Level 3: Programme – Programme Director

Every programme is expected to have an assessment policy, tailored to the programme specific situation and a vision on education and assessment. The policy must comply with the UT Framework for Assessment Policy, should take into account the national requirements of the law (WHW) and the accreditation (NVAO) standards, and is in line with the core principles and objectives outlined in the UT Vision on Assessment and the UT Vision on Learning and Teaching
The assessment policy uses the PDCA cycle to monitor the quality of assessments and examinations, to evaluate the measures and actions taken, and to offer improvement plans. The policy is recorded in writing and made easily accessible for staff and students. The policy can be evaluated and updated every year or can be applied for a longer period (maximum three years until evaluation and revision). In the latter case, attaching an action plan that is evaluated and updated every year is recommended, based on a PDCA cycle approach. 

Elements of an assessment policy
An assessment policy will at least address coherently all the layers of the so-called Assessment Pyramid.  

Points of attention in an assessment policy plan are at least (see the toolbox for more guidelines):

1. Relevant frameworks and preconditions (e.g. Vision on Learning and Teaching, the Vision on Assessment, UT Assessment Policy, WHW, EER, etc.).
2. An (updated) vision on education within your programme (what and how students should learn) and on assessment (what role does assessment have in the learning; assessment of/for/as learning). How does the programme see the role of assessment in supporting the learning of students in the specific field or discipline? Such a vision on programme level contributes to the quality of education and assessment, improves the assessment policy within the programme, and supports examiners. The vision on assessment as stated in this framework as well as the UT Vision on Learning and Teaching provide the basis for this.
   A vision can be described succinctly, e.g. 1/2 A4. Important is the translation into concrete principles for practice. When translating your vision into concrete plans, please take into account the specific context and target group of the programme, ambitions regarding guiding principles, methods for formative and summative assessments, scheduling and planning of assessments. Particular points of interest may apply for the programme, e.g., a special focus on digital assessment, practical assignments, and internship. 
3. Assessment plan and schedule (overview of how each course contributes to the final qualifications and how and when these final qualifications are assessed).
4. Assessment organization (overview of all people and bodies involved in assessment in the programme, including their roles, tasks, and responsibilities and how they collaborate. Please include the role of the Examination Office as well).
5. Applicable regulations, procedures, and protocols (e.g., EER, protocols for test taking and invigilating, etc.). Where applicable, include links to information on the programme website. 
6. Quality assurance procedures related to assessments and examination (e.g., rules for designing, tests, procedures for test screening, etc.). 
7. Fostering and guaranteeing the assessment competence of those involved.
8. Measures taken and evaluation related to the previous period. What relevant developments are taking place? What are the ambitions and what is the action plan for the coming period? What are the focal points to work on in the longer and/or shorter term?

Legal Requirements

The major outlines of the curriculum and examinations are laid down in the Education and Examination Regulations (EER) for each programme. By law, the EER must address certain subjects (Art 7.13.1 WHW). The EER is established by the Faculty Board, but programme directors compile the programme-specific part. In addition to establishing the EER, the Faculty Board has the responsibility to regularly assess the EER, to supervise its execution, as well as to report in this regard to the Executive Board regularly. The Faculty Council and the Programme Committee have the right to advise or give consent, depending on the topic in the EER. In addition, the Programme Committee can annually assess the manner in which the education and examination regulations are executed. More about the role of the Faculty Board in this regard can be found on the page about faculty requirements. 

Guideline & model for Bachelor's programmes

The EER consists of a general part, applying to all bachelor programmes from a faculty, and a programme-specific part. The Executive Board establishes an institution-wide Guideline and Model EER for bachelor study programmes. Faculties and programmes use this document as a basis for their EERs. The Guideline and Model EER contains several articles that must be adopted by the Faculty Board in full. Other parts can be amended. It promotes transparency when a particular subject is centrally agreed upon or regulated in the same article number in each EER.

master's programmes

For master's programmes, no guideline or model is provided. Nevertheless, parts of the Guideline and Model EER can also be used for master's programmes, and faculties can draw up a model EER at faculty level. 

