Scheikunde OW Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam

Transcription

1 Scheikunde OW 2012 Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University Amsterdam

2 Quality Assurance Netherlands Universities (QANU) Catharijnesingel 56 PO Box RA Utrecht The Netherlands Phone: +31 (0) Telefax: +31 (0) Internet: Project number: Q QANU Text and numerical material from this publication may be reproduced in print, by photocopying or by any other means with the permission of QANU if the source is mentioned. 2 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

3 CONTENTS Report on the master s programme Biomolecular Sciences of VU University Amsterdam...5 Administrative data regarding the programmes...5 Administrative data regarding the institution...5 Quantitative data regarding the programmes...5 Composition of the assessment committee...5 Working method of the assessment committee...6 Summary judgement...8 Description of the standards from the Assessment framework for limited programme assessments...10 Appendices Appendix 1: Curricula Vitae of the members of the assessment committee...29 Appendix 2: Domain-specific framework of reference...31 Appendix 3: Intended learning outcomes...37 Appendix 4: Overview of the curricula...47 Appendix 5: Quantitative data regarding the programmes...49 Appendix 6: Programme of the site visit...53 Appendix 7: Theses and documents studied by the committee...55 Appendix 8: Declarations of independence...57 This report was finalized on 22 October QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 3

4 4 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

5 Report on the master s programme Biomolecular Sciences of VU University Amsterdam This report takes the NVAO s Assessment framework for limited programme assessments as a starting point. Administrative data regarding the programme Master s programme Biomolecular Sciences Name of the programme: Biomolecular Sciences CROHO number: Level of the programme: master's Orientation of the programme: academic Number of credits: 120 EC Specializations or tracks: Biological Chemistry, Biological Physics, Molecular Cell Biology Location(s): Amsterdam Mode(s) of study: full time Expiration of accreditation: The visit of the assessment committee Scheikunde OW 2012 to the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences of VU University Amsterdam took place on 30 May Administrative data regarding the institution Name of the institution: Status of the institution: Result institutional quality assurance assessment: VU University Amsterdam publicly funded institution applied (pending) Quantitative data regarding the programmes The required quantitative data regarding the programmes are included in Appendix 5. Composition of the assessment committee The committee that assessed the master s programme Biomolecular Sciences consisted of: Prof. E. Schacht, Honorary full Professor Organic Chemistry, Ghent University, Belgium; Prof. P. Geerlings, Professor Chemistry and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Bioengineering, Free University Brussels, Belgium; Dr. G. van Lommen, Senior Director Medicinal Chemistry, Galapagos, Belgium; Prof J.A. van Bokhoven, Associate Professor of Heterogeneous Catalysis, ETH Zurich, Switzerland; QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 5

6 Maja Medic BSc, Master Student Life Science and Technology, Leiden University. The committee was supported by Dr F. Meijer, who acted as secretary. Appendix 1 contains the Curricula Vitae of the members of the committee. Working method of the assessment committee Preparation The assessment of the master s programme in Biomolecular Sciences of VU University Amsterdam is part of a cluster assessment of 33 chemistry degree programmes offered by ten universities. The entire cluster committee consists of twelve members. On behalf of QANU, Dr B.M. van Balen acted as cluster coordinator. The kick off meeting for the cluster assessment was scheduled on 22 March During this meeting the committee members received an introduction into the assessment framework and evaluation procedures and the committee agreed upon its general working method. For each visit a sub committee was composed that ensured the necessary expertise to evaluate the programme. Furthermore the domain specific requirements and the most recent developments concerning the Chemistry domain were discussed. These domain specific requirements and the actual context form the starting point for the evaluation of the quality of the degree programmes. The committee chair and the coordinator ensured the consistency in evaluation in the cluster project. In preparation of the assessment of the programme a self-assessment report was prepared by the programme management. This report was sent to QANU and, after a check by the secretary of the committee to ensure that the information provided was complete, forwarded to the committee members. The committee prepared the site visit by studying the selfassessment report and a number of Master s theses. The secretary of the committee selected fifteen theses randomly and stratified out of a list of all graduates of the last two years per programme. The following stratification is used: five theses for each degree programme with low grades (6-6,5), five theses with middle ranged grades (7-8) and five theses with high grades. QANU asked the programmes to send the theses including the assessment by the supervisor and examinator and divided them among the sub committee members, each committee member therefore assessed three theses per programme. When a thesis was assessed as questionable or unsatisfactory by a committee member, a reassessment was done by another committee member. In the case that more than 10% of the theses were assessed as questionable or unsatisfactory by two committee members the selection of theses for the programme was extended to 25. Site visit The committee members formulated questions raised by studying the self-assessment report in advance. These questions were circulated in the committee. The committee visited the programme on 30 May The programme of the site visit was drawn up by the committee s secretary in consultation with the programme management and the chair of the committee. The committee interviewed, next to students, teachers and 6 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

7 alumni, the programme management and representatives of the Faculty Board, the Board of Examiners and the student and teacher members of the Programme Committee. An open office hour was scheduled and announced (but not used). During the site visit the committee studied additional material made available by the programme management. Appendix 7 gives a complete overview of all documents available during the site visit. The last hours of the site visit were used by the committee to establish the assessments of the programme and to prepare the presentation of the findings of the committee to the representatives of the programme. Report The secretary wrote a draft report on the basis of the findings of the committee. The draft report has been amended and detailed by the committee members. After approval of the draft report by the committee it was sent to the Department for a check on facts. The comments by the Department were discussed in the committee, this discussion resulted in some changes in the report, and subsequently the committee established the final report. The assessment was performed according to the NVAO (Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders) framework for limited programme assessment (as of 20 November In this framework a four-point scale is prescribed for both the general assessment and assessment of each of the three standards. The committee used the following definitions for the assessment of both the standards and the programme as a whole: Decision rules In accordance with the NVAO s Assessment framework for limited programme assessments (as of 22 November 2011), the committee used the following definitions for the assessment of both the standards and the programme as a whole. Generic quality The quality that can reasonably be expected in an international perspective from a higher education bachelor s or master s programme. Unsatisfactory The programme does not meet the current generic quality standards and shows serious shortcomings in several areas. Satisfactory The programme meets the current generic quality standards and shows an acceptable level across its entire spectrum. Good The programme systematically surpasses the current generic quality standards across its entire spectrum. Excellent The programme systematically well surpasses the current generic quality standards across its entire spectrum and is regarded as an (inter)national example. QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 7

8 Summary judgement Intended learning outcomes The master s programme in Biomolecular Sciences aims to prepare students for a researchoriented career within the rapidly changing, expanding and highly multidisciplinary field of the Life Sciences, which is situated at the crossroads of biology, chemistry, physics and computational sciences. This broad scope is clearly reflected in the twelve intended learning outcomes that describe the content, level and orientation of the programme. Upon graduation, students should have knowledge of the different disciplines that make up the biomolecular domain, and at the same time be able to independently execute research at the interface of biophysics, biochemistry and cell biology. According to the committee, the learning outcomes rightfully underline the importance of combining a firm base of general academic and domain specific knowledge with practical lab skills and command of advanced research techniques. Also, the committee has established that the learning outcomes have been formulated in accordance with national and international frameworks. Teaching learning environment The curriculum is meant to reflect the broad scope of the programme in BMS. It starts from a broad communal basis and then works towards specialization with a choice of two (previously three) tracks and different elective courses. The final level of specialization is achieved within two placements, in which students carry out their own research project. According to the committee, the current curriculum does not enable all students to achieve the intended learning outcomes specified in Standard 1. A first observation is that the heterogeneity of the student population seems insufficiently recognized and mitigated within the curriculum. Currently, its foundation (ie. the specialist courses that focus on domainspecific content) is too weak to systematically deal with deficiencies. This means that repairs have to be made during the two student placements, which mostly take place outside of the VU-research groups. This practice gives rise to a second concern, namely that the programme because of its limited resources relies too heavily on external lecturers and external placement supervisors. Although the committee feels that the teaching learning environment currently does not enable all students to achieve the intended learning outcomes, it generally feels that there are a few straightforward solutions which could efficiently remediate the most urgent problems. Most importantly, the programme management should consider abolishing one of the placements, thus freeing up 30 EC that can be used for in-depth courses. Secondly, there has to be more control on the influx of students. A diverse student population may have upsides, but it has apparent downsides too. Within its admission policies, the programme management could be a lot more ambitious than it currently is. Simultaneously, it should seriously consider implementing a personalized premaster programme for those students who have substantial deficiencies because of a dissimilar Bachelor-background. Even though the committee feels that the teaching-learning environment is currently inadequate, it is not at all pessimistic about the future of the BMS programme. The reaction of management to suggestions of the committee gives an indication that the above-mentioned recommendations could be implemented within the next year. Assessment and achieved learning outcomes After studying the current system of assessment, the committee concludes that this leaves much room for improvement. Although the programme has adopted an appropriate mix of assessment methods and there is a Faculty-wide committee that checks up on the quality of examinations, the committee is not pleased to find that external lecturers and supervisors play 8 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

