MANUAL for QUALITY ASSURANCE of TEACHING and LEARNING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION

Transcription

1 MANUAL for QUALITY ASSURANCE of TEACHING and LEARNING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION

2 CONTENTS CONTENTS INTRODUCTION INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION DURING THE BACHELOR S PHASE INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION DURING THE MASTER S PHASE NATIONAL AGREEMENTS REGARDING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS JOINT DEGREES AND DOUBLE DEGREES OBJECTIVES OF THIS CHAPTER TERMINOLOGY PARTIES INVOLVED AND TASKS QUALITY REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS GENERAL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS REGARDING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION SPECIFIC QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR TAKING IN INTERNATIONAL DEGREE STUDENTS INTO ENGLISH- MEDIUM PROGRAMMES QUALITY ASSURANCE REGARDING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REGARDING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION Quality assurance of teaching and learning in case of outbound students Quality assurance of the process of internationalising education COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES APPENDICES

3 1. INTRODUCTION At VU University internationalising education is defined as: Internationalising education constitutes all the institution wide, pro active measures aimed at stimulating and facilitating the complex process of achieving a truly international academic community - a community that prepares students for living and working in a globalised environment. 1 This definition emphasises the international community and it assumes that activities such as mobility, or recruiting students from abroad, is a means and not an end in itself. The student takes central stage in the process of internationalising education. The aim of internationalising education, as defined above, is to equip students with the competencies, knowledge, and skills needed to operate on the international labour market. This is in line with VU University s Vision for Education (see the Introduction to the Quality Manual). At VU University we are aware of the fact the economic and political relations between continents are changing rapidly. Students, who start studying in 2015, will graduate into a world in which the economies of China and India together equal that of the European Union. Through their education at VU University students are introduced in different ways to the countries that are expected to occupy a dominant position world-wide in the field of economics, politics, and the sciences. Students at VU University are offered an international classroom, both physically and virtually. Quality of education at VU University is enhanced through the participation of international lecturers, researchers, and students. Besides, the Bachelor s curriculum offers an optional course allowing a student to spend at least one semester abroad at an institution selected and approved by VU University. In our VU Strategic Plan and in our Vision for Education the ambitions and objectives for internationalising education at VU University are elaborated for the Bachelor s and Master s phases. 1.1 INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION DURING THE BACHELOR S PHASE Ambitions The Bachelor s study programme prepares students for an internationalised Master s phase and on a labour market that requires international and multi-cultural competencies. Objectives 1 Hanneke Teekens, Director of Communications, NUFFIC. 3

4 During the Bachelor s phase students should prepare for the Master s phase that is more internationally oriented, and on a labour market that requires international competencies. International experience during the Bachelor s phase is, therefore, a minimum requirement. One of our objectives is the following 2 : In 2015, 25 percent of students who obtain their Bachelor s degree will have studied abroad for at least one semester; The size of the inbound and outbound group of exchange students is equal; VU University Bachelor s students, who do not go abroad, are obliged to at least follow an English-medium subject in an international community and/or a subject that is delivered by a foreign lecturer. To this end the English-medium course components need to be further developed and extended. As a rule, minors and honours courses are offered in English. The VU-UvA [University of Amsterdam] honours programme is taught entirely in English. 1.2 INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION DURING THE MASTER S PHASE Ambitions The influx of international students in English-medium study programmes is increasing, thus complying with one of the requirements of an international classroom. Addionally, through international recruitment, VU University aspires to attracting more excellent students from abroad in an effort to raise the level of the classroom. The VU fellowship programme (VUFP) is aimed specifically at this ambition. In order to promote international influx and to make VU University attractive to international academic staff scholars and scientists alike most of the Master s study programmes are English-medium. Therefore, proven proficiency in the English language is a requirement for students and, naturally, for lecturers as well. Objectives In 2015, English-medium Master s will consist at least of a 25 percent influx of foreign students with a foreign prior education. VU University sees to a differentiated supply of Master s degree programmes aimed at different groups of students in different phases of the professional development. Cases in point are: International Research Master s linked to areas of research that VU University focuses on. These programmes are selective and aim at students who chose to enrol at VU University especially for that Master s. An academic Master s degree [i.e. a Master s from a research university as opposed to a university of applied sciences] that prepare for positions in which scientific knowledge and insights are applied to the workplace. A part of these academic Master s degrees aim at a selected group of students and are often internationally orientated. The focus of the Master s degree programmes at VU University connect to the domestic 2 Instellingsplan Vrije Universiteit [VU University Strategic Plan ] 4