Assessment information

Information on assessment per module and/or course is stated in the programme-specific part of the EER, in Osiris, and in the assessment schedule. The programme-specific part of the EER should include a module description with information about the number of tests and their weighting, the language of assessment, and the manner in which examinations are sat. In Osiris, details are provided such as the design of teaching methods and assessment. The assessment schedule is drawn up by the examiner and determined by the programme director. It should include in which weeks examinations and tests are held and the period of validity or results, among other things. The Guidelines and Model EER provide more detail on this. 

Up-to-date information

The information in the EER and the information in Osiris should be reviewed regularly (preferably annually) and updated if necessary. For example based on changes in the guidelines, changes in the education programme, or changes in assessment methods. Examiners or module coordinators are responsible for providing the correct information on time. In the assessment policy (plan) of the programme, a schedule can be provided to show the timing for submitting the information.  Programme directors are responsible for all this information being complete and up to date. For clarification: Osiris is used for the formal registration of grades for examinations and some tests and therefore prevails. 

Communication

Staff and students should be actively informed about the EER and where to find it - preferably via the programme's website. 

By law, a general principle is that the prohibition of discrimination implies that effective adjustments according to special individual needs should be made unless these impose a disproportionate burden (Art. 2.1 Wgbh/cz). This means that students who have special needs or personal circumstances are entitled to extra facilities to study in their programme and/or when doing an assessment. The Guideline & Model EER describes university-wide rules. To be eligible for extra facilities in case of special personal circumstances, students should send a request to the study advisor in good time. The programme informs students which extra facilities can be provided. 

For the taking of written exams, extra facilities for students will be supplied by the Examination Office. 
More information on special support can be found on the website of SACC 

For the administering of exams (written and digital; campus and online), programmes must have protocols in place. Programmes comply as much as possible with the guidelines offered by the Examination Office. They deviate only if a written test or curriculum is subject to special conditions or regulations. These guidelines concern how to schedule and prepare exams, the deployment of sufficient and trained invigilators, the timely submission of the original exam to the Examination Office, how to administer and assess exams, and how to register exam results.

A protocol that is common practice at the UT, is the Rules of order for written tests. This protocol was established by the Assembly of Examination Boards in 2018 to achieve greater uniformity in the regulations for the taking of tests. 

A lecturer is hierarchically assigned to a department and has a line manager. Although the model for faculty regulations mentions that the Programme Director supervises the teaching of the subjects and the programme components, the Faculty Board (portfolio holder Education) is responsible for stimulating and monitoring teachers' participation in professionalization programmes in the field of education and assessment (more about this topic is available on the faculty level page). Nevertheless, you as programme director can play a stimulating role in this respect, since all programme directors benefit from lecturers who fulfil their role in the field of education and specifically assessment in a high-quality manner.   

There are different kinds of opportunities for you as programme director to stimulate and foster the assessment competency of teachers/examiners and others involved in assessment tasks: see examples below.

An internship and especially the thesis project, are important educational components. The thesis gets special attention during a re-accreditation, as it is supposed to show the level the student has achieved at the end of the programme. Because of this special attention, all procedures regarding the thesis must be very clear to all involved.

For both an internship and the thesis students carry out a more complex assignment individually and are expected to exhibit a high degree of independence and self-regulation. This can lead to additional stress and study delays for students if problems arise. Good information in advance and the provision of (extra) opportunities for support can help the student and increase the chances that the process runs smoothly.

In terms of information provision, please include the following points

1. Learning objectives and expectations
2. Planning (phases and deadlines)
3. Assessment criteria or the assessment rubric or assessment form
4. Information on the assessment process (e.g. who is involved, feedback moments, green light moment, check for plagiarism or use of ChatGPT, colloquium process)
5. Responsibilities of all involved (graduation project coordinator, supervisor, the student, other members of the assessing team, study advisor); especially about the role of supervisor versus the role of the student 
6. Relevant procedures, regulations, and guidelines and where to find them
7. Information on additional support like study advisor and Language Centre (e.g. academic writing classes).