Educational quality of the programme
At VUB, the quality of the education takes centre stage. This isn't something we say lightly: we scrutinise our programmes regularly to align them with changing student needs in a rapidly changing society.
Our strengths
-
Diverse student population: as our students come from a multitude of backgrounds and countries, this makes for an interesting and enriching learning environment. This is particularly worthwhile given the multilingual and multicultural perspective underpinning the curriculum.
-
Critical thinking: the lecturers actively promote discussion and debate, with students being encouraged to think critically and disagree with what is being stated. Lecturers do not expect students to merely memorize and regurgitate what is taught in class, as the teaching staff does not only want to impart knowledge but also wants to stimulate students to create knowledge themselves.
-
Personal approach: the faculty staff takes pride in its open-door policy and personal approach, providing a welcoming environment for students.
Where do we get this information from?
We routinely ask our students to give their honest opinion about the study programme during their academic career. We also consult our professors and assistants and gauge the expectations in the future field of work. Lastly, we receive structured feedback from our former students and compare our programmes with others at home and abroad.
Quality assessment procedure
Opportunities
-
Further refining and optimizing the opportunities to gain international experience. For example, signing Erasmus+ agreements with relevant international higher education institutions, which would provide valuable opportunities for students.
-
Better informing international students of the Belgian grading system in order to mitigate the frequent initial confusion among the international student population.
-
Keeping a close eye on whether the ambitions regarding student growth can be realistically supported by the available staff and infrastructure.
What is the programme working on now?
- Monitoring if improvements and refinements with regard to the screening of prospective students, as introduced in the previous years, is having the anticipated additional positive effects on the study success of students.
- Investigating the possibilities of increasing the influx of new students via a new bachelor programme.
- Analyzing the results of a recent benchmarking with various national and international programmes, with the outcome thereof guiding future improvements and refinements of the curriculum.
This public information is part of VUB’s quality assurance and was approved by the Course Council in 2021.