaching methods could contribute to better learning outcomes should be the top priority. 

With help from the CLI, the ‘Hybrid and online learning’ programme continued, encompassing both an experiment in digital teaching methods in a fully online programme (not funded out of Quality Agreements funds) and the further development of microlabs, toolkits and events where lecturers could share their experiments. The conversation on digital teaching methods and assessment continued in a Community of Practice.

In 2019, EUR formulated an ambition to create a positive impact in education. At the start of the associated university-wide programme, the initial situation of the faculties was defined on the basis of a wide-ranging survey. During a series of lectures, it was common for in-house or guest speakers to provide case studies to illustrate the theory that students were working on in tutorials or individually. In ESL and ESSB, it was common practice to present students with a structured version of practice, in accordance with the ‘problem-based learning’ model. Each programme had a single curriculum, based on realistic challenges developed with stakeholders as the foundation of teaching. All of these outcomes formed the starting point for the learning process and a theoretical exploration of how students could be better trained to make an impact on future issues. 

Impact at the Core developed a model of ‘impact-driven’ education with representatives from the faculties, based on teaching models such as the Mezirow model (1996). Key goal: By 2024, every student in every degree programme will, at least once during their studies, work with direct stakeholders from outside the university on societal and/or transition issues, and this will be linked to sustainability issues where possible. 

The objectives for students were:

• Understand topical, complex and difficult issues, in collaboration with stakeholders from the field and students from other disciplines.
• Be able to engage with different ways of seeing and thinking.
• Achieve the desired learning objectives, which are central to the curriculum. 

The objective for lecturers and for the range of courses was:

• Develop a coherent teaching model by which this type of education can be delivered and students can be guided. The model should make it possible to apply the approach to course design, teaching approaches and forms of assessment, in line with EUR’s quality guidelines. 

The objective around feasibility was:

• Design this impact-driven education to be affordable and feasible, taking into account high student numbers and lecturers’ workloads. 

The objective with regard to the organisational and framework conditions was:

• Investigate and implement tools in the learning environment that support impact learning and ensure the quality of teaching. These must lead to a portal or digital system in which businesses/public authorities, lecturers and students can jointly engage in projects and lecturer professionalisation (development and provision). 

The objective with regard to the innovation approach and developing a learning culture was:

• Learn together, drawing lessons from experience and formulating new goals through knowledge sharing and dialogues in a Community of Practice: bring together students and lecturers from different faculties to learn from the numerous experiments and provide lecturers with an opportunity for peer feedback.

The first phase, during the 2020–2023 academic years, consisted of experimenting and implementing several examples based on a ‘next-step’ innovation approach in different faculties and curricula. The team created an initial blueprint and visually showed how changes in education could create more space for realistic and ‘real-time’ issues. This in turn would enable students to develop skills that help them empathise, take a position and contribute to a way of seeing or solving a challenge. This raised questions like: Is it necessary to structure a problem beforehand? What should students be able to do by themselves? And where is guidance needed? 

A teaching model was designed on the basis of the first 18 projects, which were carried out in almost all faculties and particularly focused on the Bachelor’s programmes. During this process, it was recommended that the number of experiments be increased and that ‘impact pathways’ be created. These pathways would allow Bachelor’s students to choose to build an academic professional profile focusing on engagement and impact with regard to complex, real-world issues. This choice is reflected in the selection of a minor and a specialisation; students prepare through standard skills courses and content-rich courses focusing on practice. 

Although the ambition was to develop an impact-driven course for every programme, this was achieved for only 32% of the 39 programmes. Courses were developed for a total of 541 credits over four years. The focus was on developing courses for Bachelor’s programmes. Courses for Master’s programmes will be implemented during the redesign of Master’s programmes from 2025 onwards. Accordingly, the percentage of programmes that focus on solving challenging issues in consultation with external stakeholders is expected to increase by the end of 2025. 

The programme developed a teaching model called a ‘learning landscape’, a knowledge base (‘toolbox’) and lecturer training courses to expand implementation from within the existing CLI structure. The programme worked with an active Community of Practice and will continue to do so within the CLI in 2025 and beyond.

