Erasmus Policy Statement (Overall Strategy) Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Transcription

1 Erasmus Policy Statement (Overall Strategy) Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) The Institution agrees to publish this overall strategy (all three parts) on its website within one month after the signature of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education by the European Commission. Please describe your institution's international (EU and non-eu) strategy. In your description please explain: how you choose your partners in which geographical area(s) and the most important objectives and target groups of your mobility activities (with regard to staff and students in first, second and third cycles, including study and training, and short cycles). If applicable, also explain how your institution participates in the development of double/multiple/joint degrees. (max characters) TU Delft s mission for the medium-term strategy (Roadmap 2020: ) is for TU Delft to make a substantial contribution to the sustainable society of the 21st century by conducting pioneering technical-scientific research that is internationally recognised as world-class, by training socially responsible engineers and scientists, and by helping to translate knowledge into economically and socially valuable technological innovations and activity. The main objectives of the internationalisation strategy for the period between 2014 and 2020 are to: Attract international top talent and expand the international intake (EU and non-eu) in the Master s and PhD programmes Further expand and maintain international (strategic) collaborations in the areas of education, research and training, and with relevant multinationals, companies and governmental organisations, in order to position TU Delft as a leading global university Internationalise all Bachelor s programmes (for example by introducing English courses, introducing a English minor per programme) Further extend the range of joint education and exchange programmes and post-academic education Offer online Master s education throughout the world Increase the mobility of students, staff and lecturers Further the integration between international and Dutch students Further implement an international communications policy, with bilingualism in the workplace (Dutch and English) as the norm Improve the provision of information to international students regarding teaching and testing methods at TU Delft

2 Extend the Central International Office s services for incoming PhD students and staff Increase the supply of accommodation for international students and staff, in cooperation with the City of Delft and student accommodation providers. TU Delft is focusing its efforts on increasing the intake in the MSc and PhD phases. Excellence grants will be available for top talent. For the Bachelor s phase, the ambition is that every programme should offer at least one English-language minor, creating more opportunities for hosting Bachelor s exchange students. For the mobility of outgoing students, the goal is for two-thirds of graduates to have had international experience. The synergy with other ERASMUS for All campaigns will provide a strong stimulus for the mobility of staff and lecturers. From a geographical perspective, the collaborations with partner universities are global in nature, with a strong focus on Europe. TU Delft wants to continue the administrative cooperation in the IDEA League, an important European network for leading technical universities. In addition to this, TU Delft is exploring the possibility of establishing branches of research centres in upcoming knowledge economies such as Brazil, China, India, Singapore and Malaysia for training of PhD students. Five of these centres have already been realised and more will be added in the coming years. Since 2010, TU Delft has participated in two of the three of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology s Knowledge & Innovation communities (KIC s). TU Delft considers quality to be of paramount importance, and is therefore critical concerning its choice of partners. With educational collaborations, every candidate institution is assessed with regard to the following quality criteria: reputation, level of education, the institution s organisational standards and standard of services, compatibility, language of instruction, level of incoming students, balance of incoming/outgoing mobility, and the experiences with this partner. In addition, for collaborations with an educational and research component, naturally there are also quality criteria in the area of research. TU Delft intends to further extend the number of joint education programmes, whereby a central review commission will assess a programme in advance on the quality of its content and feasibility. The assessment criteria are: added value of the programme for the educational and research portfolio, quality of the partner institution, added value for attracting new target groups, contribution to strengthening TU Delft s international impact, quality of the degree programme, cost efficiency, financial viability, and practical feasibility. Programmes will be evaluated after three years. International students will receive more comprehensive information prior to arrival (via an online platform and social media) about the educational programme and assessment methods, what they can expect from lecturers and, conversely, what lecturers expect from students.

3 TU Delft guarantees that all students, lecturers and staff, both outgoing and incoming, will have equal chances and opportunities to participate in the ERASMUS for All programme. If applicable, please describe your institution's strategy for the organisation and implementation of international (EU and non-eu) cooperation projects in teaching and training in relation to projects implemented under the Programme. (max characters): TU Delft has an ambitious internationalisation programme, establishing and maintaining strategic partnerships around the world in the fields of education, research and training in order to gain recognition as a leading university on the world stage. TU Delft invests in strategic cooperation at the European, global, regional and sectoral levels. This cooperation is established at three different levels of scale: individual peer-to-peer collaboration, cooperation between academic departments and/or faculties and cooperation at the administrative level. Potential projects are carefully assessed for factors such as the programme's added value for the education and research portfolio, demonstrable effects on education quality and innovation, organisational and practical feasibility, the administrative and financial support required, potential risks and the presence of a valorisation plan which sets out how the results are to be disseminated and implemented. Project partners are assessed for quality, based on the premise that TU Delft can benefit and learn by associating itself with partners who are ranked among the worldwide top in their field. The potential partners' capacity to raise external funding for research is also taken into account. This approach ensures that the number of projects is kept manageable while assuring quality. Staff members' involvement in joint programmes contributes to their professional development. TU Delft's strategy focuses, among other things, on the further digitisation of the education programmes. Next to MOOCs online Masters are offered in an international Open Course Ware consortium. TU Delft is currently a European front runner in this area, applying its knowledge and experience in partnerships with other European higher education institutions. TU Delft is also investigating the potential of a European knowledge alliance in fields like energy, water, ict, climate, maths and Sports Engineering.

4 Please explain the expected impact of your participation in the Programme on the modernisation of your institution (for each of the 5 priorities of the Modernisation Agenda*) in terms of the policy objectives you intend to achieve. (max characters): It is anticipated that TU Delft's participation will: Increase the numbers of Master's and PhD graduates by: a) recruiting international top talent and increasing the international intake (both EU and non-eu) in the Master's and PhD programmes and b) increasing pass rates and decreasing drop-out rates by, for example: streamlining programmes to equip students better for meeting the attainment requirements, reducing the average time required to complete the PhD programme, using modern educational methods (such as digitisation), improving the selection process, introducing measures aimed at improving students' and PhD candidates study behavior. Improve education quality and relevance by a) further development of the Graduate School, which combines all PhD programmes. The Graduate School offers students a broad training in generic and transferable skills, so that after graduation and even in non-scientific functions they can successfully fulfil a range of advanced professional roles b) providing more challenges to excellent students through the development of excellence programmes c) providing more joint education programmes and English-language Bachelor's minors d) the application of innovative educational methods e) improving lecturer quality through expanding the teacher training programmes and f) providing more post-academic programmes tailored to meet the current demands of society and improving cooperation with the businesses community in the development of new and existing education programmes. Further expand the international cooperation programme, which will increase the opportunities for students to broaden their social and academic horizons by spending time abroad and will enable lecturers to improve their teaching skills. Strengthen the ties between education, research and the business community by a) fostering students' entrepreneurial ambitions by increasing the involvement of the business community b) facilitating the development of new entrepreneurial initiatives and a high-quality science park adjacent to the university where researchers and businesses can share knowledge and innovate c) increase the opportunities for establishing projects in emerging knowledge economies such as Brazil and China, where PhD students can be trained and d) provide the SME sector with better access to TU Delft's knowledge and research infrastructure. e) Cultural contributions positioning TU Delft as international innovative centre.

5 Improve governance and financing by a) making full use of additional EU funding by actively participating in ERASMUS for All b) initiating fund-raising activities aimed at private individuals, businesses and foundations c) implementing an HR strategy aimed at the development of excellent academic and support staff, including the roll-out of the Coaching Leadership training programme and the recruitment of more female academic talent.