Policy, regulations and guidelines

See: wetten.nl - Regeling - Wet op het hoger onderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek - BWBR0005682 
NB. Check always whether you are looking at the latest version.

All Dutch universities (and educational institutions in general) have to comply with the Higher Education and Research Act (WHW; Wet op het hoger onderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek). It provides a statutory framework. The HERA (WHW) is only available in Dutch. 

To read more about which parts of the WHW are important for Examination Boards, see: Responsibilities and position EB | Home.

New UT Assessment Policy 
A new institution-wide  UT Assessment Policy has been in place since the academic year 2024/25. This policy can be seen as a framework for all parties involved in fostering and monitoring the quality of assessments and examinations. It indicates what is required and expected of all parties involved at the faculty, programme, and course level and how the efforts are facilitated. At the same time, in the new format, the framework also provides tools, examples, and suggestions to realise the ambitions. 
The programmes are central to fostering and monitoring the quality of assessments and examinations. One of the indicated requirements is that programmes draw up their assessment policy (plan) that specifically matches their vision and ideas about assessment and their ambitions for the future. 
The framework aligns with the national legal requirements and accreditation requirements.

Previous UT frameworks for assessment
To promote the quality of assessments and (final) examinations, the UT has drawn up an assessment framework in 2011 [UT Toetskader 2011]. In 2016 a new, more elaborate version was formally adopted by the Executive Board and distributed within the faculties: the Quality Assurance Framework for Student Assessment at the University of Twente. Based on the UT framework, programmes were given the responsibility and freedom to shape their assessment policies tailored to their specific educational situation. Quality Assurance Framework Student Assessment UT 12 Dec 2016(1).pdf 

Since the introduction of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act (WHW) in 1993, the main features of the education programme and the examinations for each programme have to be laid down in Education and Examination Regulations (EER; Dutch: Onderwijs- en Examenregeling; OER). 

According to the law, the EER contains adequate and clear information about the study programme or group of study programmes (WHW article 7.13 paragraph 1). Section 7.13, subsection 2, of the WHW lists the subjects that must at least be regulated in the EER for each study programme or group of study programmes. The subjects relate to the procedures, rights, and obligations for education and examinations. 

The University of Twente issues an annual institution-wide format - Guideline and Model EER  document - for the Bachelor study programmes (excluding ATLAS). This document contains articles and parts of articles that must be adopted in full (institutional agreements) and parts that serve as a model and can be amended. The article and paragraph classification must be adopted for transparency and consistency.
Faculties and programmes use this "Guideline and Model EER" as a basis for their Faculty EER, with programme-specific appendices with provisions that apply specifically to that study programme.
The EER will be established by the faculty board or dean. 
The EER's can be found on the websites of the study programmes.  

The WHW mentions two documents in which the regulations concerning assessment and examination must be described: the EER (see above) and the Rules and Regulations (R&R). The R&R are established by and are the responsibility of the EB. It consists of rules and guidelines regarding the implementation of the board's tasks and powers within the framework of the Higher Education and Research Act (WHW) and the EER. This document usually contains at least:

• a description of the way the board operates (composition, profiles for members, the way decisions are made, schedule for meetings etc.);
• mandates if applicable;
• procedures, rules, and measures regarding fraud;
• rules and criteria to grant exemptions for students (on request) from taking one or more exams;
• procedures and measures for safeguarding the quality of exams and final examination;
• guidelines and instructions (within the framework of the EER) for assessing students'work and written exams;
• procedures and criteria for assigning examiners.   

Establishing guidelines for examiners
A special task for the Examination Board (ExBo) is establishing guidelines and instructions within the framework of the EER as the basis for assessing and grading assessments in general, and the final examination. These guidelines and instructions can be seen in direct relation to the core task of the ExBo to safeguard the quality of the assessments and examinations. The guidelines and instructions apply to the examiners. Guidelines may, for example, apply to the way in which the cutting score will be determined, the taking of exams, the construction of written tests, or the reuse of former examination questions.  
It may be advisable to provide such important as well as practical guidelines for teachers, in the form of a hands-on guide or guidelines on a website. 
As an example: The faculty BMS provides guidelines for their teachers on a website: Examination Board | Examination boards BMS
For Psychology and Communication Science, a 'Step-by-Step guide' was developed in 2016/17, which is still useful: Step-by-Step guide for examination, see Manuals | Assessment support. 

TIP: For helpful guidelines and tips regarding assessment, examiners can be referred to a support site: Utwente: Testing & Assessment. 
 

