The quality of our education

UT has a high level of student engagement. Students contribute to improving the quality of our education in a variety of ways:

• Students make their voices heard through surveys, such as the Student Experience Questionnaire, the National Student Survey (NSE) and the International Student Barometer (ISB).
• In conversations with their programmes, for example in student panels, students provide direct feedback on their teachers and programme management.
• Student representatives talk, think, and decide about education at different levels (in the programme, faculty, and across the University).
• Student associations play their own role in evaluating programmes and identifying bottlenecks. In addition, they are important discussion partners regarding the management of programmes.

The importance of good lecturers to the quality of education is substantial. At UT, lecturers often have a dual role, being that of both educator and researcher. This combination provides inspiration and a constant challenge for lecturers and students.

To help teachers develop their abilities in the field of education, UT offers an extensive range of training. Moreover, every lecturer is in principle required to obtain a Basic Certification for Teachers (BKO).

In addition, some lecturers or course co-ordinators write evaluation reports to continuously improve their skills. However, it is important to note that this is not practised in the same way across all faculties. Therefore, this matter needs further consideration.

Each programme (or group of programmes) has a programme committee. In this participation body, students and teachers are represented at the programme level. The programme committee consists of an equal number of teachers and students. In general, this committee gives advice to the programme director regarding improving and guaranteeing the educational quality of the programme. These responsibilities make the programme committee an important interlocutor for the programme director.

The programme committee has the right of consent regarding certain sections of the Education and Examination Regulations, as well as the right to consult on other sections. It also evaluates the implementation of Education and Examination Regulations, and advises on the quality assurance system, annual evaluations of courses and modules, the curriculum (including admission criteria), and examination criteria for the final assessment and thesis.

In addition, each programme (or group of programmes)  also has an Examination Board. This board has the legal task of monitoring the quality of degrees and testing independently from the management of the programme. It sets guidelines for testing and examination and assesses whether students meet the final attainment levels of their programme. Annually, the examination board produces a report, which is addressed to the dean of the faculty under which the programme falls, with recommendations to improve the quality of testing and procedures within the programme.

The quality assurance co-ordinators of each faculty meet at the UT Platform for Quality Assurance (UTpK). Within this platform, developments within UT and national developments pertaining to quality assurance are discussed, working methods are harmonised and common practice regarding educational quality assurance is shared. The platform also acts as an advisory body for UCOW, UT’s Advisory Board on Education, in which the education portfolio holders of all faculties are represented. Because UT's faculties are different in size and structure, the role and function of the quality assurance co-ordinator is also different in each faculty. Through this platform, everyone is informed about important information and developments and is enabled to co-ordinate strategies and learn from each other.

The Quality Assurance Team is a dynamic collective of employees coming from the central services S&P and CES. Their main goal is to provide integral support in quality assurance. This ranges from institutional processes to various development projects or even accreditation support at the programme level. The team focuses on shaping broad-based University policies and developing tools to support them.

Engaging external parties is essential to the quality assurance of our programmes. Therefore, we systematically solicit feedback from external parties. Through work field committees and advisory boards, we send out surveys to organisations and companies about what skills graduates need in their fields of work. To find out how alumni look back on their studies, the University of Twente participates in the National Alumni Survey (NAE).