Vision and Policy

Students develop into open-minded ('redelijk eigenzinnige' members of society

VUB wants students to learn to find their own way, with an open mind and free of prejudices. This pathway to self-knowledge, one’s own field of study and society is travelled through creative thinking, critical examination and confrontation of sources, the stimulation and freedom to take the initiative, express one’s own opinions and reflectively deal with oneself and with solutions. The goal of this personal development is to make students feel free to express their individuality, ideas and ambitions and have the courage to defend them. 

Such individual development is facilitated thanks to the low threshold and openness offered at VUB. It is reflected in the approach of teachers, assistants, and supervisors, in which the diversity of interests and talents of the individual student is made manifest. 

Students are given the space they need to profile themselves by providing a high degree of independence in their choice of projects. Students go through their study programmes with the support of personal feedback and an increasing autonomy over the course of their programmes.

Students commit themselves to a sustainable humanist society

VUB wants students to dedicate themselves to society on the basis of humanist values and in line with their personal development. This requires them to consider the needs of others along with their own. Students must assume their personal responsibility with a view to sustainable social welfare. In doing this, they must make the right choices and decisions for the sake of future generations. 

The social commitment of students is stimulated at VUB through the offer of socially relevant projects and learning activities. In these activities, they are challenged through a well thought-out sequence of learning tasks to apply their knowledge and skills while systematically reflecting on social sustainability. Through guidance their understanding is deepened.

Students are shaped into citizens of the world

VUB aims to shape students into global citizens who can address current and future challenges in a globalizing society. To respond to constantly changing circumstances, students must navigate complex situations with flexibility. This flexibility is characterized by a growing ability for critical and independent thinking. Students become equipped to respond to today’s and tomorrow’s world, defined by interactions between languages, cultures, life experiences, ideas, and ways of working. 

The cosmopolitan city of Brussels is the perfect place to learn how to deal with an ever-changing globalising society. Over the course of different learning activities, students are exposed to the international, multilingual, and multicultural character of Brussels. The cosmopolitan, socially stratified city of Brussels offers them a view of the world. Additionally, this view can be broadened even further through international exchange.

Students develop an attitude of free inquiry

VUB wants students to learn and, where possible, also apply a critical, inquisitive attitude to socially relevant themes. This entails applying the principle of free enquiry: the pursuit of knowledge based on one's own experiences and rational arguments, free from the influence of denominational, political, philosophical, or scientific dogma. At the same time, students learn to assess the social implications of research and subsequently make ethical judgements and decisions. This enables them to develop an attitude that is consistent with the Vision for Education regardless of the research topic.

An inquisitive attitude presupposes that students are invited to approach the supply of knowledge critically throughout the entire study programme. From the outset, they increasingly take an active part in research activities and get to know the research culture in a particular scientific field.

Students are prepared for their professional careers

VUB wants students to be thoroughly prepared for a future career in which they can quickly assume responsibility. To this end, from their academic competencies, students acquire broadly applicable professional competencies as well. Practical skills, communicative skills, a forward-looking, entrepreneurial attitude, the ability to work together in a multidisciplinary team, problem-solving thought and action, and innovation are competencies that students acquire at VUB. The envisaged goal is a confident, successful start to their career.

Professional competencies are acquired at VUB through a wide range of practice-oriented course units and internships in which students carry out authentic assignments independently or in groups. Both the result of the assignment and the process toward achieving this result are assessed and, if necessary, adjusted. Feedback from the teacher, fellow students/team members and the professional field is an important aspect for the development of those competencies.

Within VUB, we strive for a culture where lecturers and educational teams design education based on research and data, critically evaluate this evidence, and incorporate it into their practices whenever possible. Research-informed didactics also encompass the aspiration that university education is not solely based on scientific research within the discipline but is also informed by scientific research on the didactics of that discipline, specifically how to best structure this education to achieve maximum learning gain for all students.

Students drive their own learning process. They gain autonomy in navigating their program and are encouraged to develop towards increased skills of selfregulation. Autonomy can be realized through offering choice of content within a course or curriculum and, more importantly, through providing opportunities for students to find their own path to learning objectives. The integration of blended learning and mobility windows are excellent means to achieve this.

Many complex contemporary issues transcend existing disciplines and no longer allow solutions to be sought within just one discipline. By incorporating interdisciplinary education into our curricula, for example through thematic modules and learning paths focusing on broad societal challenges and opportunities, students acquire competencies to understand and tackle this complexity. It also allows for a shift in the purpose of studying from the “what?” question to the “why?” question. The border between different disciplines and perspectives presents immense learning potential. It’s a space that fosters the co-creation of new knowledge and stimulates critical and systemic thinking, along with an open-minded outlook towards diverse viewpoints

VUB is not, nor becoming a fully digital university. Instead, we are moving towards integrating synchronous and asynchronous learning activities in a thoughtful and sustainable blend. The ‘blend’ in blended learning for VUB doesn’t just refer to the integration of technology (online vs. offline education), but also to the balance between synchronous and asynchronous components and the balance between guidance and autonomy. VUB’s uniqueness becomes particularly evident in the blend with Brussels, both on and off campus. Face-toface education continues to play a crucial role in achieving our educational goals and meet the objectives of the university on socializing, networking, and inclusivity. Teaching teams always start from the perspective of how to enhance the quality of face-to-face education with digital support and why classroom interaction with and between students is essential. Blended education also offers an excellent opportunity to shape internationalization, both through physical mobility (of students and lecturers) and through integrating (virtual) internationalisation@home components

Throughout all our programs, VUB aims to embrace the multilingualism of its students. As a university embedded in the European capital, with a diverse range of cultures and international institutions, multilingualism is in our DNA. Focusing on multilingualism also presents an opportunity to create a learning environment that values diversity. Multilingualism and language proficiency serve as important inclusive tools, opening doors to various cultures

VUB expands on the concept of “Open Higher Education,” in line with the educational goals of EUTOPIA. Open and co-creative education brings students, lecturers, educational support staff, and the professional field together to develop learning materials, learning activities, and to work on educational design and development. Each stakeholder contributes to the learning process based on their expertise, experience, and ambition. Our educational content is made available in a similar fashion to how Wikipedia has revolutionized the encyclopaedia industry. This goes beyond merely sharing material: we aim to involve students and stakeholders in the collaborative creation and experience of education. Students learn by doing, and ‘crowdsourcing’ new themes and methods is facilitated by involving all relevant stakeholders in the creation of new course materials and curricula. This movement is part of a larger trend in academia where educational materials are shared to maximize inclusivity and the efficiency of education

Lifelong learning refers to the ongoing and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for personal or professional development. Unlike traditional schooling, which usually ends after obtaining a diploma, lifelong learning is an ongoing process that can occur at any stage of life. As a university, we want to embrace and facilitate a culture of lifelong learning. On the one hand, by providing students with the necessary competencies to engage in lifelong learning, and on the other hand, by opening up our curricula further to (re)entrants from all life stages. Lifelong learning helps to keep up with the ever-evolving landscape of one’s chosen field. As technology, industries, and society continually evolve, acquiring new skills and knowledge is crucial. By systematically encouraging lifelong learning, VUB aims to foster a sense of community and provide ongoing support to students and alumni in their academic and professional endeavours