5 and international labour market. Attainment targets of the Master s degree programmes are coordinated with future employers. For domestic and international recruitment purposes VU University deploys its attractive geographical location on Amsterdam s Southern Axis[Zuidas] optimally. The policy formulated at VU University aims at sustainable, longitudinal relationships in research cooperations and exchange of PhD and Master s students with five focus countries based on the Desmond Tutu Programme: Brazil, China, Indonesia, Turkey, and South-Africa. For the purpose of recruiting students from abroad the attraction of the city of Amsterdam is deployed optimally. In the context of the Amsterdam Economic Board cooperation is in place to recruit, bind, and hold students for the human capital market. Cases in point are joint missions abroad, careers services, housing agreements, agreements with companies for graduation work placements and work, etc. Grants of the VU Fellowship Programme (VUFP) are deployed to recruit excellent students for both Research Master s and Academic Master s degrees. The requirements to qualify for a grant are stiffer than the regular entrance requirements for a Master s degree programme. Also see Institution-wide requirements regarding English language proficiency apply at VU University. These are higher than those contained in the Code of Conduct. 1.3 NATIONAL AGREEMENTS REGARDING INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS VU University has endorsed the Code of Conduct regarding international students in higher education (see Appendix 1). The Code of Conduct is a joint initiative of the Ministries of Education and Justice, department of Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). The aim of the code of conduct is that the signatories (institutions of higher education) adhere to certain agreements regarding the recruitment of international students. The definition of an international student is: A student with a foreign nationality who, being eligible for a residence permit and issued such a permit, enrols at a university in the Netherlands. The definition of an international exchange student is: A student who, within the framework of an exchange programme, enrols or was enrolled in a course for a minimum of three months to a maximum of twelve months at a university in the Netherlands and who is not registered with that university or who did not graduate from that university as a regular student. On the one hand, the requirements of the Code of Conduct protects the student, while on the other hand, the university brings students to the Netherlands in accordance with IND regulations. This procedure limits improper use of the right of residence in the Netherlands for the purpose of studying. The signatories to the Code are entitled to bring students to the Netherlands via a fast track procedure known as Machtiging tot Voorlopig Verblijf [authorisation 5

6 for temporary stay]. As of the introduction of the Modern Migration Policy, the study progress norm came into effect for individuals eligible for a residence permit, whereby students are obliged to achieve 50 percent of the total study work load per year. This is monitored. The Code of Conduct favours students because VU University is obliged, roughly speaking, to provide clear information in plain English on the accredited study programmes offered. 1.4 JOINT DEGREES AND DOUBLE DEGREES In addition to individual students who follow part of their education abroad and foreign students who follow part or all of their studies at VU University, there are an increasing number of study programmes that cooperate with programmes abroad in order to offer joint or double degree programmes. A double degree programme is a curriculum that is provided by two institutions and that ultimately awards two degrees, one from the Dutch institution and one from the foreign institution. Following the amendment Versterking besturing [Management Enforcement] to the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act it is also possible to enrol in a programme that results in a joint degree. A joint degree is a degree awarded by an institution, together with one or more other institutions at home or abroad, after the student has successfully completed a study programme for which the cooperating institutions are jointly responsible. The EU Erasmus Mundus P rogramme focuses on partnerships within Europe aimed at promoting exchange between European institutions of higher education in countries within and outside the European Union. The Erasmus Mundus Programme advances awarding joint degrees. The Programme also ensures greater cooperation between universities and more mobility among students, researchers and academic staff. There are two sides to mobility: the participants acquire knowledge and experience, but also introduce knowledge and experience to their new environment. The Programme should increase the appeal and reputation of European universities, so that international students also choose for Europe rather than only for the United States, for example. Joint Master s degree programmes are offered within the Erasmus Mundus Programme. The study programmes consist of a collective curriculum that is taught by cooperating institutions in at least three European countries. Both students from both inside and outside the EU can apply for admission to these programmes. As of June 2010, the Accreditation Organization of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) has a separate protocol for the accreditation of joint degree programmes, see: 6

