Faculty of Social Sciences

We begin this section by describing how the Educational Quality Agreements Plan for the Faculty of Social Sciences (FSW) came into being. We will then discuss the realisation of that plan from 2019 to 2021 and the budgets and estimates for 2022 to 2024. This will be followed by a review of the activities carried out for each theme. Finally, examples will be used to describe how the participational bodies and (other) organisations representing students and lecturers are involved, broken down into involvement in the entire project and involvement per theme. Reflections on the process and progress of the actions from the participational bodies are also attached (‘Independent reflection from the Representative Council’ and ‘Independent reflection from the Faculty Student Council’). 

Starting in September 2018, the faculty’s Executive Board, students and lecturers worked to create a plan for spending the quality resources in 2019–2024:

At the end of 2018, the Faculty of Social Sciences used the above input as the foundation for its Educational Quality Agreements Plan 2019–2024. The faculty chose to focus on three of the six themes [1] in the quality agreements:

For each theme, the following goals were set to improve educational quality. The FGV agreed to the plan on 8 October 2018. The goals for each theme are:

The faculty’s plan for the quality agreements is, of course, a dynamic whole and changes are inevitable in such a multi-year plan. For example, some goals were moved to a different theme in early 2021 for reasons of internal coherence and as a result of the start of the related RU-wide Student Guidance 2023 project. This is explained in the footnotes. This was an administrative change; the intended goals are unchanged and the planned activities have been carried out. The only substantive change that has occurred relates to the plan to organise a course on Innovative and Challenging Teaching for all lecturers. It has been converted into a more goal-oriented alternative, tailored to the lecturer and their course: a systematic review of each course in which each course coordinator receives customised advice from an educational advisor.

Table 6 shows the realisation in 2019, 2020 and 2021, and the budgets for 2022, 2023 and 2024, based on the theme classification adjusted in 2021. See Appendix 1 for justification of the realisation versus the original budget from 2018.

Table 7 provides an overview of the budgets and realisation for 2019–2021, broken down by theme and goals.

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The total budgeted costs amount to: €10,880,000: €10 million from the allocation from the quality resources and €880,000 from own resources.

Starting in 2020, the costs for the 18 FTE assistant professors were anticipated. However, the appointments were not made on 1 January 2020, but during that year. This resulted in a positive balance of €324,000 in 2020, which was used in 2021. In total, the faculty used €745,000 of its own resources in 2021 for the quality agreements.

This is now expected to result in a positive balance of €311,000 in 2024. After consultation with the participational bodies in the discussion of the 2023 and 2024 annual plans, this balance will partly be allocated to the implementation of the Student Guidance 2023 policy frameworks that are now being prepared (see theme 2).

This section describes the goals, activities carried out and results achieved for each theme. The ways in which students, lecturers and the participational bodies have actively contributed to developing and implementing the quality agreements is described in more detail in the section ‘Involvement of the participational bodies, lecturers and students’.[EGS1] 

Table 8 provides an overview of the budgets and realisation for 2019–2021, broken down by theme and goals.

The table below shows the costs incurred within Theme 1 in 2019–2021, broken down by the three goals.

In 2019–2021, the faculty worked towards more intensive and smaller-scale education in two ways, by:

In 2018, students clearly expressed the need to improve the internship and thesis process. They asked for better arrangements for receiving feedback and for more consistency between the different assessors.

In spring 2019, the faculty drew up a plan for achieving a quantitative increase in staffing that would lead to a qualitative intensification of internship and thesis supervision in both the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes. The campaign started in September 2019 with the recruitment of 18 FTEs of academic staff at the assistant professor level; they started their work in the course of 2020–2021.

This increase in staff provides more time per student for supervision, and lecturers supervise fewer students at the same time. Most study programmes have now appointed an internship/thesis coordinator to better coordinate this supervision. The focus of this improvement is the clear articulation of mutual expectations between student and lecturer and agreements about (submission) deadlines and the timeframe within which students will receive feedback.

Lecturers get more time, so the quality of the feedback can also be improved. With this improvement scheme, the faculty also stimulates students’ personal and professional development during their internship and thesis and asks lecturers to pay attention to this in their supervision.

