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VU Connects

VU Connects is a platform that connects courses at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam to organizations in society, aiming to engage students in real-world challenges.

At VU Amsterdam, teachers across all faculties actively embrace a form of Engaged Learning, a pedagogy that involves students and teachers working alongside external partners, including CSOs, government bodies, businesses, and local communities. This approach, known by many names such as Community Service Learning, Stakeholder Engaged Learning or Transdisciplinary Education, focuses on experiential education to address real-world societal challenges.

Many of us recognize the importance of breaking free from the confines of the university and venturing beyond its boundaries. Yet, establishing and nurturing partnerships demands substantial time and effort from faculty members. Our vision is to foster collaboration among educators sharing similar values, providing them with the tools and assistance necessary to seamlessly integrate this impactful educational approach into their courses and pursuits. 

That's why we launched this initiative and are running a pilot in 2024 to identify the needs of lecturers and societal partners and determine what support they require. Feedback and suggestions are more than welcome.

VU Connects matching platform

Submit your course or get more information

Click here to visit the platform!
Engaged Learning Community Teams

This Teams page is meant to share resources and events, facilitate discussions, and answer questions. 

Click here to join us!

Competencies for Transformation

The Athena Institute offers university-wide courses where students from various backgrounds collaborate to address complex societal issues. Classes are hands-on, discussion-based, and closely connected with communities, enabling students to work with societal partners and researchers to propose solutions. However, valuing diverse perspectives remains challenging, highlighting the importance of learning from local communities and professionals. 

Click here to watch the full video

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Visit the website for more information on the matching platform

Visit vu-connects.nl

VU Connects Matching Platform

We are currently launching a matching platform for all teachers and staff members who collaborate with societal partners. This platform will undergo a pilot phase throughout the entirety of 2024. Teachers can register their courses on this platform, and societal organizations can reach out to them, and vice versa. Our aim is to facilitate the implementation of an Engaged Learning approach and simplify the process of finding stakeholders for collaboration. We know from experience that this is no easy task, and most importantly, it can be time-consuming.

To facilitate this, VU Connects is collaborating with Master Challenge, a tool developed by experienced university lecturers. To engage with societal partners and showcase your course, you can register on the platform by clicking here. Would you like to see how it works first, or do you need help filling out the form? Schedule a demo with Bram Kuijken of Master Challenge by clicking on the 'schedule a demo' button on our webpage.

dr. Neil Thompson's experience with the Master Challenge platform

The video features students, academics, and industry representatives discussing Activation Education, a form of  engaged education, along with social entrepreneurship and the Master Challenge platform. It highlights the platform's role in facilitating real-world case studies, the benefits of student participation, and how it streamlines case recruitment, making practical learning more engaging and relevant to classroom theory.

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Engaged Learning tools at the VU

  • Matching Platform

    VU Connects collaborates with Master Challenge, a matching tool developed by experienced university lecturers, facilitating the discovery of societal partners to collaborate with in your courses. To showcase your course and connect with societal partners, register on the platform by clicking here.

  • Workshops

    Community Service Learning course design workshop

    In this course design workshop, VU lecturers will be inspired and supported in integrating Community Service Learning (CSL) into their education. With the help of the Broader mind CSL team, you will (re)design CSL activities that align with your course's learning goals.

  • Stakeholder Engagement Toolbox

    Would you like more information and tools to incorporate this form of education into your courses? This toolbox offers support, guiding you from the orientation phase to matching your course with a societal challenge, designing course activities, and facilitating reflective practices.

  • For students

    Courses

    Make impact and address real-world challenges, while developing crucial skills for your future career. Add an iCSL course to your Master's programme and embark on a transformative journey. Together with a diverse group of students from various academic backgrounds, you will explore the complexities of urban transitions from multiple angles. See the course guide for more information on iCSL1 and iCSL2. 

    Internships

    At VU, there is a wide variety of internships available that connect students to society. Would you like to address a societal issue during your thesis or internship project? Contact us for the possibilities, and perhaps we can connect you to the right people. Our contact information is at the bottom of this page.

Funding

  • Funding

    This pilot was funded with the help of the CSL-Broadermind team, allowing us to support the platform throughout 2024. After this period, we will evaluate the platform's value for lecturers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and decide on the best path forward once the pilot concludes. The feedback from teachers and societal partners is very valuable to us to ensure we meet your needs and continuously improve the platform. Feel free to contact us with any suggestions.

Get in touch!

Let's explore the possibilities together

vuconnects@vu.nl

Contact