9 a large role in the current assessment system. Especially the widespread practice of external placements potentially comes at the expense of a fair and uniform system of assessment, since external supervisors at hosting institutions may not all apply the same quality standards. To assess whether students achieve the intended learning outcomes, the committee has studied a sample of examinations and placement reports. In conclusion, it states that it is not particularly impressed with the exam questions, which reveal an emphasis on breadth rather than depth. With reference to the sample of placement reports, the committee concludes that the general level may at first glance seem satisfactory, but the particular set-up of the placement- and assessment procedures offers too little guarantee that all students achieve the intended learning outcomes. While the committee feels that the requirements for a positive assessment of Standard 3, and therefore of the programme as a whole, were not met at the time of the site visit, it is by no means pessimistic on the potential for change. The committee was confirmed in its conviction by the announcement of new Faculty regulations on student placements that became effective as of 1 September Under these regulations the internal supervisor at all times carries the final responsibility for supervision and assessment, while the role of the external supervisor has become much more informal. The committee is pleased by this substantial improvement and therefore has good hopes that the programme will meet the accreditation requirements within a year. Master s programme Biomolecular Sciences: Standard 1: Intended learning outcomes Standard 2: Teaching-learning environment Standard 3: Assessment and achieved learning outcome General conclusion satisfactory unsatisfactory unsatisfactory unsatisfactory The chair and the secretary of the committee hereby declare that all members of the committee have studied this report and that they agree with the judgements laid down in the report. They confirm that the assessment has been conducted in accordance with the demands relating to independence. Date: 22 October 2012 Prof. E. Schacht Dr. F. Meijer QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 9

10 Description of the standards from the Assessment framework for limited programme assessments Standard 1: Intended learning outcomes The intended learning outcomes of the programme have been concretised with regard to content, level and orientation; they meet international requirements. Explanation: As for level and orientation (bachelor s or master s; professional or academic), the intended learning outcomes fit into the Dutch qualifications framework. In addition, they tie in with the international perspective of the requirements currently set by the professional field and the discipline with regard to the contents of the programme. Findings Domain and organizational setting Originally a specialization of the master s programme in Biomedical Sciences, the programme in Biomolecular Sciences (BMS) was established as a full-fledged, two year master s programme in The self-evaluation report describes this development as a consequence of a growing demand for knowledge of biological systems at the molecular level. Modern society faces an ever-increasing variety of challenges, ranging from understanding and treating age related disorders to environmental issues, antibiotic resistance and the dangers immanent to industrialized food production. The Biomolecular Sciences can, according to the selfevaluation report, provide the thorough understanding of the underlying cellular processes that is prerequisite to any successful and safe intervention. The Biomolecular Sciences are therefore a rapidly developing discipline within the Life Sciences. Multidisciplinarity is pivotal within the programme. Biomolecular Sciences stand at the crossroads of biology, chemistry, physics and computational sciences. This is reflected by the position of the programme within the organizational setting of the VU University. In order to cover an even larger part of the molecular processes occurring in healthy as well as in malfunctioning cells and to be able to substantially extend the covered methodology, the department that is responsible for the BMS programme (Molecular Cell Biology, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences) has recently joined forces with two departments of the Faculty of Sciences, i.e. the department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the department of Physics and Astronomy. Because of this partnership, as of 2009/2010, BMS students were given a choice between three specializations: the founding specialization of Cell Biology and the new specializations of Biological Chemistry and Biological Physics. The self-evaluation report also notes a partnership with the Master programme Drug Discovery and Safety (DDS). In order to offer students of both programmes a glance across the borders of adjacent domains, both programmes have partly been synchronized. Mission According to the self-evaluation report, the programme intends to prepare students with bachelor s degrees ranging from the various disciplines of Biology to those of Chemistry and Physics for a research-oriented career at the interface of these disciplines. Upon graduation, students are expected to be able to successfully commence PhD training in one of the molecular disciplines. They should thoroughly understand the scientific process at large and dispose of the necessary research skills. The programme therefore aims to strengthen and deepen domain specific knowledge acquired in Bachelor programmes and to provide students 10 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

11 with a broad and interdisciplinary knowledge of various approaches and techniques. In addition, it endeavors to equip students with the skills and attitudes necessary for gaining insights into the societal impact of this kind of research. The self-evaluation report mentions some examples of how BMS can contribute to new, multidisciplinary research approaches. For instance, one BMS-student who studied soil bacterial communities during her internship was later hired by the VU-UvA Faculty of Dentistry (ACTA) to do PhD research on fungal species in the human mouth. Another student transposed molecular methods devised by forensic science to be able to deal with miniscule amounts of material to medical diagnosis. Thereby he proved successful in significantly decreasing the necessary sample size. During the site visit, the committee learned that students especially value the broad knowledge of concepts and techniques provided by the programme, the possibility to work in a wide application field and the offered preparation for a research-oriented career. When asked why they chose Biomolecular over Biomedical Sciences, students indicated that they consider the latter too medical. Their own interests lie more in the field of Biology and Chemistry and they rather regard themselves as bio-technologists or bio-chemists. However, this does not mean that students typically choose a non-medical specialisation. As stated in the self-evaluation report, the vast majority of students specialize in Health and Life -related research during their internships, literature study and topic of PhD-research. Intended learning outcomes The table in Appendix 3 presents an overview of the intended learning outcomes of the master s programme. In the self-evaluation report it is argued that, although the programme in BMS is located at the edge of the domain of Chemistry, it still fits well within the domain specific framework drawn up by the Kamer Scheikunde of the VSNU. The intended learning outcomes of the programme have therefore been designed to match the intended learning outcomes for all master programmes in Chemistry and related molecular programmes drawn up by the regiecommissie VSNU Kamer Scheikunde (cf. Appendix 2). This framework has been discussed with employers associations and the international field (ETH Zurich). As borders between the different tracks of the programme (i.e. Biological Chemistry, Biological Physics and Molecular Cell Biology) are soft, the programme management has chosen to specify just one set of intended learning outcomes for all three tracks. It has phrased the following twelve intended learning outcomes: Graduates are intended to: 1. Have knowledge on terminology, state-of-the-art theory and research topics in the biomolecular disciplines (biophysics, biochemistry, cell biology); 2. Possess familiarity with general and specific scientific literature and to know how to analyze, summarize and critically evaluate this information; 3. Have the ability to use the principles from the different disciplines in the design of research plans, the execution of research, and the analysis of the results; 4. Have command of the relevant research techniques and laboratory procedures, including safety procedures and the ability to solve emerging problems; 5. Have command of the use of computer software relevant for the field; 6. Be able to communicate experimental results in a lab journal, written report and oral presentation; QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 11