In 2021, the faculty conducted a survey to evaluate student satisfaction with the internship and thesis supervision. It found that students in all study programmes are satisfied with the guidance offered. The average scores (on a 10-point scale) across all study programmes were 8.2 for the lecturer category, 7.6 for the course category and 7.5 for the assessment category. The average total score was 7.8. It should be noted that the response rate for some study programmes was low. In spring 2022, this evaluation will be intensified by focus discussions with students and supervisors and an additional analysis of the feedback opportunities, the quality requirements for supervisors and the procedures to ensure consistency in assessments. This research will lead to further improvement actions that will be worked out and implemented from 2022 up to and including 2024.

In 2019–2021, students’ needs for challenging, small-scale, intensive, innovative and varied education were mainly addressed in the form of: using web lectures and knowledge clips; intensifying tutorials; using peer feedback; increasing the variety of teaching forms and strengthening students’ autonomy and self-direction.

In 2019, the faculty began encouraging the use of web lectures in study programmes where they were not yet available. As a result of the COVID-19 measures and the transition to online education, the use of web lectures, knowledge clips, breakout rooms and livestreams had grown rapidly by 2020. A flex pool of student assistants was set up to support lecturers in this rapid transition and help them interact with students online. Online education has increased the ability of students to study more flexibly at the time and place of their choosing.

At the same time, this has led to a discussion about which educational activities are best provided online and which can best be programmed together on campus. To achieve a well-considered mix of online and offline education, lecturers look for forms of blended learning that work well for students.

Some good examples include: giving students more responsibility (in the Bachelor’s course General Introduction to Psychology, the Master’s course Anxiety and Depression, and Pedagogical Sciences), more focus on application of knowledge, fewer delays (Bachelor’s course Neuropsychology, Pedagogical Sciences) and online collaboration and presenting (Master’s course Young Consumer, Communication Sciences).

To further stimulate such innovations, an innovation fund has been set up from which lecturers can obtain extra time or extra assistance to update their courses. It was decided to focus on approachable and small-scale innovations. So far, three calls for education innovation have been issued to lecturers in all study programmes. These have mainly focused on peer feedback, autonomy, more challenging tutorials and more variety in teaching methods. 14 projects were awarded funds in 2020, and 22 projects in 2021. All study programmes have been represented. All these innovations are evaluated with students (e.g., in focus groups or through course evaluations). This innovation stimulus will be continued in 2022–2024 with two calls per academic year so even more courses can make leaps in innovation.

Another education innovation is the intensification of statistics education. Students need access to just-in-time explanations of specific statistics topics during individual study and assignments. Starting in 2019, two study programmes (Artificial Intelligence and Pedagogical Sciences) experimented with additional digital guidance in statistics education using the Grasple application. The purpose of this is to make knowledge clips about statistics available for reference throughout the study programme and to give students more opportunities to practise in assignments. Based on positive experiences and a positive evaluation, the faculty will structurally invest in innovation of statistics education in several study programmes from 2022. This will also allow experience to be gained with alternative forms of student guidance.

A faculty work group was set up in 2021 to identify more clearly what lecturers and students consider important within the themes of education innovation (theme 1) and lecturer professionalisation (theme 6). This work group consists of two lecturers who are also TLC ambassadors, a member of the Representative Council, a member of the Faculty Student Council, the educational advisor, and the quality agreements policy officer. The faculty’s Executive Board has adopted this work group’s recommendation to collaborate with the TIP in 2022 to develop an e-module and a workshop about how to create challenging tutorials and how to use peer feedback. The e-module will be made available to all lecturers in 2022; the workshop will be organised in spring and autumn.

For this theme, the following goals with corresponding budgets have been set:

In 2018, many students indicated that they found the supply of information about student guidance inadequate and that it is often unclear who they can turn to for what questions and what the procedures and rules are. To improve the supply of information, the Student Information Point (STIP) was launched in 2019. The STIP reception desk has become the place where students can turn to (either in person at the reception desk or online via email or chat) for questions about course and exam registration, study progress and regulations. Thanks to the quality resources, this reception desk can be staffed by student assistants every weekday. They answer questions that would otherwise be asked to student advisors, the international office or the admission office, which relieves staff and serves students more quickly.

Furthermore, a single STIP website has been created for the entire faculty. It contains all sorts of programme-specific information as well as the most important regulations about the binding study advice, exemptions, electives, honours programmes, subsequent Master’s programmes and diploma requests.