In addition, the programme developed a number of concepts that could be used in new and existing degree programmes in the coming years, or be developed further:

• An ‘impact-driven education’ minor that closely follows the developed teaching model. Students formulate a challenge after discussions with stakeholders. Then, using a step-by-step model, they make a valuable contribution (insight, understanding, part of a solution). Learning objectives are linked to ILOs derived from the mandatory Dublin Descriptors.
• A model internship developed with ESL, ESPhil, ESSB and ESHCC.
• A model thesis assignment, developed with Esphil, suitable for a final project with a non-traditional graduation product that has a greater focus on practice. In 2025, as part of the institution-wide review of assessment policy, the ability to select new and different types of final projects will be included in the institution’s policies.

 The Erasmus X programme is designed to stimulate educational innovation to prepare the education area for 2050. In 2019, this programme did not exist, and educational innovations were a matter for individual courses or degree programmes. 

In future-focused education, there are two key drivers for thinking about education, innovating and steering innovation: co-creation with multiple stakeholders and the responsible use of emerging technologies. In 2019, EUR formulated a mission to explore and design new ways of teaching using non-standard methods, in dialogue with students and other stakeholders. This assignment was given to Erasmus X. The programme encouraged an innovative approach that focused on experimenting with and testing new approaches. The experiments were based on teaching that matched students’ changing learning needs and the rapidly changing way we learn under the influence of technological development. 

Erasmus X worked on innovations where there was considerable uncertainty around the ultimate impact or outcomes. For that reason, it was not expected that all projects would succeed, and not every experiment Erasmus X launched resulted in a follow-up project. The programme had three main goals: Ongoing development of EdTech and AI, design of complex innovations with external stakeholders and collaborative design with students, or co-creation.

Erasmus X fostered an innovative and learning culture in which experimentation, prototyping and testing are central. Its most significant achievements, listed below, will be built on from 2025 onwards. 

From experimentation to scaling up

Even before the AI revolution took hold, Erasmus X was experimenting heavily with AI and EdTech. A concrete result of this experimentation is the AI minor now offered at EUR, Leiden University and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft). In addition, workshops for lecturers were developed to support the integration of AI education into daily practice. These initiatives will continue in 2025, as will the GenAI Communities of Practice, which support the integration of AI in education. In late 2024, the lessons learned were used to develop an institution-wide AI strategy, which from 2025 will focus on the responsible integration of AI into educational and other processes. 

Complex innovation with multiple stakeholders

How do you design teaching that better reflects student diversity and the way students learn? To answer that question, Erasmus X developed a number of successful formats in collaboration with students, lecturers and external partners. They proved hugely successful, and will therefore continue in 2025 and beyond. In the area of accessibility, the most significant initiative was one introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, to create an online version of an introductory programme for students who are the first in their family to go to university. The pandemic was particularly challenging for this group of students. The numbers of students participating in the online learning environment multiplied. After the pandemic, the programme was converted to an on-campus version. Students are given practical tasks that help them get to know each other and become more familiar with the university and their personal challenges. The programme attracts hundreds of students every year. 

Another innovation that emerged during the pandemic is the Minecraft Campus. This enabled students to interact within a gamified environment. During the pandemic, the Minecraft Campus played a crucial role in promoting social cohesion and community building. It led to new insights into future-proof learning formats, both virtual and in person, and collaboration with various internal and external stakeholders. 

Soft skills alongside academic skills

In addition to academic knowledge, developing competencies and soft skills is essential for future-proof education. Erasmus X capitalised on this by encouraging competency-based learning. The ACE Yourself web app is a concrete example. It aims to support students during the transition from secondary school to higher education, and does so by developing non-academic and interpersonal skills and supporting metacognitive and reflective skills and self-regulation. The app was developed by four universities under the leadership of EUR, and is now being used within the Pre-Academic Programme and by a pilot group of secondary schools in Rotterdam. 

Experiential learning at the hub in South Rotterdam

One of the most impactful Erasmus X initiatives was the creation of a youth hub (the ‘Hefhouse’) in South Rotterdam. In collaboration with residents and neighbourhood representatives, a community centre was set up where researchers, lecturers and students from senior secondary vocational, higher professional and academic education could work together on practical issues. More than 600 students worked on projects focusing on societal challenges in areas such as youth issues, health care and education. The initiative offered students the chance to immediately put their academic knowledge into practice, while the neighbourhood benefited from innovative solutions. 