12 7. Be able to analyze and evaluate planning, execution and results of research independently and critically; 8. Be able to collaborate with researchers from the same and other disciplines and to think multidisciplinary; 9. Be able to contribute to scientific discussions about plans, results and consequences of research; 10. Have insight in the scientific and social relevance of current research in biomolecular sciences and be able to apply scientific knowledge on issues in society; 11. Be able to reflect on ethical aspects of research and applications of research; 12. Be able to evaluate his or her own functioning, both by reflection and in discussions with others. The committee notes that this set of intended learning outcomes refers both to general academic and to domain specific abilities and knowledge. Also, it distinguishes between theory and application. Students should not only have knowledge of the different disciplines that make up the biomolecular domain, but also be able to independently execute research at the interface of biophysics, biochemistry and cell biology. The proposed set of intended learning outcomes clearly reflects the broad, multidisciplinary scope of the programme. Furthermore, by relating the intended learning outcomes to the Dublin descriptors (cf. Appendix 2), the programme management has made sure that the programme meets the international demands for a programme at master s level. Considerations The committee notes that the master s programme in Biomolecular Sciences is situated within the rapidly changing, expanding and highly multidisciplinary field of the Life Sciences. Because of its position at the intersection of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, the programme in BMS is at the forefront of scientific developments. This image of BMS as an innovative, energizing and socially relevant programme seems broadly supported by both staff and students. During the site visit, the latter clearly indicated that they have chosen the programme mainly because of its broad interdisciplinary scope and anticipated career opportunities within the Life Sciences. In the opinion of the committee, the extremely broad scope of the programme also has a somewhat problematic side-effect. Undeniably, a two-year master programme provides only limited time to acquire specialist knowledge, particularly when students have to familiarize themselves with multiple disciplines that may not have been part of their Bachelor-studies. The committee wishes to stress that multidisciplinarity should never be accepted as an excuse for too little depth. Especially within a research oriented master programme, i.e. a programme that explicitly prepares students for PhD research, it is highly important that students gain a solid knowledge base. After all, the students of today will one day have to lead research groups and train the next generation. The committee expresses its concern that within the current master programme this is not sufficiently acknowledged. After studying the intended learning outcomes, the committee has established that these provide a solid foundation for the programme to build on. They rightfully underline the importance of combining a firm base of general academic and domain specific knowledge with practical lab skills and command of advanced research techniques. Also, the learning outcomes were drawn up in the appropriate form. They have been concretized with regard to content, level and orientation and are clearly related to and derived from the domain-specific framework and the aim of the programme. Finally, they correspond to the Dublin descriptors for the master s level, which ensures that the programme meets the international demands. 12 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

13 Conclusion Master s programme Biomolecular Sciences: the committee assesses Standard 1 as satisfactory. QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 13

14 Standard 2: Teaching-learning environment The curriculum, staff and programme-specific services and facilities enable the incoming students to achieve the intended learning outcomes. Explanation: The contents and structure of the curriculum enable the students admitted to achieve the intended learning outcomes. The quality of the staff and of the programme-specific services and facilities is essential to that end. Curriculum, staff, services and facilities constitute a coherent teaching-learning environment for the students. Findings Curriculum As was mentioned in the previous chapter, as of the programme in BMS contained three specialization tracks, i.e. Molecular Cell Biology, Biological Chemistry and Biological Physics During the site visit, the committee learned that the last track has recently been abolished, mainly due to a lack of student interest. Students are now more or less equally distributed over the two remaining tracks. As a rule, students pick a specialization early on. Within the first four months of their studies, they are urged to discuss their study plan with the master s coordinator. The structure of the programme is approximately the same for both tracks. Roughly, the two-year curriculum of the BMS-programme consists of two building blocks: a theoretical block that contains both compulsory and elective courses (54 EC) and a practical block that comprises two internships (66 EC). A schematic overview of the curriculum, as well as a year schedule for all three specialisation tracks, can be found in Appendix 4. A detailed overview of the contribution of individual courses to the achievement of the intended learning outcomes is included in Appendix 3. The paragraph below provides a short outline of the various modules of the curriculum. 1. Portal courses (12 EC) Regardless of the specialization that students pick, the first period of the first year of the curriculum always starts with two compulsory portal courses: Protein Science and Genomes & Gene Expression (6 EC each). These are designed to level the playing field, i.e. to establish a common knowledge base for all students, who come from distinctly different backgrounds. Representatives of the field have a large share in the effectuation of these courses. 2. Limited optional courses (12 EC) In the second period of the first year, students take their first specialization course. Out of a total of two possible courses, they pick one course of 6 EC. These courses are still mostly theoretical and are designed to deepen student s knowledge and understanding. According to the self-evaluation report, emphasis is placed on the use of reviews as well as primary scientific literature for assignments, presentations and discussions. The topics of these courses (Cell structures & function, Drug-induced stress and signalling, Physical Biology of the Cell) are driven by the research areas and expertise of the research groups affiliated to BMS. During the third and fourth period, students enrol in a minimum of two (out of three) technical modules (3 EC each, 6 EC total). These modules are designed to apply knowledge and understanding, i.e. to help students acquire specific techniques and to 14 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

15 teach them how to practically tackle specific problems. Topics are typically chosen from actual research issues encountered in the various participating groups. 3. Academic core courses and thesis (9 + 9 EC) The academic core of the curriculum consists of courses in Ethics (3 EC), either History (3 EC) or Business &Innovation (3 EC) and Scientific Writing in English (3 EC). These core courses are spread out over the entire two-year curriculum. The obligatory literature study commonly known as the thesis can also be considered part of the academic core of the programme. Writing a thesis (on a subject other than their placement subject) teaches students to use, analyze and assess scientific publications. 4. Optional courses (12 EC) The second year of the programme starts with two optional courses of 6 EC each. Students can select either extra Biomolecular Sciences courses or technical modules from one of the other specializations, or courses from another programme, university or institution. Alternatively, students can select only one optional course and extend one of their internships with 6 EC. To do so, they need permission of the Board of Examiners. 5. Internships (66 EC) During the master s programme, students complete two internships or placements, of 30 EC and 36 EC. Together, these internships and the thesis take up a large part of the programme. According to the programme management, the placements are instrumental in teaching students to integrate theory and practice. Students have to plan, set up, conduct, evaluate and describe their own research. Moreover, they learn how to function in a real world situation. Preferably, internships take place outside of the VU University research groups, mainly in academic hospitals in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI), the FOM Institute AMOLF or at universities abroad. The master coordinator usually plays a large part in establishing the contact between a student and the hosting institution. During its inquiries, the committee has devoted special attention to the width of the curriculum and the way it connects to students preceding Bachelor education. As was mentioned in the previous chapter, the programme is designed as a broad, multidisciplinary programme that prepares students for research in various fields within the Life Sciences. This approach is reflected in the curriculum. The programme starts from a broad communal basis and then works towards specialization with a choice of two (previously three) tracks and different elective courses within these specializations. The final level of specialization is achieved within the internships, when students carry out their own research project. From the point of view of the committee the above described design of the curriculum is not fully consistent with the influx into the programme. At VU-university there is no Bachelorprogramme that directly feeds into the Master-programme. Instead, students from various backgrounds - both academic and applied - enter the programme. Clearly, this makes it very important to get everyone to the same level quickly. Only by efficiently dealing with deficiencies, a compromising of the general level of the programme can be avoided. During the site visit, the committee identified this as one of the major challenges that the programme management faces on a daily basis. As was confirmed by the management, students from an applied background ( Higher Laboratory Education ) are typically very well equipped when it comes to practical skills, but lack theoretical knowledge. For students at academic Bachelor-level - especially the ones from the developing world where laboratory QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 15

16 facilities are scarce - it is just the other way around. In other words: students from all categories have deficiencies on some level that have to be dealt with in an early phase of the programme. Clearly, this is a daunting task that requires a well designed curriculum. After studying the current set-up, the committee has concluded that this curriculum provides too little guarantees of all students achieving the intended learning outcomes within a reasonable time. Mainly, this is due to the fact that more than half of the curriculum is taken up by student placements. Between the 30 EC and 36 EC internships, little time remains for in-depth courses that help to bring students up to the desired level of sophistication where theoretical, domain-specific knowledge is concerned. According to the committee, there is an obvious solution to this problem. By eliminating one of the placements, time can be made available for more theoretic courses. This should help to build a firm foundation of student knowledge. Teaching concept and teaching formats The self-evaluation report describes research-oriented education as the didactic focal point. Within the curriculum, a lot of attention is devoted to preparing students for their future working environment, which will most likely lie within (academic) research. Obviously, this didactic focus is most visible in the inclusion of two separate placements within the curriculum. Both of these offer students an opportunity to do real life lab work. Also, the programme management welcomes guest appearances by external lecturers, representatives from other faculties, universities, research institutes, medical centres and industry. Especially in the portal courses guest appearances by external lecturers, some of them (assistant) professors at other universities/research institutes, some of them researchers from industry, are frequent. Within the second portal course, Genomes & Gene Expression, external lecturers, who are invited to lecture on their own research specialties, are responsible for as much as one third of the teaching. During the site visit, the issue of external lecturers has been a major discussion topic. The programme management put forward the opinion that this practice is essential for the realization of the intended broad scope of the programme. By using the services of external lecturers, the range of in-house expertise can effectively be expanded on. Furthermore, the programme management states that guest appearances by external experts have an inspirational effect on students, helping them to identify their own research interest. As the programme management mentioned during the site visit, external lecturers are very keen on participating. They consider the programme a suitable breeding ground for research talent and regard their participation as an opportunity to scout able students for internships and PhD projects. In fact, the committee learned that quite some matches between students and future employers are made through the system of guest lectures. In the opinion of the committee, there are some serious disadvantages to the frequent use of external lecturers. Even though the programme management claims that course coordinators have a handle on the content of guest lectures, the committee feels that the large-scale deployment of external lecturers has a potentially disruptive effect on the harmony of courses and holds the risk of confusing students. Also, it causes possible issues with respect to quality assurance. Even when external lecturers are experts in their field, they do not necessarily dispose of the didactical qualities necessary for teaching students. Hence, the committee is 16 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