7 At VU University, faculties with questions about double and joint degree programmes can call on the International Office of SOZ. 2. OBJECTIVES OF THIS CHAPTER This chapter specifies the tasks of the parties involved in internationalising education at VU University and outlines the agreements made in this respect. Faculties and services are expected to take note of its contents and, if required, to apply activities and objectives to their own activities and policy. Matters concerning international work placements are dealt with in the chapter on Work Placements and Theses. 3. TERMINOLOGY The various groups of students dealt with in this chapter are defined as follows: International students: students of foreign nationality enrolled at VU University. These students can be divided into two types of international students: degree students and exchange students. Degree students are international students who enrol at VU University for their entire degree programme. Exchange students are international students who enrol at VU University for part of their foreign degree programme (inbound students). In addition, the term exchange students is also used to refer to VU students who follow part of their programme abroad (outbound students). Another term is Internationalising at home, which is used for international experience acquired at VU University, for instance by being taught by foreign lecturers, following courses together with international students (international classroom), attending courses in a foreign language (usually English), work placements at companies and organisations in the Netherlands, etc. 4. PARTIES INVOLVED AND TASKS The Strategic Plan is the guiding principle for the International Office. The chairperson of the Executive Board is holder of the file on Internationalising Education and follows the progress of the objectives. In addition, the Vision for Education at VU University serves as guideline. 7

8 The International Office (IO) All VU University s central internationalising activities are combined on one organisation, the International Office (IO). The IO is led by a director and is part of the service Student- en Onderwijszaken (SOZ) [student and teaching affairs]. The director is directly accountable to the Executive Board. The IO comprises three units: The Mobility Unit, which deals with influx of degree students, exchange students, and supplies all kinds of supporting services. During the entire process followed by the student (obtaining information, registering, enrolling, arrival, stay, and departure) IO is of service to the student. Issues such as credential evaluation or diploma recognition, arrival days, visa and residence permit applications, housing, career services, buddy programme, scholarships, Dutch bank account, etc. come to mind. For each faculty the IO has an account manager who deals with its affairs. While studying at VU University the student is offered careers services such as a CV check, how to apply for a job in the Netherlands, and a career event where different companies display what they have on offer. The student can also participate in social events with other international and Dutch students. The influx process is embedded for all actors as workflow in the student information system SAP SLM. Policies & Business Development is the second unit. It supports the implementation of the ambitions contained in the Institutional Plan and the view on education, and supervises the correct implementation of relevant rules and regulations. In addition this unit follows international trends and opportunities and applies these to VU policy. The unit manages the VU Fellowship Programme (VUFP) and supports the VU Fellowship Committee independently formed by the Executive Board who is responsible for awarding grants. The procedure can be found on the website: The third unit is the Centre for International Cooperation (CIS) which secures projects through calls, usually for capacity building. The International Office implements policy regarding the management of VU wide and faculty partnership contracts and builds up relationships with institutions and organisations abroad, such as embassies and Netherlands Education Support Offices (NESOs). The IO informs VU exchange students about the exchange possibilities with one of the VU partners. It supplies information about the partner universities, about their English-medium supply, and about the procedures they should follow to arrange an exchange. The annual Wil Weg (I Want to Travel) day is a popular tool in this respect. The IO manages VU and European grants students can apply towards an 8