Developing an innovative culture

An innovative organisational culture is crucial for successful educational innovations.   The programme encouraged such a culture by creating spaces for experimentation that were both physically and mentally safe. A key initiative was the ‘Fail Fast Forward’ workshop series, which encouraged students and lecturers to see failure as an essential part of the learning process. Five of these workshops were organised in 2021; from 2022, they became a monthly initiative in various faculties. In addition, a failure/resiliency track aimed at training tutors and study advisors to guide students to handle failure and develop resilience was developed in collaboration with ESL and EUC. 

A safe experimentation environment for emerging technologies such as AI was also one of the priorities of the programme. At the initiative of the IT Department and other internal partners, we looked at developing a secure testing environment where responsible experimentation with AI could take place. This contributed to a culture that embraces innovation and gives students and lecturers the space to explore new technologies safely and responsibly. 

In addition, strategic foresight was used in collaboration with SURF to explore future developments and embed innovation sustainably in the AI strategy for education.

  The flagship projects that were developed will form the basis for structural changes to be built on in the years ahead. The combination of co-creation, human-centred technology and an open innovation culture will ensure that the area of education is prepared not only for the challenges of today, but also for the challenges of the future.

Through its Quality Committee, the Supervisory Board takes note of, oversees and acts as a sounding board for developments that serve to strengthen the quality of education and research at EUR. 

In 2024, it was involved in the implementation of the educational vision 2023, in conjunction with the development of the EUR Strategy 2025–2030, which was also a follow-up to the mid-term review of the Quality Agreements in 2022. The Quality Committee was very pleased with the educational vision and recommended that external perspectives be embraced in this process. 

A focus of the Quality Committee, which had already been included in the 2023 Annual Report, was the ongoing development of the internal quality assurance system. The Quality Committee noted that solid progress had been made and was pleased that this will be an ongoing process, ensuring constant attention to quality assurance and preparation for the Institutional Quality Assurance Audit. The Quality Committee recommended using the panel discussion as a catalyst for the process within EUR. 

One of the major developments affecting educational quality is the Smarter Academic Year project. The Quality Committee agrees with the new range of 28 to 32 weeks. It also understands the decision to maintain the ‘Nominal is Normal’ policy for now, partly in light of developments, but also supports a critical look at the compensation and exception rules.

The Research Vision was also addressed. The Quality Committee particularly appreciates the way this process unfolded, with many parties being involved. The Quality Committee agrees with the direction, but calls attention to the unique profile of EUR. 

The Quality Committee agrees with the moves EUR is making in terms of education and research quality. The committee notes that the findings from 2023 have been accepted and acted upon and feels involved and informed about developments at EUR in the area of quality assurance. The Quality Committee looks forward with interest to further developments and implementations in 2025, and is confident that the areas for improvement identified and raised in 2024 will be addressed.

This document serves as a reflection of the University Council’s Higher Education Quality Agreements (Kwaliteitsafspraken Hoger Onderwijs, HOKA) working group regarding HOKA investments over the past six years. The University Council wrote this reflection in the context of the final evaluation of the HOKA investments, which is being conducted throughout the university. It is important to note that this reflection was written by the current members of the HOKA working group. These members have only been actively involved in HOKA for a few years, and thus were not involved in the preparation of HOKA’s spending plans or in the first few years of implementation. Nevertheless, they have a good understanding of HOKA-related developments over the years. They gained this understanding through conversations with current and former colleagues, by studying plans and past reviews and by questioning the various teams that implemented the HOKA plans. 

This reflection has three parts. The first part is a brief discussion of the projects that collaborated with the HOKA working group (Student Wellbeing, Impact at the Core, Erasmus X and Community for Learning & Innovation). Part 2 is an explanation of how the working group perceives some of the experiences with HOKA of other participating bodies at the faculty and programme level. Finally, we provide a conclusion and overall reflection on the entire HOKA programme.

Student Wellbeing

During the HOKA period, a delegation from the University Council met with the Student Wellbeing project team around twice a month. Communication was always clear, with timely updates on projects and adequate and prompt responses to queries. The representatives felt that their input and feedback were highly valued. Even now, in the transition phase, the Student Wellbeing team is actively soliciting input to help make the programme as valuable as possible. 

