Ombudsoffice: a direct impact on QA of Ghent University Nathalie Depoorter Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office Ghent University

A short introduction Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

1817 Inauguration of Ghent University Latin is the language of tuition 1830 Belgian independence French becomes the language of tuition Research becomes an important responsibility 1930 Dutch becomes the language of tuition 1991 Larger autonomy State University Ghent becomes Ghent University 2003 Ghent University Association 2013 Inegration of academic programmes university colleges Start of Ghent University, Campus Kortrijk 2014 Start of Ghent University Global Campus in South Korea

Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University Location

Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University Faculties 11 faculties Managed by the dean and the faculty board Divided in departments

Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University Education Total number of students Education Total number of students

a brief history  Installed in 1988  Ombudsperson = head of educational quality assurance office  Office: pillar of the QA (not juridical)  Faculty ombudsperson Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

What do we do? Two tasks  COMPLAINTS  Complaints/questions regarding the EEC  Legal position of students  ‘unfair’ situations experienced by students within the EEC framework Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

What do we do?  INTERNAL APPEALS  Examination decisions  Examination-related disciplinary decisions  APEL-procedure  Binding conditions for enrolment  Refusal of enrolment  Refusal of facilities for students with special status due to functional impairment. Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

What don’t we do?  Housing troubles  Complaints about student meals  Personal problems  … Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Procedure: ombuds Student formulates complaint Ombuds office investigation. If necessary information is gained at other departments (need to know vs nice to know!) Ombuds answer to the student AND If applicable: advise to the QA office Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Procedure: internal appeal Internal appeal to the Rector Ombuds: formalities and gathering of all relevant documents Proposal of decision presented to the IAC IAC decides. Ombuds finalizes document + informs the parties involved Advise of the IAC is taking into account in QA process Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Impact of ombuds on educational quality assurance  Expertise in EEC-working group: bottlenecks, indistinctness are detected trough ombuds/internal appeal  Advising faculties regarding quality assurance process: concrete advise f.i. oral examination, ECTS course sheet  Involved in writing quality reports (f.i. postgraduate programs, master theses) based on expertise  Workshops regarding do’s and don’ts as a teacher  Annual Ombudsday for all ombudspersons at GU Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Ombuds Office: a picture says more than a thousand words… Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Case 1: APEL-procedure  Student achieves credit at UA for statistics (3ects)  Ba2: comes to Ghent and wants to be exempted for the ‘statistics and information course’ (5 ects)  Exemption is refused:  ≠ ECTS credits  Course UA not on the same level as UG course  Correct or not? Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Decision IAC  Not correct!  After investigating the course sheets at UA and UG the final learning outcomes were so similar that a refusal of exemption was not fair in a juridical way.  Ombuds advised the professor involved to rewrite the course sheet with special attention for the actual learning outcomes that are tested Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Case 2  Ma-student archeology is witness to a severe accident on internship site in Jordan  Doesn’t speak the language, miscommunication, cultural differences  Half a year later, the student starts to experience severe anxiety attacks  Comes to us six years after he graduated  What can we do? Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University

Case 2: what we did  Personal discussion with student  Personal discussion with UGent staff member  Complaint longer than one year ago…  Guidelines for internships abroad on how to deal with unexpected circumstances. Nathalie Depoorter - Luc Van de Poele Institutional Ombuds Office - Ghent University