By Joost Augusteijn and Jaap Kamphuis, Programme Chair and Programme Manager of International Studies

The NSE is an independent survey of student opinion. The results of the survey are published,  which makes it possible for prospective students (and their parents) to compare study programmes throughout the Netherlands. The results of the NSE also function as an independent source of information, telling programme boards, like International Studies’, how they are doing in your opinion. The programme boards takes the outcomes of the NSE very seriously when developing new policies.

Strong points of the BA International Studies
So what did you think of International Studies last year? Not surprisingly we did exceptionally well in internationalisation, scoring 4.33 out of 5, way above the national average of 3.3. This did not just refer to our curriculum and the make-up of the students body but also to opportunities provided to study or take up an internship abroad. Other areas we scored above the national average included ‘class size’, our small-group teaching is indeed something that sets us apart from other large programmes, ‘general skills training’, which includes attention to critical thinking, communication and debating skills, and the ‘pursuit of excellence’ which refers to, among others, being encouraged to explore the presented material deeper than strictly necessary.

Then there were a number of issues in which we were more or less on par with other programmes in the Netherlands, in which we scored between about 3.5 and a 4. The quality of exams and the workability of teaching schedules are included in this. Although not worrying, we would like to do better in the areas within this category. In response to the above, the exam committee has for instance designed a system of quality control for the exams and more stringent guidelines have been developed for teachers. Adequate and satisfying scheduling is of course a challenge when dealing with the large growth in the number of students from many different programmes and faculties, but we have now centralised scheduling to try to improve the system.

Points that need extra attention
On most of the NSE criteria we improved or we witnessed a marginal drop in score, but there was one specific issue in which your appreciation dropped more than 0.15 point, which concerned the availability of study spaces. This was of course a result of the extreme growth in the number of students at some of the other programmes based in Wijnhaven last year. Action was taken here immediately. The university has opened up unused classrooms for self-study, more study spaces were created in Wijnhaven and you can now see where space is available through an app. Of course the Beehive was opened as well. This might still not satisfy demand, so In the long run the university is looking at ways to create more study spaces.

Challenges &  how we deal with them
There were three issues that worried us more; where we scored between 3 and 3.5: the availability of information, the quality of evaluation and to what extent students feel prepared for their internships by the programme. To improve the first point, the availability of information, we have created the This is International Studies website with ‘nice to know’ information, next to our regular programmes’ student website with ‘need to know’ information. We very much hope you have noticed that. The new website also provides the possibility for you to share your point of view through a blog.  

The second issue, the NSE outcome on the quality of evaluation, may reflect the fact that most students are unaware of the way course evaluations help shape our teaching, but these are indeed very important and influential in what we do.  The quality of evaluation, is taken on by giving students the opportunity to voice their opinion on the matter through course evaluations. These course evaluations not only help us to shape our teaching, but are also very important in improving evaluation quality.   

Also, The Education Committee, which includes equal numbers of students and staff, does check all course evaluations. The committee addresses issues arising from that. It also advises the Programme Board on all policy issues, and has a veto power on important issues. They publish their minutes online. A recent accomplishment of the Committee, on advice of its student members, is that it has moved the Programme Board to change the policy on allocation of places in thesis seminars and thematic seminars, to ensure everyone gets a place in one of their top-choice seminars. It seems to us that a part of the dissatisfaction in the area of receiving feedback on your input is also a consequence of a lack of communication in this regard on our part. We intent to try and remedy this, among others through this article.

Internship and labour market preparation
The last point of concern among you, being unprepared for an internship, ties in directly with the only point in which you rate the programme below 3, which deals with general preparation for the labour market. Of course, this is a complicated issue to pay specific attention to in a broad based bachelor programme dealing with global issues and preparing students for a wide array of workplaces and MA programmes. It is therefore an issue difficult to address to your satisfaction. One of the ways we tried this, unique to an academic bachelor programme, was to set up PRINS, a course which allows all of you to show how what you have learned can be useful for organisations you may actually work for in the future. Although as shown in the Alumni Dreams our graduates are successful, this is clearly not enough to provide you with the feeling that we prepare you for your future. We have therefore taken a number of additional initiatives.

To start with, next year PRINS will be given a more important place in our curriculum by increasing the ECTS of the course, allowing for a stronger emphasis on labour market preparation. The Programme Board has also invested in its internship programme, which is an option for all students.
Up to last year, about 50 students took up an internship, in the Netherlands but often abroad. We are now aiming to double that number. To facilitate both these initiatives we hired an additional lecturer to coordinate PRINS and internships. Our Programme Manager has also started a working group, which includes student focus groups, to see how we can better address this concern. The outcome of that will feed back into our future policies.

Your opinion counts!
Hopefully this short expose has shown you how your opinions and concerns help shape our policies. We therefore would very much like it if you would fill out the NSE and take the opportunity to let us know where we can improve, but also where we are doing well. After all, that informs the way outsiders look at the quality of your programme and shapes the choices of our future students.