Over the past few years, the Student Wellbeing team, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, has constantly sought and found ways to improve the wellbeing of students at EUR. This included continuous evaluation of the success of the initiatives, allowing active choices to be made regarding the continuation of such initiatives as well as possible innovations. An important step was the Student Wellbeing Manifesto, which created a shared, holistic vision of student wellbeing at EUR. The manifesto was signed by the Rector Magnificus of the time and by the deans, and all staff and students can also sign it (https:/ www.eur.nl/onderwijs/studeren- rotterdam/studentenwelzijn/over-ons/studentenwelzijnsmanifest).

In recent years, the Student Wellbeing team set up an integrated programme to offer the most diverse programme possible to increase student wellbeing from many different perspectives. Various online products were created, sometimes in collaboration with other universities. One is the Student Wellbeing platform (https:/www.eur.nl/en/education/study-rotterdam/student-wellbeing), where students can interactively search for the form of help most suited to their problem. There is also the newly developed ROOM app (https:/my.eur.nl/nl/eur/onderwijs/student-wellbeing-platform/room-grow) and the collaboration within Caring Universities, in which students can engage with online programmes to increase their wellbeing (https:/moodlift.nl/). These are easily accessible initiatives that enhance student wellbeing. 

The Student Wellbeing team has also introduced a number of offline initiatives to help students, such as the Living Room, which has proven extremely successful. This is a physical location in one of the university buildings, where students can meet each other or talk to trained student hosts to get wellbeing support. In addition, the Personal Support Hub (PSH), adjacent to the Living Room, was set up to offer targeted help on specific themes, such as substance abuse. This is often done in collaboration with healthcare professionals and other experts. It is also worth mentioning the efforts of the Student Wellbeing team in the area of physical wellbeing and the effect of exercise on wellbeing. An example is the various Sport & Skills pathways, which are widely used by students. 

Around twice a year, the Student Wellbeing team organises a Wellbeing Week, during which they run various activities for EUR students. During these weeks, students are introduced to Student Wellbeing in an accessible way and can immediately acquire new knowledge and skills. These efforts have been recognised by other universities, which have contacted EUR’s Student Wellbeing team for advice and suggestions. 

EUR staff are included in the student wellbeing process. For instance, Student Wellbeing Officers (SWOs) were appointed in every faculty last year. The SWOs are a point of contact for faculty staff, with the aim of ensuring the implementation of Student Wellbeing initiatives at the faculty level. The SWOs from the various faculties attend central meetings led by the Student Wellbeing team, to exchange knowledge and expertise with the goal of maximising student wellbeing within and across all faculties. Working together in a coordinated way with central leadership reduces fragmentation. In addition, lecturers are offered Student Wellbeing training, which provides them with appropriate information on discussing Student Wellbeing with students, identifying problems and referring students to appropriate resources if necessary. 

An important part of the programme was monitoring and conducting research relating to the Student Wellbeing initiatives. This allowed questions from stakeholders, including the participation bodies, to be answered, and allowed adjustments to be made where necessary. For example, the programme looked at campaigns to reduce substance use among students. Because the Student Wellbeing team collected and used data, targeted and meaningful campaigns to improve mental wellbeing were able to be developed.

In conclusion, the Council would like to raise certain concerns that are also relevant to the continuation of the programmes under the new Administrative Agreement funds. Firstly, it is notable that it remains a challenge to obtain input from students regarding the design and implementation of the various programmes. This applies at both the central and decentralised levels. Secondly, it is sometimes difficult to get a clear picture of the measurable effects of educational innovations and their possible applications in teaching practice. Thirdly, the Council would have liked to have had greater insight into the deployment and effectiveness of Learning Innovators in the various faculties. 

Despite these concerns, the Council looks back on a productive period of collaboration between the University Council and the various HOKA umbrella projects that gradually took shape between 2019 and 2024. During this period, continuity among the staff and student members of the Council was ensured as much as possible with good handovers from year to year, and not least through the valuable guidance of a single, permanent point of contact and intermediary between the Council, the various central HOKA projects and the CLI.