Netherlands from Re.ViCa

The Netherlands is the host of the Open Universiteit Nederland (Dutch Open University) and of the former Dutch Digital University.

The Netherlands in a nutshell

The Netherlands

The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba in the Caribbean. The Netherlands is a parliamentary democratic constitutional monarchy, located in Western Europe. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east.

The Netherlands is often called Holland. This is formally incorrect as North and South Holland in the western Netherlands are only two of the country's twelve provinces. Still, many Dutch people colloquially refer to their country as Holland in this way, as a synecdoche.

The Netherlands is a geographically low-lying and the 25th most densely populated country in the world, with 395 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,023 sq mi)—or 484 people per square kilometre (1,254/sq mi) if only the land area is counted, since 18.4% is water. The population in total is 16.3 million.

The Netherlands has an international outlook; among other affiliations the country is a founding member of the European Union (EU), NATO, the OECD, and has signed the Kyoto protocol. Along with Belgium and Luxembourg, the Netherlands is one of three member nations of the Benelux economic union. The country is host to five international (ised) courts: the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Court and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. All of these courts (except the Special Tribunal for Lebanon), as well as the EU's criminal intelligence agency (Europol), are situated in The Hague, which has led to the city being referred to as "the world's legal capital."

Education System

The different levels of education in the Netherlands

Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is oriented toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of these are in turn divided in streams for different educational levels. Schools are furthermore divided in public and special (religious) schools. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, ranks the education in the Netherlands as the 9th best in the world as of 2008, being significantly higher than the OECD average.

Education policy is coordinated by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, together with municipal governments.

Compulsory education (leerplicht) in the Netherlands starts at the age of five, although in practice, most schools accept children from the age of four. From the age of sixteen there is a partial compulsory education (partiële leerplicht), meaning a pupil must attend some form of education for at least two days a week. Compulsory education ends for pupils age eighteen and up.

There are public, special (religious), and private schools. The first two are government-financed and officially free of charge, though schools may ask for a parental contribution (ouderbijdrage).

Public schools are controlled by local governments. Special schools are controlled by a school board. Special schools are typically based on a particular religion. There are government financed Catholic and Protestant elementary schools, high schools, and universities, furthermore there are government financed Jewish and Muslim elementary schools and high schools. In principle a special school can refuse the admission of a pupil if the parents indicate disagreement with the school's educational philosophy. This is an uncommon occurrence. Practically there is little difference between special schools and public schools, except in traditionally religious areas like Zeeland and the Veluwe (around Apeldoorn). Private schools do not receive financial support from the government.

There is also a considerable number of publicly financed schools which are based on a particular educational philosophy, for instance the Montessori Method, Pestalozzi Plan, Dalton Plan or Jena Plan. Most of these are public schools, but some special schools also base themselves on any of these educational philosophies.

In elementary and high schools the students are assessed annually by a team of teachers, who determine whether the pupil has advanced enough to move on to the next grade. If the pupil has not advanced enough he or she may have to retake the year (blijven zitten, English: stay seated); this is an uncommon occurrence. Highly intelligent children are sometimes granted the opportunity to skip an entire year, yet this happens rarely and usually in elementary schools.

All school types (public, special and private) are under the jurisdiction of a government body called Onderwijsinspectie (Education Inspection) and can be forced to make changes in educational policy or risk closure.

Schools

The Dutch Education System

Basisonderwijs

Between the ages of four to twelve, children attend basisschool (elementary school; literally, "basis school"). This school has eight grades, called groep 1 (group 1) through groep 8. School attendance is compulsory from group 2 (at age five), but almost all children commence school at four (in group 1). Groups 1 and 2 used to be called kleuterschool (nursery). From group 3 on, children will learn how to read, write and do maths. In group 7 and 8 many schools start with teaching English to their students. In group 8 the vast majority of schools administer the Citotoets (Cito test, developed by the Centraal instituut voor toetsontwikkeling[3]) to recommend what type of secondary education should be followed. In recent years this test has gained authority, but the opinion of the group 8 teacher has remained the most crucial factor in this recommendation.

