A member of an Examination Board (EB) is expected to have the expertise to be able to adequately carry out all tasks and responsibilities associated with this role. This involves among others knowledge of the law, knowledge of the role, tasks and responsibilities of an Examination Board member, knowledge of UT and programme-specific regulations regarding testing and graduation, as well as knowledge of the way in which the quality of an assessment can be safeguarded and of ways to ensure that graduates meet the intended final qualifications. Members should also be able to establish regulations related to some articles in the WHW (Dutch Education Law) and establish guidelines for examiners with regard to assessing exams. So a great deal is expected in terms of knowledge and skills.
Since 2012, after the role of the Examination Boards has been considerably reinforced by law, training courses and meetings have been organized at the UT for the members of EB's. Initially institution-wide, later as tailor-made courses and on request. These tailor-made courses or workshops can still be requested and are offered by the Centre of Expertise in Learning and Teaching (CELT). Since 2023 a basic workshop for all new Examination Board members is offered twice a year.
Since 2017 the UT offers a Senior University Examination Qualification trajectory (in Dutch: Senior Kwalificatie Examinering; SKE).
How did the SUEQ trajectory come about?
The SUEQ trajectory was designed and offered at the initiative and request of the chairman of the joint Examination Committees of the faculty of EEMCS. The first run took place in 2017.
The SUEQ is modelled on SKE trajectories which are organized more often at universities of applied sciences (Dutch: hbo instellingen). These trajectories and the certification are based on the requirements established by the "Expertgroep BKE/SKE*" in 2013, by the commission of the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging van Hogescholen) and the subsequent revision of the programme of requirements in 2020. For the University of Twente, the trajectory is adapted to the academic university situation and especially the UT setting. Since 2021 this trajectory is offered in English. January 2023 the SUEQ trajectory was offered for the fifth time.
The SUEQ is intended in particular for staff members in higher education who, at curriculum level, have the task and responsibility of ensuring or safeguarding the quality of assessment and the assessment processes and who are responsible for securing that graduates have achieved the intended final level of the degree programmes. This could, besides members of an Examination Board, also include programme directors, programme coordinators, quality assurance officers and educational advisors.
In this video Arend Rensink, then chairman of the joint Examination Committees of the faculty of EEMCS and initiator of the SUEQ trajectory explains the reason for the launch of a SUEQ (at that time called SKE) trajectory.
Part of the SUEQ programme, is a symposium or postermarket in which the participants publicly share the results of an in-depth study into a theme in the field of ensuring or safeguarding the quality of assessment. To learn more about the results of the symposia in previous years, take a look at the sites mentioned below (NB. Not all posters and presentations are available in English).
Although the main goals and the assignments that the participants work on have essentially remained the same, the trajectory has undergone some changes in terms of its design over time. For a description of how the trajectory is set up nowadays, see [here].
*Verantwoord toetsen en beslissen in het hoger beroepsonderwijs. Een voorstel voor een programma van eisen voor een basis- en seniorkwalificatie examinering (BKE/SKE). Expertgroep BKE/SKE in opdracht van de Vereniging Hogescholen, oktober 2013.