Chamber is still hesitating about flexible higher education
Fast and flexible higher education courses? Only the VVD is enthusiastic about a bill that should ensure this. Other parties are benevolent, but still have question marks. Also the AOb sees a lot of snags with this law.
Image: Martijn Beekman / National government
Why should you take all the courses in a course if you have already acquired certain knowledge and skills? In recent years, universities of applied sciences have conducted an experiment with 'learning outcomes' in part-time education.
In the experiment, students were in principle allowed to find out for themselves how they achieved the final level (the 'learning outcomes'). Sometimes a few subjects or practicals were compulsory, but otherwise the pace and route were not fixed: as long as they reached the end point. Minister Dijkgraaf now wants to include the possibility of such flexible part-time courses in the law.
Questions
In a written round of questions from the House of Representatives, the government party VVD in particular shows 'interest and enthusiasm'. Other parts sound a little cooler. They have read the bill 'with interest'. Nobody seems strongly opposed, although opposition party SP has 'some concerns'.
Full-time courses
In its enthusiasm, the VVD mainly wants to know why the minister does not go a little further. Why can't HBO full-time programs work with learning outcomes in the same way? Shouldn't the final level of full-time and part-time courses be the same?
PvdA, SP and ChristenUnie, on the other hand, want to hear from the government that full-time courses are not eligible for working with learning outcomes. 'Students aged 17 or 18 usually still have insufficient insight into what the training entails in practice', says the PvdA, for example. These young people do not have a serious job next to their studies, so learning in professional practice is not an option.
Community
GroenLinks also has hesitations. Flexibility in education can be good for retraining workers, but what are the effects on the educational community? The party would like to investigate that before the system kicks in.
Flexibility in education can be good for retraining workers, but what are the effects on the educational community
Also, isn't the government moving too fast? The experiment was not over yet, notes the ChristenUnie. It ran until June of this year. The bill is therefore based on an interim evaluation. Why not do a real final evaluation? There is reason to do so, because 18 percent of the participants in the experiment would not recommend it to others. “Can the government respond to the relatively high dissatisfaction among participating students?” asks the ChristenUnie.
The bill is based on an interim evaluation. Why not do a real final evaluation?
The SP's criticism is even more fundamental. The party is afraid that the structure and coherence of the curriculum will be jeopardized by flexible training courses.
Added to this is the vague determination of the final level. Because what is a learning outcome? Examinations committees of study programs have to look into this and they will therefore be given an “unbelievably heavy task”, according to the PvdA, with all the associated risks. Large differences can arise and is that desirable?
Also the AOb sees many snags in the law. In a letter to the House of Representatives writes AOb- director Douwe van der Zweep that not enough is known about the consequences for the quality of education. The AOb is against the application of 'learning outcomes' in full-time courses, precisely because group formation and the socializing function of education are important for young students and they often have no idea what the course or practice entails. Lecturers are also less able to guide students if they do not follow a fixed learning route.
The union sees opportunities for dual and part-time courses, but at the moment mainly risks. It is still too premature, also because a final evaluation has not yet been made. And the opinion of the teachers should also be taken into account in the final evaluation, according to the AOb.
Universities
Incidentally, the minister also wants to make such flexible education possible in university education in one go, but there does not seem to be a majority in favor of this. Even the VVD questions this. AObdirector Van der Zweep calls the application at universities 'premature'.
The universities did not participate in the experiment, the parties say. At the very least, you should first conduct a new experiment in university education before anchoring such flexible university courses in the law, the CDA believes. The learning outcomes of vocational education and university education are also quite different. If all goes well, the universities will interweave research and education: how do you capture that in flexible routes?
The minister has yet to answer the questions. Only then will there be a plenary debate.
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