17 not at all in favour of the current system of giving guest lecturers a large role within fundamental courses. Enrolment and admission requirements According to the self-evaluation report, enrolment has grown steadily since the establishment of the programme. The table in Appendix 5 points out that the number of students entering the programme has increased from 36 in 2005 to 72 in 2010/2011. Most of the students enrolling in the programme have an academic Bachelor-background in (Molecular) Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or closely adjoining programmes in the Exact Sciences. However, there are also quite some students with different backgrounds. Students from a number of VU Bachelor-programmes are eligible for direct admission. These are: Biology; Biomedical Sciences; Chemistry; Pharmaceutical Sciences; Medical Natural Sciences. In cases of students holding Bachelor-degrees from a university other than the VU, the Board of Examiners will have to decide on their admission. For students from abroad, a GPA above 75%, as well as a TOEFL score of 580 or an IELTS score of 6.5 (for students for whom English is not their first language) is considered a minimal requirement. Students holding an applied degree from the Higher Laboratory Education (HLO) must have graduated in one of the research oriented programmes and need a mark of 7.0 or higher for their internship. In case the Board of Examiners observes substantial deficiencies, it may, according to the self-evaluation report, set additional requirements. For example, students may have to complete one or more courses from the Biomedical Sciences-Bachelor programme minor Biomolecular Sciences and Neurosciences before they can enter the Master programme. Whenever possible, students are requested to undergo an interview with the master coordinator. During the site visit, the committee spoke to both Dutch and foreign students and alumni with backgrounds that varied from Bachelor s in the more obvious disciplines (such as Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences, HLO) to somewhat less obvious disciplines (such as Medicine and even Philosophy). All described the admission procedure as particularly smooth and praised the quick and efficient communication from the side of the programme management, especially the master coordinator. None of the students experienced particular difficulties getting into the programme, though students with less obvious backgrounds did mention that they initially had to do a lot of extra work to keep up. Although pleased with the obvious enthusiasm and motivation of these students, the committee has reservations regarding the diversity of the student population. To ensure that all students reach the same high level of knowledge and skills, it recommends to tightening admission procedures. Especially the admission requirements for HLO-students, who make up a substantial part of the student population, need to be critically evaluated. As far as the committee is concerned, a grade above 7.0 for an HLO-internship is not a very ambitious requirement. The committee advises that the programme implements a premaster programme for students with substantial deficiencies. It was pleased to learn, as a result of the procedure of hearing both sides ( hoor-wederhoor ) that the programme management indeed intends to QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 17

18 establish such a programme in the near future. The programme management at this occasion furthermore indicated that diversity in the student population will diminish in the coming years because of the introduction of the minor Biomolecular Sciences & Neuroscience in The intake of students in the year has already proven that the BMS programme is now much more popular with VU bachelor s graduates. Feasibility From the information obtained during the interviews, the committee has gotten no indication that students have trouble keeping up with the workload. On the contrary, students indicated that the study load is very manageable. Students entering the programme from a background in the Applied Sciences described the feasibility of the programme as more or less the same as the HLO, though a bit more theoretical. According to the committee this remark gives rise to some concern on the general level of the programme. Although course and curriculum evaluations indicate that students are quite satisfied with the content of courses (alumni rate content at 4.17 out of 5 and in the National Student Evaluation content scores a 3,95 out of 5), after studying the course material the committee feels that the programme could be more challenging. A modification of the admission rules and the introduction of deficiency remediating courses would give the master programme a more solid scientific background that meets the needs. An issue also worth mentioning is that students of the programme often start PhD research before graduation. As the programme management explained, this usually happens when students go abroad for an internship and receive a PhD-offer during this placement. Regrettably, there have been cases where students only finished their master s degree once their PhD-research was well underway, thereby blurring the graduation figures. The committee agrees with the programme management that this is an undesirable situation. Hopefully, the yet to be introduced study-time penalty ( langstudeerdersboete ) will put an end to it. Staff The self-evaluation report states that the programme in BMS draws its staff from both the Molecular Cell Biology department of the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences and from the Faculty of Science departments Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Physics and Astronomy. As a consequence, its expertise is widely spread over the domain of the Life Sciences. All but one lecturer hold PhD degrees and are themselves engaged in academic research, mostly within the two interfaculty research institutes: the Amsterdam Institute of Molecules, Medicines and Systems (AIMMS) and the Institute for Lasers, Life and Biophotonics Amsterdam (LaserLab). To guarantee the didactic skills of the teaching staff, new lecturers are required to obtain a Basic Teaching Qualification (BKO). At the moment, 50% of the teaching staff has completed this course. During the site visit, the committee established that staff members are generally very positive about it. New lecturers told the committee that their teaching efforts had substantially benefited from the didactical training and more experienced staff members found the module on electronic learning applications of great interest. Although the committee is satisfied with the general quality of the teaching staff, it does have some concerns on the quantity. One of the main reasons for the fact that the programme relies heavily on external lecturers and placement supervisors, is the shortness of internal staff. Affiliated staff members usually also have heavy teaching- and supervision loads outside 18 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

19 of BMS. A further observation concerns the contribution of professors to the programme. As lecturers at UD- and UHD-level teach the majority of courses, BMS-students get little exposure to VU-professors, who seem to be more involved with courses at Bachelor-level. A final observation concerns the support staff. During the site visit, the committee learned that a third of all non-academic positions (450 fte out of a total of 1350 fte) at the VUuniversity will disappear in the coming years. This is surely a reason for concern, as these cuts could have serious consequences for the workload experienced by the academic staff and the quality of support services. Programme specific services and facilities From the information gathered before and during the site visit, no particulars concerning the programme specific facilities emerged. With regards to study guidance, the committee concluded that most students are quite content. Especially the contact with the master coordinator, who has a central role in study advice, planning etc., was praised by students. Considerations During the site visit, the committee has endeavoured to establish whether the curriculum, staff and services and facilities of the programme in BMS enable the incoming students to achieve the intended learning outcomes. To this effect, it has critically weighed some of its positive and its less favourable observations. As a result, the committee has concluded that the latter outweigh the former. For now, the programme does not meet the current generic quality standards when it comes to the teaching-learning environment. The committee s main reservation concerns the relation between the very heterogeneous influx of students and the content of the curriculum. In this respect, it concludes that the current set-up of the curriculum offers too little guarantee that all students, both from an applied and an academic background, achieve the intended learning outcomes. Clearly, there are just not enough EC s available for in-depth courses that lay a solid foundation of knowledge of the domain of BMS. At present, students have to brush-up their level of knowledge within the two separate internships and the literature study. As far as the committee is concerned, this is not a good strategy. Internships mostly take place outside of the VU-research groups, where student s progress is much harder to monitor. Furthermore, the current system seems to bring about knowledge gaps between students, as their individual end level depends (too) strongly on the selected content of their internship and the commitment of their external internship supervisor. For the most part, the problems that the committee identified can be traced to the modest resources of the programme. The number of staff available at the participating departments is too limited and under a heavy teaching load. To be able to offer students a curriculum that does justice to the broadness and multidisciplinarity of the domain of BMS, the programme management has to make use of the services of external lecturers, who are each given a small time frame in which they have to familiarize students with their particular expertise. As a result, the curriculum has a somewhat fragmented appearance and depth seems to be substituted by wideness. Notwithstanding the abovementioned observations, the committee is positive about the potential of the programme. In its opinion, there are a few straightforward solutions to the most urgent problems. Most importantly, the programme management should consider abolishing one of the placements, thus freeing up 30 EC that can be used for in-depth courses. Secondly, there has to be more control on the influx of students. A diverse student QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 19