In addition to statutory regulations and Rules & Guidelines, it may be advisable to lay down standards and working methods for practice for lecturers in so-called "protocols". Protocols are a means to regulate matters properly, not an end in themselves. It clarifies what is expected of all parties involved. Protocols can increase the efficiency of activities, ensure better coordination between those involved, provide clarity for new employees, prevent conflicts afterwards, and help with quality control.
Of course, protocols in themselves do not guarantee the quality of the execution of processes and procedures. It stands and falls with the familiarity with these, the compliance, the support of those involved, and possibly also the control and enforcement of the compliance. Protocols should also be maintained regularly so that they are in line with current practice.

Protocols will usually be established in the context of quality assurance, i.e., by the programme manager or dean (if it is meant for the whole faculty). However, protocols can also be useful for Examination Boards to help safeguard the quality of assessments or examination. 
For example a protocol that contributes to ensuring that the taking of written tests is well organised and that measures are taken to prevent fraud, to detect fraud it if it occurs and that appropriate actions are taken if fraud is detected (by invigelators), helps to ensure that the test taking process runs smoothly and that the results obtained by the students will be reliable. 
In this sense, Examination Boards may also take the lead and/or protocols can be drawn up in mutual agreement between the management and the Examination Board. An example of such a protocol that has been established through the Platform of Examination Boards is the Rules of Order for written tests. This protocol was drawn up in 2018 to achieve greater uniformity in the regulations for test taking. Programmes can use it the way it is or may adapt it according to specific requirements for their own programme. 

In order to be accredited, educational programmes have to comply with certain nationally defined requirements. There are four requirements or standards to be met by a programme for (a so-called limited) programme accreditation. Two of these are directly related to the role and tasks of Examination Boards. Their role in this is crucial!
The two standards are: 

Student assessment / Standard 3: The programme has an adequate system of student assessment in place.
The student assessments are valid, reliable, and sufficiently independent. The requirements are transparent to the students. The quality of interim and final examinations is sufficiently safeguarded and meets the statutory quality standards. The tests support the students’ own learning processes. The Board of Examiners carries out its legal duties and exercises its legal powers

Achieved learning outcomes / Standard 4: The programme demonstrates that the intended learning outcomes are achieved.
The achievement of the intended learning outcomes is demonstrated by the results of tests, the final projects, and the performance of graduates in actual practice or in postgraduate programmes.

Information about the NVAO accreditation requirements can be found on the NVAO site. 

Be prepared...

Is the programme management and/or Examination Board able to adequately answer the questions of a visitation panel? Has the EB taken good care of all matters, and does it fulfil the role and tasks as specified in the law? You can use this question game (game; single cards*) to investigate. NB. CELT can guide the 'game' for a target group, with a game leader and a critical observer. Over the years, we have gained the necessary experience with it.
* _{For the time being, a Dutch version will be translated in due course.}  

An institutional audit (in Dutch: Instellingstoets Kwaliteitszorg) is a periodic (6-year cycle), external, and independent assessment of the quality assurance in place at an institution. The NVAO may decide to issue a positive decision "with conditions" of up to two years. The audit serves to examine whether quality assurance and quality culture ensure the realisation of the vision of good education and how the institution works sustainably to ensure, develop, and improve. The following four interrelated questions, which are linked to the standards of the assessment framework, are central to this: 

1) Is there sufficient support for the institution's vision and policy with regard to the quality of its education in the broad sense, and is there sufficient external and internal coordination in this regard?
2) How does the institution realise this vision of quality?
3) How does the institution monitor its realisation of the vision of quality?
4) How does the institution work on improvement?

The ITK is based on the institution's own ambitions, visions, and choices, but asks the institution to reflect on the realisation of those ambitions.
The institution draws up a self-evaluation, outlining its strengths and weaknesses. Two site visits by a panel appointed by the NVAO, are part of the procedure. During the first visit, the panel examines the quality assurance and quality culture within four programmes. In the second visit, the panel focuses on personnel policy, assessment, student facilities, and risk identification within the institution.

Role of Examination Boards
Due to the fact that Examination Boards are involved in 'realising quality', in monitoring and safeguarding the quality of assessments and examination, they will definitely be involved in the ITK process, especially in an in-depth study, when some programmes will be visited. Always good to be prepared for that occasion.

To read more about the ITK: Instellingstoets kwaliteitszorg | NVAO (only in Dutch)

Institutional audit at the UT until now

In 2014, UT received a positive assessment from the NVAO. Within six years, a reassessment is necessary for a renewal. At the end of 2019, a second institutional audit was carried out. On 22 March 2020, the UT received the audit committee's advisory report. The UT met all criteria and received a positive decision, which can be seen as proof that there is confidence in the University's internal quality assurance system. The next institutional audit will take place in 2025. 
To keep informed, check out this site: About our education | Quality | Education