9 exchange and reports to the subsidy provider. The IO manages the partner contracts and annually assesses the quality of the contract according to student questionnaires and by surveying the use and reciprocity of the contract. The IO and the Communications and Marketing (C&M) service recruit international exchange students for influx into a Master s or Bachelor s degree programme. Education Statistics /MIVU [Management Information System VU] reports on numbers of international students and guards over the definitions used. The Course and Career Information Centre of SOZ offers careers services to international students by checking CVs and job application letters. The Taalcentrum [Lanuage Centre] offers the possibility to follow a Dutch language course Daily Dutch for international students. Faculties encourage the exchange of students, lecturers, and researchers with foreign institutions, for example, by entering into partnership contracts, financing mobility streams, and inviting guest lecturers and researchers for seminars. The faculties ensure that they create a suitable study environment for their international students. Ambitions concerning internationalising education are contained in faculty plans. The Admissions Committee (programme, faculty) assesses whether an applicant fulfils the entry requirements set by the Faculty Board and makes a recommendation to the Executive Board (possibly after consultation with the central evaluation of credentials section of the International Office) on the admission of international Bachelor degree students. The Admissions Committee makes recommendations to the board of the faculty on the admission of international students into English medium Master s programmes. In practice, and in case of a number of faculties, the tasks of the Admissions Committee is delegated to members of the Examination Board. Lecturers, study advisers, and student associations fulfil an important role in encouraging students to acquire international experience. Lecturers serve as role models and, through their own international cooperation, they can encourage students to internationalise. Furthermore, their international contacts can serve as a good starting point. In addition to their role of providing information on international experience, lecturers, study advisers, and student associations alike, play an advisory role in encouraging students to apply for regular or more prestigious grants. This applies to both inbound and outbound students. 9

10 5. QUALITY REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 GENERAL QUALITY REQUIREMENTS REGARDING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION 1. VU University is a dual-medium university (Dutch and English): a. Information on the services of VU University is bilingual; b. Newsletters about VU University on the faculty website and on the VU website are bilingual. 2. The IO staff, who are in direct contact with international students, are easily accessible, they supply direct answers to frequently asked questions and attempt to solve problems rapidly. 3. In the Teaching and Examination Regulations (OER) the programme establishes how each Bachelor programme student acquires international experience. In the model OER this is worded as follows: during the Bachelor s phase attention is afforded to acquiring intercultural competencies. the programme-specific part of the OER indicates the teaching component with which a student can comply with the requirement as referred to in the first paragraph: The requirement can also be complied to by, for instance,: a. a period of study or work placement abroad; b. work placement with an international organisation in the Netherlands; c. a teaching component that aims at the international dimensions of the field of study; d. a teaching component that aims at an international field of study. 4. The programme indicates in advance which components of the Bachelor s programme are offered in English. 5. If a programme indicates that the language of instruction is English, then it must be given in English regardless of whether international students are present or not. 6. Lecturers and support staff who are involved in English medium teaching components have a good command of English (lecturers who teach in English must have active and passive English language skills at level C1, administrative and support staff who come into contact with students should have competency level B2, Nota Taalbeleid [Language Policy Memorandum] Taalcentrum VU [Language Centre-VU, dated 5 July 2008). 7. The programme has a clear procedure for acquiring approval for study components to be followed abroad. This procedure is specified in the prospectus. 8. The student should submit an application to the Examination Board of the programme for study components to be followed abroad in good time, in accordance with the procedure specified in the prospectus. 10

11 9. When asked to approve study to be followed abroad, the Examination Board should indicate in good time which of the study components to be followed will count in terms of the curriculum and the number of credits that can be earned. 10. For the development of joint and double degrees the faculty is obliged to adhere to prevalent quality requirements ( 5.2 SPECIFIC QUALITY REQUIREMENTS FOR TAKING IN INTERNATIONAL DEGREE STUDENTS INTO ENGLISH-MEDIUM PROGRAMMES 1. English medium programmes provide reliable and easily accessible information, in good time, to international degree students regarding the educational programmes offered. This information includes at least the following: a. the status of the programme in terms of accreditation; b. the quality criteria which the programme should fulfil as well as the internal procedures for quality assurance; c. a description of the programme and the certificate awarded as well as the Teaching and Examination Regulations (or comparable regulations), or a summary of the same; d. the admission requirements for the programme, including procedures for admission and registration and related costs; e. the language of instruction; f. additional payments that the university might require of the student within the framework of the above, or the services mentioned in Paragraphs 3 (Agents), 4 (Admission to and Registering for the programme), and 5 (programmes available and assistance to students) of the Code of Conduct; g. standardisation and enforcement of the standard for students progress as specified in the Code of Conduct, Paragraph English medium programmes have a clear and uniform admission procedure for international degree students and they all apply this unambiguously. Selection may only be based on clearly formulated admission requirements. 3. Pre Master s courses for English medium Master s programmes should preferably be given in 11