20 population may have upsides, but it has apparent downsides too. Within its admission policies, the programme management could be a lot more ambitious than it currently is. Simultaneously, it should seriously consider implementing a personalized premaster programme for those students who have substantial deficiencies because of a dissimilar Bachelor-background. The committee was pleased to find that the programme management is, at the moment, seriously considering this option. As a final remark, the committee wishes to stress that it is by no means negative on the future of the programme in BMS. Should the above suggested alterations to the teaching-learning environment be implemented, there is a good chance that future students all have equal chances of attaining the intended learning outcomes specified under Standard 1. Conclusion Master s programme Biomolecular Sciences: the committee assesses Standard 2 as unsatisfactory. 20 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

21 Standard 3: Assessment and achieved learning outcomes The programme has an adequate assessment system in place and demonstrates that the intended learning outcomes are achieved. Explanation: The level achieved is demonstrated by interim and final tests, final projects and the performance of graduates in actual practice or in post-graduate programmes. The tests and assessments are valid, reliable and transparent to the students. Findings System of assessment The self-evaluation report briefly touches upon the Faculty-wide system of quality assurance and assessment. It states that the curriculum as a whole and individual courses are evaluated on a regular basis. The report also indicates that outcomes of evaluations are always presented to the responsible lecturer, the programme director and the Programme Committee (PC). Because the PC is in continuous dialogue with lecturers, there is a permanent process of improvement in place. To guarantee the quality of examinations, a manual Examinations and Assessments has been made available to all lecturers. According to the self, evaluation report, this manual specifies the requirements for the content of examinations, construction of exams, various formats of examination etc. The quality of examinations always constitutes part of student evaluations. In the most recent graduate poll, students mark assessments and examinations with an averaged 4.17 out of 5, in the latest NSE the mark was 3.55 out of 5. During the site visit, the committee has established that different forms of examination are used and that these forms are tailored to the intended learning outcomes formulated under Standard 1. The programme has its own Board of Examiners, which consists of three members, all of whom are experts in the field of BMS. These members are appointed by the Faculty Board and generally meet once a month. Mainly, the board deals with the approval of admissions, exemptions, placements and individual course selections. In addition to the Board of Examiners, the Faculty has established a committee that extensively evaluates the quality of examinations. The Faculty has also drawn up a set of regulations for student placements and literature study ( thesis ). Copies of the thesis regulations, the Academic and Examination Regulations (AER) and the Rules and Guidelines of the Examination Board were made available to the committee before the site visit. During the site visit, the committee has paid particular attention to the system of assessment of the placements. The committee was informed that internship reports are assessed by at least two persons. Firstly, by an external placement supervisor, who is not connected to the programme, and secondly by an internal supervisor. Internal supervisors are involved for the entire duration of the placement. In case of placements within the Netherlands, they are present at the six weeks evaluation and the final presentation. When students choose to do a placement abroad, they are usually invited to give an oral presentation upon return to the Netherlands. Furthermore, the committee learned that both the external and the internal supervisor independently fill out a standardized assessment form that is used throughout the Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences. Only when the first and second supervisor cannot agree on the placement mark, a third reader is appointed by the Board of Examiners. After reviewing the system of assessment for the final project, the committee is not fully convinced that it is optimally organised to guarantee the achievement of the intended learning QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 21

22 outcomes. The committee s main objection centres on the idea of external placements itself. Though the committee appreciates that the programme cannot find placements for all students within the VU research groups, it feels that the programme managements preference for placements outside of the VU has unwanted side-effects, mainly because the quality of the on site education and the assessments by external supervisors are difficult to monitor. Even though the programme management aspires to exclusively send students to reputable hosting institutions, it can never fully count on external supervisors to all apply the same VU-set quality standards. Asking internal supervisors to provide a second assessment may level out the most apparent differences, but obviously internal supervisors may also experience difficulties in assessing work done in someone else s laboratory. A second objection that the committee wishes to raise, concerns the assessment form currently in use. According to the committee, the current form provides only limited insight in the circumstances in which the grade has been established. As forms contain very little space for written comments, they have limited use in determining whether the supervisors assessment was justified. According to the committee, this shortcoming should be remediated. The abovementioned objections can be translated into two general recommendations. The first is to limit placements outside of the Netherlands, maybe even outside of Amsterdam until the curriculum has been reformed as recommended before (ie. offer a case-by-case adapted premaster programme in order to quickly remediate student deficiencies). According to the committee, internal supervisors need to be able to closely monitor the guidance provided by external supervisors. This is most easily done when the hosting institution is within close reach of the VU. Interestingly, calculations done by the programme itself demonstrate that internal and external placements at Dutch hosting institutions show consistent grading (average 7.7 and 7.8), whilst placements outside the Netherlands are graded significantly higher by hosting institutions (8.4 average). Of course it could well be that only the best and motivated students opt for placements outside the Netherlands, but it is also possible that external supervisors outside of the Netherlands apply more lenient quality standards. The second recommendation that the committee wants to make, is to redesign the current assessment form. Rather than just ticking boxes, supervisors should add a written explanation of their assessment in order to enable cross-referencing by second and third readers. Achieved results During the site visit the committee has studied a sample of examinations and a sample of final projects (ie. placement reports) in order to establish whether students indeed achieve the intended learning outcomes. A first observation on these examinations is that part of the questions had been supplied by external lecturers. In the opinion of the committee this practice is debatable. Composing the exam should rather be left to the course coordinator, who is much more aware of the intended learning outcomes of his/her course and the curriculum at large. With regards to the level of examinations, the committee wants to point out that these seem to indicate that the emphasis is more on wideness than on depth. During the courses, students are expected to learn a little bit about a lot of subjects, not the other way around. According to the programme management, specialized in-depth knowledge is mostly achieved within the placements. The internship reports could therefore be considered the main verification of students attaining the intended learning outcomes. 22 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

23 As mentioned before, students complete two different placements and produce a report for both, as well as a literature study known as the thesis. The committee has chosen to assess a sample of reports of the longest placement, i.e. the one worth 36 EC. Usually, this is the placement completed during the second year of study. Generally speaking, the committee was not dissatisfied with the theses as such. Although the committee established that the grades given by the supervisors were generally higher than the grades awarded by the committee members, none of the theses in the sample was considered as sub-standard. Nonetheless, the committee wishes to stress that this generally positive assessment of the theses has limited value. In its opinion, the student reports do not provide a clear image of the role that supervisors have played in shaping the research and reporting on results, thereby making it hard to assess the quality of individual students. Because of their particular format the assessment forms filled out by both supervisors do not provide much clarification either. Given the structure of two internship placements and a far too low number of basic courses that efficiently deal with student deficiencies, the committee is, all in all, seriously concerned about the ability of the students to achieve the study outcome as defined under Standard 1. Graduates Whether the intended learning outcomes are achieved, can also be measured from the performances of graduates on the labour market. In this respect, the programme in BMS, which is distinctly research-oriented, has proven very successful. Out of the 95 alumni that the programme has traced in preparation for the current assessment, 78% has successfully moved on to PhD-programmes. 57% works on PhD research within the Netherlands and 21% have a PhD position outside the Netherlands. Only one is currently unemployed. Undeniably, this is an extraordinary result. Unsurprisingly, in the 2011 NSE career preparation receives a very high ranking compared to the rankings of other VU-programmes. Also, in the graduate poll conducted by the Educational Committee in 2009, alumni have applauded the fact that the programme is very consistently devoted to its overall aim, to prepare students for a career in the Molecular Life Sciences. 87% of the respondents indicated that they are still satisfied with their choice. During its interviews with students and alumni, the committee heard similar praise. Considerations After having studied the documentation supplied by the programme and having spoken to the Board of Examiners, the committee established that the programme in BMS disposes of a system of assessment that, in outline, is suitable to check whether students achieve the intended learning outcomes: the programme has adopted an appropriate mix of assessment methods (such as written examinations, oral presentations and papers) and there is a Facultywide committee that checks up on the quality of examinations. However, the committee is not pleased with the fact that some of the exam questions are supplied by external lecturers, as there is no system in place that checks if and how external contributions fit in with the general objectives of courses and the overall curriculum. Also, the committee wishes to stress that external lecturers have not been selected on the basis of their didactic and assessment skills. The committee also sees ample opportunity for improvement in the quality assurance of placements. It concludes that the widespread practice of external placements potentially comes at the expense of a fair and uniform system of assessment, since external supervisors at hosting institutions may not all apply the same quality standards. The comparability of QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 23

