Education agenda: guide for improvement

Education agenda 2023-2028

• What do we want to achieve in the coming years?

  With the Education Agenda 2023-2028, we are working towards:

  • 1. Strengthening and renewing our educational profile and portfolio
    The bachelor's, master's and education for professionals portfolio at VU is designed to create an (internationally) attractive and responsive offering that is in line with VU's educational vision and research spearheads and offers students optimal opportunities to develop their talent.
  • 2. Increase student success and student welfare
    The education is designed to create a climate for student welfare and student success, in which talents can develop and progress optimally, receive proper guidance and enter the labour market excellently prepared and resilient.
  • 3. Strengthen teacher development and teacher welfare
    There is a VU-wide shared and supported ambitious culture in which teachers are further professionalised and provide challenging teaching, there is a strong, self-evident perception of a positive teaching and quality culture, and a close-knit teaching community in which teachers and teaching support staff are recognised and valued, experience less workload and more job satisfaction.
  • 4. Optimising educational facilities and integral support
    There is high-quality student and educational support that matches the ambitions from the strategy and educational vision and users' needs, where education and available spaces are optimally aligned, that is organisable and affordable, and is continuously improved.

  This multi-year Education Agenda will be updated every year based on progress, results and progressive insights. For 2024, the Education Agenda 2023-2028 is elaborated in the document Education Agenda VU Edition 2025 (available in Dutch).

• What has already been achieved?

  Over the past five years (2019-2024), VU has been working on various education themes to improve the quality of education. The Education Quality Plan drawn up by VU, which is in line with VU's educational vision, served as the main guideline. Curious about the themes and projects? Click here and get inspired.

  Within VU, we have been working with an Education Agenda since 2013. With the Education Agenda 2023-2028 (available in Dutch), we are building on that of the past years. The choices we make are based on a continuation of our previous ambitions. The emphasis in recent years has shifted from performing (2013-2018) to lasting change (2018-2023). In the coming years, we will continue to work on an innovative mindset (2023-2028). The previous Education Agendas led to some great results, which continued in the period from 2023 onwards.

  • Learning university
    The Institutional Audit of Quality Assurance (ITK in Dutch) examines the institution's internal quality assurance. The Education Agenda provided a strong focus on improving the quality assurance of our education and strengthening our quality culture. VU passed the first ITK in 2016 and again in 2020. The audit committee at the first ITK complimented VU for what it managed to achieve and called VU a "learning university".
  • Students' appreciation of their education
    The Education Agenda has worked hard to improve student satisfaction, visible in the National Student Survey (NSE in Dutch). In 2024, the NSE score 'student assessment of education in general' was 3.9 (on a scale of 0 to 5). This puts the VU in a shared^4th place of the broad universities. The highest ratings are given to engagement and contact, teachers to the programme and content. As in previous years, students indicate that they would choose their programme again based on their experiences (3.93 out of 5). This shows that students are satisfied with their study programme at VU.
  • Professionalisation wave teachers
    There has been a significant increase in the number of teachers with a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) in recent years; now 84% (2024) of our teachers have a UTQ. The number of those certified with a Senior Qualification in Education (STQ) and an Educational Leadership Course has also risen sharply.
  • Bachelor and master education in full renewal
    Following the Corona measures, a strong inpulse has been given to Activating and Blended Education and educational renewal. We will continue this in the coming years.
  • Stronger focus on teaching
    By investing in teaching innovation, student success, teacher professionalisation and facility innovation via a multi-year planning in the Education Agenda, the quality of education has improved VU-wide. The establishment of the Centre for Teaching and Learning in 2024, the strengthening of the position of education portfolio holders as well as programme directors in the Board Regulations, the development and implementation of the Education Framework (available in Dutch) and participation in the Teaching Culture Survey in 2019, 2022 and 2025 indicate that the space and appreciation for teaching have increased.

• Educational organisation

  The organisational and decision-making structure is described in VU's governance model. This shows in clear terms how tasks, responsibilities and powers are distributed, how decision-making takes place and how goals are achieved.

  Education consultations

  VU has the following VU-wide education consultations:

  Education Portfolio Holders Consultation (OPO in Dutch)
  At university level, strategic consultations on education take place in the Education Portfolio Holders Consultation (OPO). This involves a non-binding coordination between education portfolio holders from the faculty boards regarding the management of education and the realisation of the education agenda. The OPO gives solicited and unsolicited advice to the Executive Board and is mandated by the board to decide on the implementation of the education agenda. The OPO sets out broad outlines, after which faculties and departments advise on their feasibility.

  Education Quality Steering Group (STOK in Dutch)
  The Education Quality Steering Group (STOK) advises the Executive Board, particularly the rector, on teaching quality and quality assurance and on the quality of applications for new programmes. The steering committee also advises on the system of educational quality assurance and occasionally advises (solicited and unsolicited) on all other matters relating to educational quality. Members are appointed on the basis of expertise and emphatically do not function as faculty representatives.

  Heads of Education Support (HO in Dutch)
  This consultation advises, preferably prior to decision-making, on the consequences of proposed policy decisions for operational management to the OPO and the directors of operational management. This involves faculty-transcending or uniform education and student support processes and projects and the setting up of the associated organisation.

  Internal Quality Assurance Soundboard Group (KIK in Dutch)
  The Soundboard Group consists of education and quality assurance policy officers from the various faculties. Through them, faculties are informed about national or VU-wide education policy. The members are also asked for advice. In addition, this is the place where faculties exchange their (good) practices.

  For more information about VU-wide education consultations, click here (login required, page only available in Dutch).