Around 900 students from a range of University of Twente programmes are set to receive their Bachelor’s degree this summer – the first cohort of students to have studied under the unique Twente Educational Model (TEM). Introduced in 2013, the TEM is a modular system of learning that includes a lot of project work and seeks to introduce cross-connections between different fields of study. Students are required to adopt a proactive and multidisciplinary approach.
In this video clip about TEM, Philippe de Rooy, a student in Technical Medicine, talks about his experience of the Twente Educational Model on the day of his graduation ceremony. ‘I chose the University of Twente because this way of teaching really appeals to me. Studying in modules is highly motivating, and working on projects with students from other degree programmes is also very stimulating.’ He is also enthusiastic about the personal contact that he had with teaching staff. ‘The communication lines are short, and you can always contact them with questions.’
Rector Ed Brinksma is proud of this ‘TEM generation’ and the University of Twente staff and students who have taken this new model off the drawing board and put it into practice. ‘Collaborating with other people is a key aspect of the TEM’s success. Students work on projects in teams, and teaching staff are constantly communicating about how to tackle each module. That creates new opportunities for cross-connections.’
Finding the right role
Each TEM module consists primarily of a project which the students work on in teams. There are also courses to provide a theoretical basis. Gathering the knowledge that is required for each project demands autonomy from the students, as well as initiative and a proactive approach. And working in a team means that the students need to focus not only on content, but also on the personal qualities of the team members - who should take on which role in the team? Are you a researcher, a designer or do you have strong organizational skills? Ed Brinksma: ‘We are preparing our students for positions that may not even exist yet. So a rigid approach would not be appropriate - there is plenty of scope for personal initiative. Students need to be able to study subjects in depth, but also to take a broader perspective.’
Academic success
As well as the obvious changes in terms of content, the TEM has also affected academic success rates: whereas previously around 30 percent of students completed their Bachelor's degree within three years, that figure is now at 50 to 60 percent. The target rate of 70 percent within four years seems attainable. The final figures are announced in October.