24 placement assessments is further jeopardized by the lay-out of the assessment form that external- and internal supervisors use to grade the placement report. Since this form leaves little space for written observations, it is very difficult to get a clear view of the context of the grade. In order to solve these issues, the committee firmly recommends limiting the amount of external placements and introducing an assessment form that is suitable for crossreferencing. As a result of the procedure of hearing both sides, the committee learned that new Faculty regulations on external placements have become effective as of 1 September Under these regulations the internal supervisor at all times carries the final responsibility for supervision and assessment, while the role of the external supervisor has become much more informal. The committee is very pleased by this substantial improvement of the thesis procedure. To assess whether students actually achieve the intended learning outcomes, the committee has studied a sample of examinations and placement reports. In conclusion, the committee wishes to emphasize that it is not particularly impressed with the exam questions, which reveal an emphasis on breadth rather than depth. According to the committee this is a result of the particular layout of the curriculum, which places too much weight on placements and allows too little room for specialist courses. With reference to the sample of placement reports, the committee concludes that the general level may at first glance seem satisfactory, but the particular set-up of the placement- and assessment procedures offers too little guarantee that all students achieve the intended learning outcomes. With respect to the position of alumni on the labour market, the committee is more positive in its assessment. Obviously, the field itself has embraced BMS-graduates. Alumni are in high demand and easily find PhD-employment at universities, medical centres and in industry. Overall, the committee concludes that the placement reports and the performance of graduates demonstrate that individual BMS-students may achieve the desired level for a master s programme. It is however questionable whether, during the period under review, this has held true for the student population as a whole. Given the obvious shortcomings in the curriculum and the thesis procedure, the committee is of the opinion that the requirements for a positive assessment of Standard 3 were at the time of the site visit not met. The new placement regulations, in combination with other reforms, may however bring positive change in the near future. Conclusion Master s programme Biomolecular Sciences: the committee assesses Standard 3 as unsatisfactory. General conclusion The committee has assessed standard 1 as satisfactory and standards 2 and 3 as unsatisfactory. In accordance with the decision rules laid down in the NVAO s assessment framework, the committee assesses the programme as a whole as unsatisfactory. Despite this conclusion, the committee sees a good potential for change. The field of BMS is obviously situated at an interesting disciplinary crossroads within the up-and-coming domain of the Life Sciences and alumni are in high demand. Implementing the necessary improvements should be a relatively straightforward affair. By eliminating one of the internships, by using sufficient EC s for in-depth courses and by limiting the frequency of guest lectures, the programme management has a very good chance of upturning the current evaluation on Standard 2. To enable a positive evaluation of Standard 3 by a subsequent assessment committee, the committee mainly urges the programme management to (more) carefully monitor the role of external lecturers by enforcing the new regulations and to implement a more transparent system of assessment. Considering the excellent organizational qualities of the current study 24 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

25 coordinator, the committee is convinced that a remediation for the current problem can be worked out in short term, given that this person gets the support and resources needed for such reform. The committee therefore strongly advises to grant the programme an improvement period. Conclusion The committee assesses the master s programme Biomedical Sciences as unsatisfactory. QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 25

26 26 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

27 Appendices QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 27

28 28 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

29 Appendix 1: Curricula Vitae of the members of the assessment committee Prof. Etienne Schacht is honorary full professor in Polymer Science at the Department of Organic Chemistry of the University of Gent, Belgium. He is founder of the Polymer Chemistry & Biomaterials Research Group of the University Gent, co-author of more than 440 peer reviewed international papers, promoter of more than 50 Ph-D works; co-founder and former president of the Belgian Polymer Group (BPG); honorary member of the BPG council and currently coordinator of the BPG ThinkTank group: co-founder and former president of IBITECH, the Institute for Biomedical Technology University Gent; honorary member of the Romanian Society for Biomaterials. He has been involved in a large number of European and national and regional research projects. Prof. Schacht was for 12 years member of the Council of the European Society for Biomaterials, where he was responsible for the European Doctoral Award programme. He is/was member of the editorial board of several international research journals and served as external expert for several European organizations. He was external coordinator of the 2011 assessment of the research at the Department of Engineering of the Free University Brussel. At present Prof. Schacht is chairman of a committee of the FRS-F.N.R.S of the French community in Belgium. Prof. Paul Geerlings is full Professor at the Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), where he obtained his Master's (1972), Ph.D. (1976) (both Summa Cum Laude) and Habilitation (with unanimous votes in 1983). He currently heads a research group involved in conceptual and computational DFT with applications in organic, inorganic and biochemistry. He is the author or co-author of about 400 publications in International Journals or as book chapters, and has about the same number of contributions to International Conferences with many invited lectures or presentations. He edited several books in the field. Besides research, Paul Geerlings has always strongly been involved in teaching, among others the Freshman General Chemistry and Quantum Chemistry courses in the Faculty of Science. During the period and , he has been the head of the Department of Chemistry of the Faculty of Sciences, in the period and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Sciences. During the period he has been the Vice Rector for Educational Affairs of his University and in the period he has been a Member of the Interuniversity Council of the Flemish Community. Since 2011 he is Dean of the Faculty of Science and Bio-Engineering Sciences of the VUB. Dr. Guy van Lommen studied chemistry at RUCA and the VUB. In 1977 he received his doctorate at the chemistry group at the VUB. He started his career as a researcher at the NFWO and IWT and was a post-doc at the University of Arizona. From 1981 to 2007 he worked at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development (formerly Janssen Pharmaceutical) in Beerse, in the department of medicinal chemistry, initially as a researcher and then from 1992 as a senior research fellow. His research domains were situated in cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory, metabolic diseases and pain research, as well as research on herbicides. Since January 2008, he is senior director of medicinal chemistry at Galapagos Mechelen. Van Lommen is the author of several publications and has multiple patens to his name. He was a member of the Chemistry programme committee of Avans Hogeschool Breda and the Karel de Grote Hogeschool College. He has participated in the assessment of academic chemistry programmes in Flanders ( and 2010) and the applied bachelor chemistry ( ). Prof. Jeroen van Bokhoven is currently SNF-Professor in Heterogeneous Catalysis at the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering at ETH-Zurich. He studied Chemistry at Utrecht University and obtained his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry and catalysis with distinction in QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 29

30 2000. From 1999 until 2002 he was head of the XAS (X-rayabsorption spectroscopy) users - support group at Utrecht University. In 2002, he moved to the ETH, where he worked as senior researcher in the group of Prof. Prins. Van Bokhoven works in the field of heterogeneous catalysis and (X-ray) spectroscopy. His goal is the determination of structureperformance relationships, which aid the design and construction of better catalysts for cleaner and more efficient processes. His main interests are heterogeneous catalysts and developing advanced tools in X-ray spectroscopy to study the catalyst structure under catalytic relevant conditions. Their combination provides insight into the structure and function of the catalytically active sites. Maja Medic BSc is master student Life Science and Technology University Leiden. She received her bachelor degree Life Science and Technology (cum laude) from the University Leiden and Technical University Delft in In 2009 she received the Jong Talent grant from the Royal Dutch Society of Sciences. She is student member of the master programme committee Life Science and Technology (since 2011), member of the Symposium committee of the Study Association LIFE (since 2010) and was student member of the bachelor programme committee Life Science and Technology. 30 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