12 English. Pre Master s programmes for international degree students, however, are often tailormade, so that from a practical point of view it is not always feasibly to offer a complete pre Master s programme in English. 4. The admission process takes 30 days. This includes application, selection, and admission of international degree students. 5. The faculty account managers for internationalising education and faculties come to an agreement concerning the responsibilities the different actors have in the process regarding international students but also vis à vis each other. 6. Faculties/programmes should have the following general requirements in place regarding acquired knowledge and insights by incoming international degree students during their previous education: a. On admission, the student disposes of learning skills that enable him/her to enter into the advanced programme in question. b. On admission, the student disposes of knowledge at the level of international academic textbooks and scholarly or scientific publications on the theories, methods, and techniques, and principles related to the field of study. c. On admission, the student should be capable of independently applying specific methods of research and analysis. d. Requirements for the command of English apply for the international intake of students into Master s programmes, and whether or not the student fulfils these requirements must be determined through a test (see the requirements in the Code of Conduct, P aragraph 4.2). Contrary to the provisions in Article 4.2, a university may exempt an international student, whose previous education was in English, from taking the compulsory language test. The national committee can ask the university to produce a statement by Nuffic, confirming that the student s previous education was in English. In case of an exchange programme for an English-medium degree programme, the sending and receiving university make agreements regarding the minimum English language level of the international student. At the request of the national committee the university makes available for their inspection the agreement with the sending university. The model Teaching and Examination Regulations for Bachelor s programmes states: 1. A student complies with the requirements regarding command of English, the language of 12

13 instruction, after passing one of the following examinations, or equivalent: - International English Language Testing system (IELTS) 6.5, - Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) paper based test: 580, - TOEFL internet based test: Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): A, B or C. 2. Exemption of one of the English examinations mentioned in the first item is granted to an individual who, not longer than two years prior to commencement of the programme, passed all components of the examinations mentioned in the first item, or - met with the requirements of VU University s English Language Skills Test, TOEFL ITP, by minimally obtaining the score as determined in the first item, or - who followed secondary or tertiary education in an English-speaking country mentioned as such on VU University s website, or - who possesses an International Baccalaureate Certificate (English-medium). The model Teaching and Examination Regulations for Master s programmes states: 1. A student who wishes to be admitted to an entire or partial English-medium Master s degree programme should demonstrate prior to commencement of the programme to have sufficient command of English as set out in Article 2.4, second paragraph under e. The minimum requirements set one of the following examinations are: - Academic test IELTS TOEFL paper based test: TOEFL computer based test: TOEFL internet based test: Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): A, B, and C - Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): A and B 2. Individuals are considered to have complied with the requirements of the examination as set out in the first item if: - not longer than two years prior to commencement of the programme, they passed all components of an examination as mentioned in the first item; - they met with the requirements of VU University s English Language Skills Test, TOEFL ITP, by minimally obtaining the score as determined in the first item; - those who were awarded a Bachelor s degree in an English-speaking country mentioned as such on VU University s website. 3. If necessary for passing, a higher norm than the one mentioned in the first item may be determined by the Faculty Board for the programme-specific part of admission to the degree course or for participating in a specific teaching unit. 13

14 4. Transitional provision: those, for whom this Master s programme is approved as a follow up Master s programme in accordance with Article 7.30a of the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act (WHW), are exempt from the requirements of this article. The programme-specific part may determine that the student referred to in the previous sentence shall sit for a language examination and obtain the required result during the course of the study programme, as mentioned in this item. 5. The International Office guarantees accommodation for international degree students if their application is received prior to a certain date. 6. Degree programme coordinators, study advisers, and lecturers work together to provide optimal guidance regarding study related issues. Thus avoiding delay, particularly during the first three months. The bindend studieadvies [binding recommendations on the next step in a student s education] (BSA) also applies to Bachelor s degree students. 7. In addition, for non-eu students participating in an English-medium degree programme the study progress norm (Code of Conduct) applies. Study advisors supervise whether these students meet the 50 percent norm (in one academic year students must achieve at least 50% of the proportional nominal study load). For further information see the Code of Conduct (Paragraph 5). 8. International students who experience study or personal problems are initially supported by the faculty student counsellors or programme coordinators. Subsequently, depending on the nature of the problem, the student is referred to the faculty study advisor, the account manager involved with the IO or the student dean or psychologist at SOZ. 9. Alumni, be they national or international, are administered by Communications & Marketing in Selligent, a relations management system. Concrete guidelines Re 2. Selection can take place indirectly by means of a recruitment policy focussing on specific target groups. Re 6. In this case, study progress monitoring comes to mind on the basis of which refresher courses are offered, including ICT courses, an Dutch introductory course (Daily Dutch), and the VU University teaching method (cultural differences), etc. 6. QUALITY ASSURANCE REGARDING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION 6.1 INTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REGARDING INTERNATIONALISING EDUCATION Two different perspectives apply to this matter. The first involves examining the internal quality 14

