Education (IN)HOLLAND

Content Structure of education in Holland Education @ INHolland Competency-based education INHolland didactic approach Work placement Social Legal Services

Structure of education Elementary school (3 – 12 yrs old) Preparatory scientific schooling (12 – 18 yrs old) General secondary education (12 – 17 yrs old) Professional secondary education (12 – 16/18 yrs old) Research University (scientific) University of Applied Sciences (professional higher education) Academic Master Professional Master Pre-master (academic) In The Netherlands we have a so-called binary system of higher education: scientific higher education (WO) offered by research universities and professional/vocational higher education (HBO) offered by universities of applied sciences. Higher education in The Netherlands is accessible to ‘graduates’ of three types of secondary education: Preparatory scientific schooling (VWO) gives direct access to both types of higher education General secondary education (HAVO) gives direct access to professional higher education Professional secondary education (MBO) level 4 gives direct access to professional higher education In addition, scientific higher education is also accessible after the foundation year of professional higher education. Graduates of professional higher education can go on to: The professional practice (not on slide) a 1-year pre-master program, giving them access to Academic Masters 1 or 2-year professional Master programs Graduates of academic higher education can go on to: Academic Master programs INHolland University is a university of applied sciences: professional higher education

Scientific v Professional Scientific higher education Academic (theoretical) 3 years Scientific research Title: Bachelor Professional higher education Practical 4 years Mandatory work placement Practical research Scientific higher education is what we call ‘academic’, meaning that the focus is more on theory than on practice Professional higher education is ‘practical’, meaning that the focus is on training for a profession (in other words: (immediate) employability) Scientific higher education lasts 3 years (with the exception of medical studies), a work placement is not part of the curriculum Professional higher education lasts 4 years, with a full year of mandatory work placement (usually divided in 1 semester work placement in the third year and 1 semester of working on a dissertation project in the professional field) Both types of higher education conduct research activities. Scientific higher education conducts scientific research and professional education conducts practical (applied) research. Research activities are relatively new to professional higher education and is complementary to the education offered. Scientific education has a long history of research and research is part of the core business. Both types of education offer undergraduate programs seemingly leading to the same degree: bachelor. However, scientific higher education leads to degrees like Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Engineering, whereas professional higher education leads to degrees like Bachelor of Economics, Bachelor of Communication, Bachelor of Finance etc., indicating the specific field of study. N.B.: dit titel verhaal is een essentieel verschil!! In het buitenland bestaat de bachelor titel die het HBO heeft vaak niet, dus dit moet je goed toelichten!

Education @ INHolland Competency-based: Based on the demands of the professional field Authentic education Competency-based education: Teaching students to employ the right combination of knowledge, skills and attitude, at the appropriate moment, to carry out professional tasks and responsibilities Based on the demands of the industry: Industry defines professional tasks that need to be performed (future) trends and developments influence knowledge, skills and attitude needed Authentic education: Mirroring the professional practice as much as possible: using real-life cases, real commissioning clients for projects, learning by doing Flexible & up-to-date with market developments: Through regular meetings with advisory boards with representatives from the industry and (guest) lecturers from the professional field, INHolland programs stay up-to-date with new developments in the field. These developments are immediately translated into courses or projects, either in the major or specialisation part of the program or in the differentiation part (see slide 10)

Why competency based? Changing demands of professional field Besides expert knowledge: Problem solving Entrepreneurship Self management Learning psychology Learning by doing / experimenting Deep learning Demands of the professional field can be summarized as ‘needing people who can DO things, independently, adequately and creatively’. (Higher) Education used to focus on KNOWING things, include ‘knowing how to do…’, but not actually teaching to do. The consequence was that graduates were not immediately employable; they needed quite a lot of on-the-job training before they were of real added value to the professional field. In today’s ever-changing and fast-paced society, graduates need to be immediately employable. INHolland track record of employability after graduation reflects this: employability within three months after graduation is almost 100%. Learning psychology: Students learn better when: There’s an association with what he already knows (deep learning); He/she understands why he/she needs to learn something (deep learning); He/she can acquire new knowledge/skills/attitudes by experimenting and understands how to use it (learning by doing/experimenting); There is a reward for the student’s efforts (credits).

Competencies at INHOLLAND Definition: A cluster of attitudes, underlying knowledge and skills necessary to perform a task in order to reach a goal. Key elements: Professional tasks; Goals that need to be achieved; Integration: of knowledge (various disciplines) of skills (various disciplines) of attitudes (situational) of knowledge, skills & attitudes (mix)

Didactic Approach Projects Lectures, workshops Study coaching Work placement Final project (practical research paper) Projects: Generally group work (joint responsibility, dividing tasks efficiently and effectively, deal with conflicts) Authentic professional problems that need to be solved Project management Structured (problem-based learning) or un-structured (self-directed) Run for several weeks Run parallel to lectures, workshops etc. (in other words not: ‘first theory, then practice’) Development of competencies (working on professional tasks in order to reach a goal, using knowledge, skills and attitudes) Guidance from project coach (process) and consultants/experts (content) Lectures, workshops: Offer the knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to perform the tasks and reach the goals in the projects Theoretical and practical Often case-based Study coaching: Individual coaching throughout the entire curriculum (4 years) ‘Professional’ coaching: Discuss progress (in study program and development of competencies) Discuss strengths and weaknesses and how to use them to advantage Define individual learning goals Work placement: 5-6 months period of full time ‘apprenticeship’ in the professional field Usually in year 3 - Work on placement assignment (generally involving practical research), individually or in small group Contribute to company’s/department’s daily work Guidance by university coach (process & content), company coach (process & content), study coach (professional development process) Final project (dissertation): 5 months period of full-time work on solving practical problem/issue in the professional field assigned by a real commissioning client individual work practical research involved theoretical justification of solution offered experience working as a ‘consultant’ ‘evidence of competence’

Work placement For students ‘Social Legal Services’: Mandatory for all students 20 weeks or 40 weeks In The Netherlands or abroad In year 3 or year 4 Competency-based

Social/legal environment Social services / legal services Bailiff agencies Refugee Council Social Housing Services Debt Counselling Immigration Offices

Requirements agencies Student should conduct work on sufficient (university) level Minimum of 10 employees Coach is sufficient educated 25% contact with clients (face to face or by phone) Competencies determine what needs to be assessed at the end and are what needs to be achieved, not subjects. Hence credits (and grades) are linked to assessments, not to subjects or courses. Subjects or courses are a ‘tool’ to achieve the competencies; they provide support to meet the assessment criteria. Hence they are defined after formulating assessment criteria and assessments/test. Assessments are not based on the content of the subjects/courses, but courses are based on the content of the assessments.

Coaching work placement Coach at INHolland Coach within the work placement organisation Products students: emphasis is on competencies and reflection Intervision

Supervision / intervision Definition of supervision/intervision: A method to develop (to learn) professional knowledge, skills and attitude by reflecting on professional experiences in the practical fieldwork

Intervision at INHolland Critical Incident Technique The identification of an incident from the student’s experience which was critical to the student A detailed description of that incident A subsequent analysis of that incident

Questions