Studies, reports, and advice by the Higher Education Inspectorate and others, regarding the quality of the examination practice and the role and functioning of Examination Boards
A recent study into the functioning of examination boards in higher education
Nov. 2025, the Dutch Inspectorate of Education published its report on the latest study into the functioning of Examination Boards in higher education. The study contains many insights and, above all, points of attention for Examination Boards. A short version and a more elaborate version are available. Both are in Dutch, but with a summary in English. The short version includes a compact table showing the most important points for attention, along with those responsible (board/dean, programme management, examination board). This table can be used as a checklist. Do we meet all the points for attention? If not, who should take action?
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A bit of history - Earlier studies relating to examination practice and the role and functioning of Examination Boards
Below you will find a brief overview of how national thinking on the quality of examinations has developed in the course of the last couple of years, which is reflected in national research by, among others, the Dutch Inspectorate of Education (Inspectie van het Onderwijs) and formal guidelines issued by official national bodies. Unfortunately, not all the mentioned sources are available in English. 
In 2009, the Dutch Inspectorate of Education investigated how Examination Boards functioned in higher education. One key point was whether Examination Boards sufficiently checked that the assessment programme as a whole ensured that students achieved the intended final level of their study programmes.
This investigation was part of the legislative proposal Versterking Besturing (“Reinforcing Governance”), which strengthened and clarified the role and responsibilities of Examination Boards. The report served as a wake-up call for higher education: Examination Boards needed to reinforce their position and carry out their tasks and responsibilities in a more powerful and more proactive way. This was described in the report under the name of Boekhouder of wakend oog.
Due to incidents and negative media reports about the quality of examinations, there was unrest within society about the value of higher (vocational) education diplomas. In December 2011, the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (HBO-raad; later renamed Vereniging Hogescholen) set up a "Committee for External Validation of HBO Examination Quality". This is often referred to in a more informal way as the "Bruijn Committee" (commissie Bruijn). After investigation, the committee came up with several recommendations, in which the importance of external validation in particular came to the fore, as described in their report Vreemde ogen dwingen.
The main recommendations were to introduce joint examinations, involve external members in Examination Boards, and work with certified examiners. The inclusion of external members was later legally anchored, based on the idea that “external eyes” help safeguard exam quality.
The committee also stimulated research into assessment quality and assessment policy. As a result, several Universities of Applied Sciences (hbo's) established 'lectoraten' in the field of assessment.
Five years after the earlier study into the functioning of Examination Boards and after several changes in the WHW (Dutch education law), the Inspectorate of Education re-examined the functioning of Examination Boards in higher education. The conclusion was that the boards had clearly strengthened themselves over the past years, but that there were also various points for attention and improvement. In the report Inspectierapport Verdere versterking examencommissies in het hoger onderwijs these points are described. In English available: Further Improvement: Examination boards in higher education
As a result of this report, two conferences were organized.
- Conferentie 'Versterking examencommissies' 20 mei 2015. Organized by the Inspectorate of Education. See naslagwerk.
In English, available as Examination-Boards-in-higher-education.pdf - Conferentie 'Versterking examencommissies' 9 maart 2016. Organized by the VSNU (Association of Dutch universities; nowadays named UNL).
In 2016, the Inspectorate drafted a guideline to make better use of some of the findings from earlier studies to support higher education in their endeavor to stimulate the quality of examination: De kwaliteit van de toetsing in het hoger onderwijs. The most important conclusions and tips were summarized in a compact scheme.
In an article by Martine Pol en Suzan Klaver in Hoger Onderwijs Management 2016 the main points are also indicated.
Advice about examination by the Higher Education Council (Hoger Onderwijsraad) (Dec. 2018)
The Higher Education Council advises the government and higher education institutions. Dec. 2018, the council drafted advice for the Ministry of Education (Download report). The report addresses education in general but also pays specific attention to higher education. One piece of advice is that a more balanced assessment and examination practice is needed so that assessments and examinations contribute more to the quality of education.