31 Appendix 2: Domain-specific framework of reference De regiecommissie van de VSNU Kamer Scheikunde heeft in overleg met het afnemend veld onderstaand referentiekader voor de bachelor- en masteropleidingen Scheikunde, Scheikundige Technologie, Moleculaire Levenswetenschappen, Natuurwetenschappen en (Bio)-Farmaceutische Wetenschappen opgesteld. De opleidingen worden gezamenlijk aangeduid als chemie en verwante moleculaire opleidingen. Deze bijlage bevat het referentiekader voor de bacheloropleidingen. Karakterisering van universitaire bacheloropleidingen binnen het domein chemie en verwante moleculaire opleidingen in Nederland In de Nederlandse structuur is een bacheloropleiding in de eerste plaats gericht op doorstroming naar een masteropleiding, waarbij sprake moet zijn van verbreding van de keuzemogelijkheden. Zo hebben studenten de mogelijkheid om na hun bacheloropleiding bij een andere universiteit een (Engelstalige) masteropleiding te volgen. De bacheloropleiding zal dus breed en oriënterend moeten zijn met de mogelijkheid tot differentiatie, zonder dat dit de mogelijkheden van keuze voor een masteropleiding binnen de chemie en verwante moleculaire opleidingen te veel beperkt. Daarnaast is uitstroom na de bacheloropleiding mogelijk, zodat de opleiding tevens een afgerond karakter dient te hebben. De bacheloropleiding dient tevens gericht te zijn op de ontwikkeling van algemene academische vaardigheden en een academische attitude, zodat afgestudeerde bachelorstudenten kunnen doorstromen naar functies in de maatschappij waarvoor dit soort vaardigheden worden gevraagd. 1 De aanwezigheid van hooggekwalificeerde docenten met een universitaire achtergrond is van groot belang voor de aard en het niveau van het wetenschappelijk onderwijs in de bacheloropleiding. Docenten zijn gepromoveerd, hebben ervaring met en zijn betrokken bij het wetenschappelijk onderzoek. Daarnaast is een academische ambiance wat betreft infrastructuur en onderzoeksomgeving vereist. Tegen deze achtergrond zijn onderstaande eindkwalificaties voor een Nederlandse universitaire bacheloropleiding chemie en verwante moleculaire opleidingen geformuleerd. Het diploma dat wordt behaald is een Bachelor of Science (Bachelor) in scheikunde, chemische technologie, moleculaire levenswetenschappen, natuurwetenschappen, of (Bio)- farmaceutische wetenschappen. Eindkwalificaties van de universitaire bacheloropleiding Scheikunde/Scheikundige Technologie Vakverbonden kennis en vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering: Heeft voldoende inzicht in de diverse specialisaties van de Scheikunde/Scheikundige Technologie die voortbouwen op de bachelorfase om een verantwoorde keuze te maken voor een vervolgopleiding; 1 Bij het arbeidsmarktperspectief voor de Bachelor in chemie en verwante moleculaire opleidingen dient rekening te worden gehouden met de typisch Nederlandse situatie dat grote werkgevers voor posities, waarvoor bachelors (Bachelor) in aanmerking zouden kunnen komen, de voorkeur geven aan bachelors of applied science ( hbo ers ). Deze laatsten zijn doorgaans meer opgeleid in de praktische vaardigheden, en als beroepsopleiding meer toegespitst op het werken in de chemische industrie. De meeste andere Europese landen (met uitzondering van Duitsland en Engeland) hebben geen opleidingen vergelijkbaar met de Nederlandse bachelor of applied science. QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 31

32 Heeft een gedegen theoretische en praktische basiskennis van de Scheikunde 2 /Scheikundige Technologie 3 en de hulpvakken Natuurkunde, Wiskunde, Informatica, Biologie/ (Bio)technologie die toereikend is om met succes een masteropleiding op het terrein van de Scheikunde/Scheikundige Technologie te volgen; Heeft kennisgemaakt met wetenschappelijke onderzoeksvaardigheden en ontwerpmethoden op het gebied van de Scheikunde respectievelijk de Scheikundige Technologie en heeft daarvan een proeve van bekwaamheid afgelegd; Is zich bewust van de mogelijkheden op de arbeidsmarkt na eventuele afsluiting van de studie met een bachelordiploma; Heeft kennis van de veiligheids- en milieuaspecten van de scheikunde; Is zich bewust van de rol van de scheikunde in de maatschappij en van het internationale karakter van de scheikunde. Algemene vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering beheerst de algemene vaardigheden op het gebied van het presenteren en rapporteren, informatie zoeken en verwerken, computergebruik, projectmatig werken en het werken in projectgroepen. Voor een gedetailleerde beschrijving van cognitieve en communicatieve competenties wordt verwezen naar het opleidingsspecifieke deel. Eindkwalificaties van de universitaire bacheloropleiding Moleculaire Levenswetenschappen Wageningen Vakverbonden kennis en vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Moleculaire Levenswetenschappen Wageningen: Heeft voldoende inzicht in de diverse specialisaties van de moleculaire levenswetenschappen die voortbouwen op de bachelorfase om een verantwoorde keuze te maken voor een vervolgopleiding; Heeft een gedegen theoretische en praktische basiskennis van de moleculaire levenswetenschappen 4 en de hulpvakken Natuurkunde, Wiskunde, Informatica, Biologie/ (Bio)technologie die toereikend is om met succes een masteropleiding op het terrein van de moleculaire levenswetenschappen te volgen; Heeft kennisgemaakt met wetenschappelijke onderzoeksvaardigheden en ontwerpmethoden op het gebied van de moleculaire levenswetenschappen en heeft daarvan een proeve van bekwaamheid afgelegd; Is zich bewust van de mogelijkheden op de arbeidsmarkt na eventuele afsluiting van de studie met een bachelordiploma; Heeft kennis van de veiligheids- en milieuaspecten van de scheikunde en genetische modificaties; Is zich bewust van de rol van de scheikunde en (bio)technologie in de maatschappij en van het internationale karakter ervan. 2 Te weten analytische chemie, anorganische chemie, biochemie, fysische chemie, organische chemie. 3 Te weten analytische chemie, anorganische chemie, biochemie, fysische chemie, organische chemie, fysische transportverschijnselen, procesontwerp, chemische reactorkunde, scheidingsmethoden, procestechnologie, systeem- en regeltechniek, materiaalkunde. 4 Te weten analytische chemie, anorganische chemie, biochemie, fysische chemie, organische chemie, microbiologie, biochemie, moleculaire biologie. 32 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

33 Algemene vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Moleculaire Levenswetenschappen Wageningen beheerst de algemene vaardigheden op het gebied van het presenteren en rapporteren, informatie zoeken en verwerken, computergebruik, projectmatig werken en het werken in projectgroepen. Voor een gedetailleerde beschrijving van cognitieve en communicatieve competenties wordt verwezen naar het opleidingsspecifieke deel. Eindkwalificaties van de universitaire bacheloropleiding Moleculaire Levenswetenschappen Nijmegen Vakverbonden kennis en vaardigheden De bachelor of Science in Moleculaire Levenswetenschappen Nijmegen: Is in staat, op basis van zijn kennis van de chemie, biologie, medische wetenschappen en bijbehorende hulpwetenschappen, om een onderzoek naar de moleculaire achtergronden van biomedische processen kritisch te analyseren, waarbij hij gebruik weet te maken van de onderlinge verbanden tussen genoemde disciplines. Is in staat, gebaseerd op zijn kennis en inzicht in de moleculaire structuur en reactiviteit van zowel de levende als de niet-levende materie, om theoretische en praktische analyses te verrichten aan moleculaire reacties en interacties. Is in staat, gebaseerd op zijn kennis en inzicht in de genetische grondslag van levende processen, om de relatie aan te geven tussen genetische informatie en biomedische processen, en daarmee een verklaring te geven voor de rol van individuele moleculen bij ziekteprocessen. Is in staat een verscheidenheid aan relevante, basale technieken te hanteren en heeft het vermogen zich nieuwe technische vaardigheden eigen te maken. Is in staat, gebaseerd op zijn theoretische en praktische vaardigheden, om een experiment op het gebied van de moleculaire levenswetenschappen probleemgericht op te zetten aan de hand van een zelf gestelde hypothese, daarvan de resultaten systematisch te bewerken en kritisch te interpreteren, en vervolgens conclusies uit dit onderzoek te trekken. Is in staat de resultaten van zijn onderzoek op een heldere manier schriftelijk te verwoorden, gebaseerd op de opbouw van een wetenschappelijk artikel. Is na een oriëntatie op de mogelijke afstudeervarianten en afweging van maatschappelijke perspectieven in staat om een gefundeerde keuze te maken voor een masteropleiding. Is daarbinnen in staat om zich in een periode van een jaar theoretisch en experimenteel te specialiseren in een vakgebied dat zich bezig houdt met onderzoek aan de moleculaire basis van biologische en biomedische processen. Algemene vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Moleculaire Levenswetenschappen Nijmegen beheerst de algemene vaardigheden op het gebied van het presenteren en rapporteren, informatie zoeken en verwerken, computergebruik, projectmatig werken en het werken in projectgroepen. Voor een gedetailleerde beschrijving van cognitieve en communicatieve competenties wordt verwezen naar het opleidingsspecifieke deel. Eindkwalificaties van de universitaire bacheloropleiding Natuurwetenschappen Vakverbonden kennis en vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Natuurwetenschappen: QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 33