Since the faculty moved into the new Maria Montessori building, STIP has literally become the front office for all educational support, which is now housed together and easily accessible to students on the first floor. In 2021, the faculty evaluated the extent to which the STIP reception desk and website were satisfactory. This revealed various issues regarding the strengthening of cooperation with the study programmes and the further refinement of student communication based on a joint communication year calendar for the study programmes, the faculty office and the university as a whole.

In 2018, students indicated that they would also like to develop more on a personal level, more broadly than just within their own study programme. The university and faculty provide for this to a large extent, but students could not always find these services. The Radboud-wide personal development offerings have now been combined under the name Radboud Cares and can be accessed online. From 2022, students will be able to find these offerings even more easily through STIP’s website.

One new development was the 2021 launch of the Radboud-wide Student Guidance 2023 project, whose goals closely match the faculty-wide quality agreements on student guidance and well-being. This allows faculty and university-wide initiatives to reinforce each other. For example, as part of Student Guidance 2023, a roadmap was developed in 2021 to better refer students to the right information and academic counsellor. This roadmap has been integrated into the STIP website, and it will be evaluated with a student panel in 2022.

Likewise, in the context of Student Guidance 2023, all study programmes at the Faculty of Social Sciences will integrate elements of personal and professional development into their curricula no later than 2023–2024. For this purpose, new programme components will be developed or existing components will be better aligned and profiled. In early 2022, the faculty’s work group on student guidance will take stock of the current situation and further ambitions in the study programmes. By the end of 2022, the work group will issue recommendations to the board and study programmes about how to comply with the Radboud-wide frameworks. This is expected to involve a substantial investment. Once the frameworks are established, the current positive balance for 2024 will be used in part for this purpose.

During the 2018 planning process, students indicated that they highly value an orientation to the professional field and job market, and they would like to receive more guidance in this respect. That is why a career service officer was appointed in 2019, financed from the quality agreements. The career service now provides useful information via the website and newsletter, individual counselling and courses and training sessions. Individual students and study associations frequently use this service. In 2021, the faculty also developed Career Central, an online platform for professionals, internship providers, employers and students. The platform will be expanded step by step in 2022. The career service and the online platform are important prerequisites for the personal and professional development learning paths in the study programmes.

Although attention has always been paid to student well-being, the realisation of the quality agreements has put this on the agenda more systematically. Lecturers pay attention to this through online question times, weekly updates and drop-in consultation hours. Mentors and student advisors regularly discuss study progress and personal circumstances with individual students.

Student well-being received more attention than ever due to the pandemic. Following reports of increased psychological problems (e.g., loneliness, depression, fear of failure) among both Dutch and international students, the faculty purchased a licence for the use of a preventive e-health service, including the administration of a validated health questionnaire, in September 2019. This gives students an easy understanding of their well-being. With the help of the e-health tools, they can first address their potential problems themselves or they can directly contact help providers at Radboud University and beyond. A well-being officer (0.4 FTE) was appointed to coordinate this effort. The use of the licence was evaluated positively, and the e-health modules are now available to all the university’s students.

In 2021, all first-year students (in Bachelor’s, pre-Master’s and Master’s programmes) were given the 100-day check three months after starting their study programme. It referred students to various types of support. In 2022, the well-being officer will work with study associations to organise several prevention activities as a result of the check.

Lecturer mentors will also receive 113 suicide prevention training in 2022. After all, many lecturers ask themselves: How far should I go in my counselling? When should I call in a professional counsellor, and who should that be? A ‘who, what, when’ card will be developed for lecturers in 2022 to help answer those questions.

Students can also help each other as peers. This usually happens informally in study groups or the study associations. Senior students are also often involved in guiding first-year students as student assistants. Students with an impairment and/or international students can ask for a study buddy, who will show them the ropes in the academic world and in student life.

In 2022, the Faculty of Social Sciences will use NPO resources to expand the study buddy project to all first-year and senior students who need a buddy for any reason. Initially, 17 study buddies will be appointed. They will receive a short training session beforehand and will be guided through peer consultation.

The faculty believes that study associations are critical to ensure informal contact between students and also between students and lecturers. Programme Directors maintain short lines of communication with study associations, which keeps lecturers more involved in study association activities. The new staff member for student communication also contributes to this and strengthens the line of communication between the faculty and the umbrella association for study associations so they can work well together (e.g., on buddy projects and well-being projects).