15 assurance of education itself, in the case of students who follow part of their programme abroad. The second focuses on the extent to which the prevailing internationalisation policy is Being implemented properly, whereby a quality assurance cycle is in place to monitor and, if necessary, improve quality Quality assurance of teaching and learning in case of outbound students Naturally, the education provided to VU students abroad is expected to meet a certain minimum standard. In general, this is guaranteed by the fact that exchange takes place with well known institutions of long standing acquaintance, for example, within the framework of the Erasmus programme. Moreover, an Examination Board (or another authorised body) approves the exchange programme of each individual student prior to their stay abroad. Thus determining in advance whether the chosen programme meets the quality requirements. In the event of students doing work placement or working on a thesis at a foreign institution, the quality can be guaranteed by complying with a number of rules: Students should have a foreign study adviser as well as study adviser at VU University. The foreign study adviser should hold at least the position of Assistant Professor. The VU University study adviser maintains contact with the student and acts as jointassessor of the final product of the work placement or thesis Quality assurance of the process of internationalising education The faculty board is responsible for the policy of internationalising education and for internationalising the degree programmes within the faculty. For the benefit of quality assurance data are collected systematically. Data concerning international degree students are managed by SOZ on the SAP/SLM student information system. Data regarding lecturers are managed in SAP-HRM. Examples of measurable quality criteria of internationalising education are: Intake, transfer, and the success rate of foreign students as opposed to Dutch students on the course or degree programme; Comparing the study achievements of foreign students compared to Dutch students on the course or degree programme; Whether the requirements are fulfilled regarding the command of the English language by lecturers and support staff; Student satisfaction regarding lecturers command of English (based on the student Assessments of the Centre for Educational Training, Assessment and Research) of SOZ; Student satisfaction regarding the possibilities they are given to acquire international experience (based on the results of the Bachelor s programme questionnaire and the national student survey); 15

16 Satisfaction of international exchange students about their period of study at VU University; Satisfaction of Bachelor s and Master s international students at VU University (based on an annual International Office: International Student Barometer ISB). Reasons for drop-out and no show students (investigated by asking drop out and no show students about their satisfaction with the intake process, etc. by means of a decliner s questionnaire). The faculty board assesses whether the measurable aspects of internationalising education are in line with its policy and its set target figures regarding internationalising education. The faculty board discusses these aspects annually, and if necessary, improvements are implemented if target figures are not achieved. Agreements are made during administrative consultations with the Executive Board. For VU University as a whole the International Office assesses whether the measurable aspects of internationalising education comply with its policy and whether they are in line with its target figures. Besides, the services offered by the IO that do not come to the fore in the aspects listed above, are assessed regularly among various groups of users. These groups involve at least the students enrolled at VU University, including the international students. In this way, one could formulate objectives and target figures with reference to numbers of students who are assisted, and with reference to the satisfaction of the users of the services. Such performance indicators are discussed during the administrative consultations between the IO and the Executive board, where the agreements regarding improvements are also made. 6.2 COMPLAINTS PROCEDURES Essentially, quality assurance is intended to be set up in such a way that students find a willing ear in case they have a complaint and that something is actually done about these complaints they might have. There is a complaints procedure for both international students at VU University as well as for VU students studying abroad or acquiring international experience in another way. VU University has a single address students can turn to with their complaints or notices of objection, and appeals. Each faculty also has a central address where students can lodge disputes. In most cases the Geschillenloket [Disputes Desk] is located in the Education Office The VU University Ombudsman offers an accessible and safe haven to first discuss a complaint before taking it further. The VU Student Ombudsman is Ms E.J. Poesiat (member of management staff). 16

17 APPENDICES Click on the link to open the appendix. Appendix 1: Code of Conduct regarding international students 17