In anticipation of the regulations being developed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science regarding internationalisation, we at UT have determined the building blocks by which we want to further shape our internationalisation policy. These are concept building blocks that are meant to give some clarity to the faculties and open a dialogue about how we want to approach this issue at UT.
After the summer we expect more clarity on key definitions such as what are the shortage sectors, and the practical implications of measures, including the contours of timelines. We will then translate these building blocks into points of departure towards policy development at the UT in the remainder of the calendar year. Implementation of any changes in our policy will not start before 2025-26.
These are the concept building blocks:
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The University of Twente is a welcoming place for everyone
- Building inclusive communities is a key part of our Vision on Learning & Teaching
- Coming from abroad to UT is a big step. Joining an international university as a Dutch/Int’l student or colleague is too.
- We keep and continue to make our university accessible and approachable to all: students, staff, partners, and businesses.
- Language is important, we will need English and Dutch to remain inclusive. We will stimulate and facilitate the learning and use of Dutch and English by all students and staff members.
- From the moment they apply, students and staff from abroad will be treated the same as their Dutch peers.
We will develop our approach proactively based on what we stand for and want to achieve
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Internationalisation helps drive the quality of our education
- Self-development is a key part of our Vision on Learning & Teaching, and we want to and need to include our international staff in education activities. They have our full support in this journey.
- We need inclusive international communities of staff and students to maintain the quality and identity of our programmes. When making adjustments to these programmes, we keep this in mind.
- The language of instruction for any course and programme is primarily driven by its effectiveness for students. This will vary per subject, and (partial) bilingual instruction could be considered.
When making adjustments, we will keep our programmes top fit
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Our university takes an integral approach towards subjects
- Programmes catering for sectors with labour market shortages could potentially be (partially) exempted from some of the MOCW measures, so the concrete adjustments may vary per programme.
- As a High Tech Human Touch university, we approach our disciplines integrally.
- Our UT policy principles will apply to all programmes at the UT.
- Adjustments across programmes need to be aligned and balanced so that our unique character is felt, lived and shown in each faculty.
- We will support each other where needed in this collective effort.
These UT policy building blocks will apply to all of us
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Scientific education, research & innovation are international
- We will continue to invest in international collaborations, partnerships and talent.
- Such investments will remain a key part of the strategies of faculties, institutes and the university.
- They are essential for our identity, our reputation, and our excellence.
We will keep including internationalisation in our strategies
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We are competent to approach this issue from our strengths
- The concerns MOCW, parliament and citizens have expressed about a disbalance they see in the inclusivity of universities matter to us.
- We see it as our responsibility to respond to these concerns in line with our own academic values and vision on learning & teaching.
- We want to contribute to society’s grand challenges so we need an international scope.
- We will continue to stress the importance of the direction of adjustments by the universities themselves with UNL/4TU to MOCW in the ‘Bestuursakkoord’ (Administrative agreement).
- We will make our policies together and will ensure they are feasible.
We can address the concerns from our values and vision