For this theme, the following goals with corresponding budgets have been set:

The first priority in 2019 was the education-related research scheme, which offers 0.2 FTE of research time for lecturers with a full teaching appointment. They can use this time to refresh their knowledge, conduct their own research or participate in research programmes. This enhances their motivation and job satisfaction, keeps courses up-to-date and contributes to the interconnectedness of education and research. After a positive evaluation at the end of 2020, this scheme for 23 lecturers was extended through 2023. In this second round, more attention will be paid to proper embedding of these lecturers in research groups and connecting them to ongoing research.

In 2018, lecturers expressed the need to share more knowledge internally, learn from each other and inspire each other. In 2021, the faculty work group for education innovation and lecturer professionalisation issued three recommendations which were adopted by the faculty’s Executive Board and will take shape in 2022-2024:

When the English-taught Psychology study programme was launched in 2018, all lecturers were tested to verify their English language proficiency at level C1 (in lectures) or B2 (tutorials). Nevertheless, students in the English-taught Psychology study programme in particular indicated that the English level of some lecturers was not good enough. Those lecturers were encouraged to take the Lecturing in English course from Radboud in’to Languages or received customised coaching. Starting in 2022, lecturers in all English study programmes will be encouraged to take the Teaching the International Classroom course.

Sustainability is a key focal point in the faculty’s strategy for 2021–2026, partly at the initiative of students. The Faculty of Social Sciences aims to introduce every student in every study programme to various aspects of sustainability. From 2022, professionalisation will be stimulated through the Sustainable Development Goals in the University course for staff members and the SDG Community Building course for students and lecturers.

Our faculty’s strategy for 2021–2026 also sets the goal to reduce the number of assessments and to focus more on formative assessment, so students can take more responsibility for their own learning and practise before being assessed. In autumn 2021, an interview round was started with all Programme Directors and Examining Board chairs to ask how they want to achieve these ambitions in their study programmes and what kind of professionalisation is needed. Based on these interviews, several ‘different and smarter assessment’ pilot projects will be started in the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 academic years.

To further increase the professionalism of lecturers, the work group for education innovation and lecturer professionalisation also recommended that teaching be given a more prominent place in annual appraisal interviews. Supervisors will be encouraged to discuss both teaching tasks and the development of lecturers in the annual appraisal interviews. In addition, the faculty wants to make it easier for lecturers to find information and professionalisation opportunities, as lecturers currently perceive this to be confusing and overwhelming. The TIP and TLC will work on this in 2022, in collaboration with the communication department.

Students, lecturers, programme committees (OLCs) and participational bodies were and are involved in various ways in the development, implementation and evaluation of the quality agreements. Here are a few examples of stimulating involvement in the quality agreements as a whole:

The participational bodies and (a representative group of) students and lecturers were also involved in developing the three themes. Below, we give a few examples for each theme.

In 2021, the faculty conducted a survey to evaluate student satisfaction with the internship and thesis supervision. In spring 2022, this evaluation will be intensified through an additional analysis by the Programme Directors and internship and thesis coordinators and in focus discussions with panels of students and supervisors.

The work group consists of a Programme Director, a lecturer who is also an ambassador from the Teaching & Learning Centre, an FGV member, an OLC member and two support staff. Their recommendations regarding e-modules/workshops, the faculty’s Education Days, peer consultation, annual appraisal interviews and course reviews were included in the 2022 annual plan.

In the framework of Radboud Education Week, presentations, discussions and peer consultation sessions by and for the faculty’s lecturers will take place on 22 and 24 March 2022. A work group consisting of a Programme Director, lecturers and supporters is organising the faculty’s Education Days. Lecturers who responded to the innovation calls will be encouraged to present their innovations. Lecturers and students will be encouraged to participate by the FSW-weekly, the FSW Teachers community, the programme committees and social media.

In spring 2022, the recommendations from the work group for education innovation and lecturer professionalisation will be implemented to achieve a systematic review of courses. The Programme Director will draw up a schedule to ensure that each course will be reviewed once per review period. During the review, the course coordinator – with the help of an educational advisor and fellow lecturers – will think about the further development of the course (e.g., to include blended learning or other forms of assessment). The reviews can also be organised by learning path.