VU Amsterdam has received a positive assessment in the Institutional Audit of Quality Assurance (ITK) by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO).
The independent panel of the NVAO gave a positive assessment on all four standards and expressed particular appreciation for VU Amsterdam’s educational vision A Broader Mind, the Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and the university’s strong, learning-oriented quality culture. The outcome recognises the way VU Amsterdam safeguards the quality of its education, while also providing clear encouragement to continue along the path it has chosen for its education. The recognition has been extended until 2 September 2032.
This afternoon, Rector Magnificus Jeroen Geurts received the accompanying certificate from NVAO Director René Hageman during a celebratory event. While the positive assessment was naturally an important focus of the event, the spotlight was above all on the people and educational practice behind it. Colleagues from across VU Amsterdam’s educational community shared their experiences and engaged with one another and the audience in a conversation about how we work every day to provide good education and make it even better, and about what makes education at VU Amsterdam so special.
Five strengths
As part of the Institutional Audit of Quality Assurance, an independent panel assesses the university as a whole. The central question is whether a university adequately safeguards the quality of its education and fosters a culture in which students and staff work together to continually improve it. According to the panel, VU Amsterdam meets all four standards: vision and policy, implementation, evaluation and monitoring, and development.
In its report, the panel identifies five particular strengths at VU Amsterdam. It describes the educational vision A Broader Mind as ambitious, values-driven and well aligned with the university’s identity. The ambition to provide students with a strong academic education while also supporting their personal and social development as responsible global citizens receives particular recognition. According to the panel, the vision is widely recognised and supported by students and staff. The Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) is also praised for its role in educational innovation, professional development for lecturers and connecting staff from across the university. Other notable strengths identified by the panel include the independent role of the Educational Quality Steering Committee (STOK), VU Amsterdam’s new university-wide vision on assessment, and the clear processes used throughout the university to monitor areas for improvement and improvement initiatives.
"Our ambition with A Broader Mind, our educational innovation and the strong role of our Centre for Teaching and Learning are truly being recognised"
Connecting vision and everyday practice
The connection between vision and everyday educational practice was at the heart of the celebratory event. Guided by the CTL, colleagues and students discussed concrete examples from education at VU Amsterdam: from making it clearer to students what they learn throughout their degree programme to the Mixed Classroom and the ways in which A Broader Mind takes shape in education.
This approach of learning and improving together was also noted by the ITK panel. It describes VU Amsterdam as having a strong, learning-oriented quality culture based on dialogue. The panel also supports the university’s shift ‘from compliance to trust’, with space for people to meet, share experiences and engage in conversations about good education.
“Good education is something we create together!”
Many staff and students from across the university contributed to the preparations for the institutional audit. During two site visits, the panel spoke with representatives from all parts of VU Amsterdam, from students and lecturers to programme directors, support services, representative bodies and the Executive Board.
Reflecting on the recognition, Rector Magnificus Jeroen Geurts says: “This positive assessment is something to be incredibly proud of. Of course, it is wonderful that an independent panel has expressed such confidence in the way we work together at VU Amsterdam to provide good education. But what makes this assessment particularly special to me is that the panel also recognises and values the direction in which we have been developing our education. Our ambition with A Broader Mind, our educational innovation and the strong role of our Centre for Teaching and Learning are truly being recognised. Above all, this is a compliment to all the colleagues and students who contribute to our education every single day. Good education is something we create together. The fact that the panel so clearly recognises our culture of collaboration, learning and continuous improvement makes this recognition all the more valuable.”
A positive assessment, and work still to do
The positive assessment does not mean that education at VU Amsterdam is ever ‘finished’. The panel has also made a number of recommendations to the university. These include further developing the implementation of A Broader Mind, further strengthening the position of the CTL, and continuing to focus on career development in education and students who require additional support.
For Geurts, this is precisely what quality assurance is about: “A positive assessment is certainly something to celebrate, but it is no reason to sit back afterwards. Good education is never ‘finished’. Science changes, society changes and our students change. So we must remain curious about what we can do differently and better. This ITK gives us every reason to be proud – and to continue building on what we have achieved together.”
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More information
More information about the Institutional Audit of Quality Assurance is available on this page.