34 Heeft een algemeen inzicht verworven in de kernbegrippen en kenmerkende werkwijzen van de constituerende disciplines; Heeft zich daartoe de belangrijkste algemene biologisch-chemische, fysisch-chemische en biologisch-fysische denk- en werkwijzen hebben eigen gemaakt, nodig om multidisciplinaire natuurwetenschappelijke problemen te begrijpen in hun maatschappelijke en wetenschappelijke context; Kan concrete wetenschappelijke problemen binnen de natuurwetenschappen analyseren door middel van abstractie en op basis van natuurwetenschappelijke theorieën en modellen; Kan daartoe zelfstandig kennisbronnen in het relevante wetenschapsgebied opsporen, raadplegen en bewerken; Kan bestaand onderzoek naar vraagstukken van natuurwetenschappelijke aard begrijpen vanuit een basiskennis van de betreffende disciplines; Kan natuurwetenschappelijke vraagstellingen omzetten in een toetsbare hypothese volgens de criteria van empirisch onderzoek; Kan onder begeleiding deze hypotheses toetsen in de vorm van experimenten en daaraan gerelateerd theoretisch onderzoek; Is in staat zijn de maatschappelijke discussie over vraagstukken en problemen op multidisciplinair natuurwetenschappelijk gebied kritisch te volgen; Is in staat zijn een gemotiveerde keuze te maken voor ofwel het vervolg van de studie op masterniveau ofwel voor uitstroom naar een andere opleiding dan wel een functie in de samenleving. Algemene vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Natuurwetenschappen beheerst de algemene vaardigheden op het gebied van het presenteren en rapporteren, informatie zoeken en verwerken, computergebruik, projectmatig werken en het werken in projectgroepen. Voor een gedetailleerde beschrijving van cognitieve en communicatieve competenties wordt verwezen naar het opleidingsspecifieke deel. Eindkwalificaties van de universitaire bacheloropleiding Farmaceutische Wetenschappen Vakverbonden kennis en vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Farmaceutische wetenschappen: Heeft voldoende inzicht in de diverse specialisaties van de farmaceutische wetenschappen die voortbouwen op de bachelorfase om een verantwoorde keuze te maken voor een vervolgopleiding; Heeft een gedegen theoretische en praktische basiskennis van de scheikunde (te weten analytische chemie, biochemie, organische chemie, theoretische chemie) en de farmaceutische wetenschappen, alsmede de hulpvakken natuurkunde, wiskunde, informatica, biologie en medische fysiologie die toereikend is om met succes een masteropleiding op het terrein van de farmaceutische wetenschappen te volgen; Heeft kennis gemaakt met wetenschappelijke onderzoeksvaardigheden op het gebied van de farmaceutische wetenschappen en heeft daarvan een proeve van bekwaamheid afgelegd; Is zich bewust van de mogelijkheden op de arbeidsmarkt na eventuele afsluiting van de studie met een bachelordiploma; 34 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

35 Heeft kennis van de veiligheids- en milieuaspecten van de farmaceutische wetenschappen; Is zich bewust van de rol van de farmaceutische wetenschappen in de maatschappij en van het internationale karakter van de farmaceutische wetenschappen. Algemene vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Farmaceutische wetenschappen beheerst de algemene vaardigheden op het gebied van het presenteren en rapporteren, informatie zoeken en verwerken, computergebruik, projectmatig werken en het werken in groepen. Voor een gedetailleerde beschrijving van cognitieve en communicatieve competenties wordt verwezen naar het opleidingsspecifieke deel. QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 35

36 Eindkwalificaties van de universitaire bacheloropleiding Bio-Farmaceutische Wetenschappen Vakverbonden kennis en vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Bio-Farmaceutische Wetenschappen: Heeft voldoende inzicht in de diverse specialisaties van de (bio-)farmaceutische wetenschappen en aanpalende opleidingen op het gebied van de chemie en de moleculaire levenswetenschappen die voortbouwen op de bachelorfase om een verantwoorde keuze te maken voor een vervolgopleiding; Heeft een gedegen theoretische en praktische basiskennis van de scheikunde (organische en analytische chemie, biochemie, moleculaire biologie) en de biofarmaceutische wetenschappen (ontwikkeling en effecten van geneesmiddelen, actuele concepten en werkwijzen van het geneesmiddelenonderzoek), alsmede hulpvakken (wiskunde, informatica, fysiologie, pathologie, anatomie, immunologie), die toereikend is om met succes een masteropleiding op het terrein van de bio-farmaceutische wetenschappen of een verwant vakgebied te volgen; Heeft overzicht gekregen van het vakgebied van het geneesmiddelenonderzoek en inzicht verkregen in de positie van verschillende deelgebieden binnen dit vakgebied en hun relatie tot aanpalende wetenschapsgebieden Heeft inzicht verkregen in de wijze waarop bij geneesmiddelenonderzoek gangbare hypothesen via experimenten kunnen worden getoetst en hoe verworven kennis kan leiden tot theorievorming Heeft kennis gemaakt met wetenschappelijke onderzoeksvaardigheden op het gebied van geneesmiddelenonderzoek en heeft daarvan een proeve van bekwaamheid afgelegd; Is zich bewust van de mogelijkheden op de arbeidsmarkt na eventuele afsluiting van de studie met een bachelordiploma; Heeft kennis van de veiligheids- en milieuaspecten van de bio-farmaceutische wetenschappen; Is zich bewust van de rol van het geneesmiddelenonderzoek in de maatschappij en van het internationale karakter van de (bio-)farmaceutische wetenschappen. Algemene vaardigheden De Bachelor of Science in Bio-Farmaceutische Wetenschappen beheerst de algemene vaardigheden op het gebied van het presenteren en rapporteren, informatie zoeken en verwerken, computergebruik, projectmatig werken en het werken in groepen. Voor een gedetailleerde beschrijving van cognitieve en communicatieve competenties wordt verwezen naar het opleidingsspecifieke deel. Globale curriculumstructuur van een universitaire bacheloropleiding chemie en verwante moleculaire opleidingen in Nederland De bacheloropleiding bestaat uit een basisprogramma van minimaal twee studiejaren. Het derde studiejaar van de bacheloropleiding omvat een substantieel deel aan chemie of verwante moleculaire vakken binnen het domein. Daarnaast kan maximaal een derde door de studenten worden ingevuld als keuzeruimte. Het is wenselijk om in het derde studiejaar ruimte in het programma te hebben voor oriëntatie op de praktijk. In het derde jaar wordt een individuele proeve van bekwaamheid afgelegd. Dat kan een onderzoeksscriptie zijn, een ontwerp of een stage. 36 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

37 Appendix 3: Intended learning outcomes Intended learning outcomes in relations to the subject-specific reference framework (cf. Appendix 2. Letters A to H have been added for better reference) QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 37

38 38 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

39 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 39

40 40 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

41 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 41

42 42 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

43 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 43

44 44 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

45 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 45

46 46 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

47 Appendix 4: Overview of the curricula Schematic overview of the curriculum QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 47

48 48 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

49 Appendix 5: Quantitative data regarding the programmes Data on intake, transfers and graduates QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 49

50 Teacher-student ratio achieved The programme indicates that it has calculated the student/lecturer ratio according to the NVOA definitions from May 1 st 2012 (NVAO/ /LL, dated March 12, 2012). The number of registered students Biomolecular Sciences in is 117 and the fte of the teaching staff in Appendix 5 is 28.8 fte. According to the NVAO definition the student/lecturer ratio is However, one should realize that for almost all lecturers teaching is only part of their task (40 % on average) and they teach in various other Bachelor and Master programmes. On the other hand, there are many lecturers who are not employed by VU University and act as guest lecturers and supervisors of external internship placements or literature studies. For this reason the programme has further specified the student/lecturer ratio in the following manner: 50 QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences

51 Average amount of face-to-face instruction per stage of the study programme According to NVAO definitions ( Contacturen: Het gemiddeld aantal klokuren per week aan geprogrammeerde contacttijd, voor ieder jaar van de opleiding ) in their first year the students have on average 10 programmed contact hours a week during weeks of study, thus excluding holidays. In their second year the average number of contact hours is 6. In the first 2 periods of the first year of the Master programme (September to December) students follow four theoretical courses with an average number of 10 contact hours a week. In period 3 and 4 in part (January and February) students follow technical modules with an average number of 20 contact hours per week. The remainder of period 4, period 5 and 6 students do their first internship placement with an average number of 6 contact hours a week. In the first 2 periods of the second year students make a choice between additional courses offered in the Master Biomolecular Sciences or in another programme, a caput, and the literature study (contact hours per week varies). In period 3 (January) students follow two academic core courses with an average number of 10 contact hours a week. The students spend period 4 to 6 on their second internship placement with about 6 contact hours per week. The following table shows the variation of contact hours between different subjects in the programme: QANU /Scheikunde OW 2012, VU University Amsterdam, Biomolecular Sciences 51