Quality Assurance of Higher Education in The Netherlands

1. Quality Assurance of Higher Education in The Netherlands Organization, basic principles and examples By Erik Martijnse, director department of Higher Education of the Education Inspectorate

2. Content Dutch Education QA of HigherEducation Inspectorate of HigherEducation Inspectionandothers Inspectionand management Examples

3. 1. Education system in the Netherlands • age • Post-graduate courses • 1-2yr (Ma) • 22 • 1yr (Ma) • University • 4yr (Ba) • University of applied sciences • 3yr (Ba) • senior vocational • 18 • 4 years (Ba) • education 2-4 years • VWO • HAVO • Pre-vocational • education 4 years • 6 years • 5 years • 15 • Secondary education 4 – 6 years • 12 • Primary Education • 8 years • 4

4. 1. Dutch Educational system: (religious) autonomy • The School Struggle or Schoolstrijd is a historical conflict in the Netherlands between 1848 and 1917 over the equalization of public financing for religious schools. • This resulted in: the Separation of School and State by funding all schools equally, both public and private which is enshrined in article 23 of the Dutch constitution. • Nowadays: • Many special schools, not only religious, but on the basis of different ideologies on education. • Field with strong stakeholders

5. 1. The Dutch law • Article 23 of constitution: • Education is task of the government • Form and content of education is free, within legal boundaries: • End levels • Quality and morality of teachers • Public and religious / special schools are equally funded by government • Government publishes yearly a “State of the education” • Laws for primary, secondary, vocational education, and also for higher education = Wet op het Hoger en Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (WHW) • Law on education inspection (Wet op het onderwijstoezicht WOT): • Unique in the world • Inspectorate is independent • Tasks and boundaries of the Inspectorate of Education • Inspectorate writes the annual State of the education

6. 3. Dutch Higher Education • age Post-graduate courses • 1-2yr (Ma) • 22 • 1yr (Ma) • University • 4yr (Ba) • University of applied sciences • 3yr (Ba) seniorvocational • 18 • 4 years (Ba) education2-4 years VWO HAVO Pre-vocational education 4 years 6years 5years • 15 Secondaryeducation 4 – 6 years • 12 Primary Education 8 years • 4

7. 3. Higher education: Quality Assurance • Internal QA and supervision • Accreditation of programmes and institutes (NVAO) • External supervision (inspectorate)

8. 3. Work division NVAO and Inspectorate • QA of Higher Education in the Netherlands is a joint effort of the Netherlands Flemish Accreditation Organization (NVAO) and the Inspectorate of Education. • Focus of the NVAO: accreditation at institutional and program levels (every six years). • Focus of the inspectorate: supervision of adherence to laws and regulations, system level supervision, ‘fire brigade’. • Cooperation Protocol: complementarity and co-operation between NVAO and Inspectorate.

9. 4. Inspectorate of higher education: basic principles

10. 4. Inspectorate of higher education: Examples Thematic reports: • Examination boards • APL in HE • Supervisory boards • Master programs • Selection and accessibility • Sector images: • Education • Others will follow • Finances • Management of real estate • Laws and regulations: • Short-cycle programs • Admissions • Information for applicants • Extra costs • Fire brigade: • Incidents • Fraud with exams • Regular board visits • Once every 4 years

11. 5. Inspection and other stakeholders • Inspectionworkswithin a field of strong different stakeholders • Government • Umbrellaorganizations: universities, polytechnics, non-funded institutions, • Student organizations • => Demandscommunicationandtuning

12. 5. Inspection and other stakeholders • Year Work plan = upcoming theme investigations of inspectorate • Information agreement= an overview of all studies done by inspectorate, governmental department of education, and others on higher education • Check on complementarity • Balances out burden on institutions • All umbrella organizations are consulted

13. 6. Inspection and management • Contact after incidents • 4-annual meeting between inspection and board • Is management in control?

14. 6. Inspection and Management • Towards trust and compliance • Compliance assistance: theme reports, sector reports, conferences, invitations • Data delivery via governmental offices DUO and CBS • Towards (even) more complementarity • Stronger internal quality assurance with quality indications • More data exchange

15. 7. Example: Investigation transition Bachelor-Master system • On request of minister of education • Bologna 1999: EU adapted to Bachelor/ Master-system • Dutch study programs had to be split up into two different programs • We investigated the result of this separation • We looked at the entry requirements for master programs

16. 7. Example: investigation Transition programs • On request of minister of education • Investigation of the transition programs between bachelor and master of university • Questions: • Entry level requirements • Accessibility (of the system as a whole) • Transparency • 1-2yr (Ma) • 1yr (Ma) • University • 4yr (Ba) • University of applied sciences • 3yr (Ba)

17. 7. Example: investigation teacher education • Societal demand for better teachers: more educational skills, more knowledge • Our own initiative; main theme within inspectorate as a whole • Results: • Education teachers primary school • is improving • Teachers have more knowledge • Research about education teachers • secondary schools is now executed

18. 7. Example: investigation examination committees • On request of minister of education • Reason: • The Netherlands has no central defined end level of higher education (besides in abstract terms in Dublin descriptors) . • The law has defined examination committees to guard the end level • The composition and the tasks of the examination committees: independent, knowledgeable, exams, fraud, exemptions • Our results: examination committees have improved over 4 years, but need further improvement

19. Example: 4-annual meeting between inspection and board • With the board of an university of applied sciences of a Dutch ‘big’ city • Agenda on: • Quality control • Financial control • Fraud with exams • Student satisfaction • Radicalization of students • Is the board in control?

20. Questions?Discussion?

21. Thank you for your attention Erik Martijnse e.martijnse@owinsp.nl