Voortgezet Onderwijs

After attending elementary education, children aged 12 years old attend voortgezet onderwijs (high school; literally "continued education"). Depending on the advice of the elementary school and the score of the Cito test, pupils are assigned to either vmbo, havo or vwo.

The first year of all levels is referred to as the brugklas (litt. bridge class), as it connects the elementary school system to the secondary education system. During this year, pupils will gradually learn to cope with differences such as dealing with an increased personal responsibility.

When it is not clear which type of secondary education best suits a pupil, there is an orientation year for both vmbo/havo and havo/vwo to determine this. In addition, there is a second orientation year for havo/vwo when inconclusive.

Furthermore it is possible for pupils who have attained the vmbo diploma to attend two years of havo-level education and sit the HAVO-exam, and for pupils with a havo-diploma to attend two years of vwo-level education and then sit the VWO exam.

Vmbo

The vmbo (voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, literally, "preparatory middle-level vocational education") education lasts four years, from the age of twelve to sixteen. It combines vocational training with theoretical education in languages, mathematics, history, arts and sciences. Sixty percent of students nationally are enrolled in vmbo. Vmbo itself has four different levels, in each a different mix of practical vocational training and theoretical education is combined.

• Theoretische leerweg (literally, "theoretical learning path") is the most theoretical of the four, it prepares for middle management and vocational training in the mbo-level of tertiary education and it is needed to enter havo.
• Gemengde leerweg (literally, "mixed learning path") is in between the Theoretische- and Kaderberoepsgerichte Leerwegen.
• Kaderberoepsgerichte Leerweg (literally, "middle management-oriented learning path") teaches theoretical education and vocational training equally. It prepares for middle management and vocational training in the mbo-level of tertiary education.
• Basisberoepsgerichte Leerweg (literally, "basic profession-oriented learning path") emphasizes vocational training and prepares for the vocational training in the mbo-level of tertiary education.
• Praktijkonderwijs (literally, "practical education") consists out of mainly vocational training. It is meant for pupils who would otherwise not obtain their vmbo-diplomas. After obtaining this diploma pupils can enter the job market without further training.

For all of these levels there is Leerweg Ondersteunend Onderwijs (literally, "learning path supporting education"), which is intended for pupils with educational or behavioural problems. These pupils are taught in small classes by specialized teachers.

Havo

The havo (hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs, literally, "higher general continued education") has five grades and is attended from age twelve to seventeen. A havo diploma provides access to the HBO-level (polytechnic) of tertiary education.

The first three years together are called the Basisvorming (literally, "basis forming"). All pupils follow the same subjects: languages, mathematics, history, arts and sciences. In the third year pupils must choose one of four profiles. A profile is a set of different subjects that will make up for the largest part of the pupil's timetable in the fourth and fifth year, that are together called the Tweede Fase (literally, "second phase"). A profile specializes the pupil in an area, and some hbo and wo studies therefore require a specific profile. Students must also choose one to three additional subjects. Furthermore, Dutch and one foreign language (most often English), as well as some minor subjects, are compulsory. In all profiles mathematics is compulsory, but the level of difficulty differs for each profile. Pupils still have some free space, which is not taken by compulsory and profile subjects: here they can pick two subjects from other profiles. Sometimes pupils choose more than two subjects, this can result in multiple profiles.

These are the profiles:

• Cultuur en Maatschappij (literally, "culture and society") emphasizes on arts and foreign languages (French, German and less frequently Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Turkish). In the province of Friesland, West Frisian is also taught. The mathematics classes focus on statistics and stochastics. This profile prepares for artistic and cultural training at the hbo.
• Economie en Maatschappij (literally, "economy and society") emphasizes on social sciences, economy, and history. The mathematics classes focus on statistics and stochastics. This profile prepares for social science and economy training at the HBO.
• Natuur en Gezondheid (literally, "nature and health") emphasizes on biology and natural sciences. The mathematics classes focus on algebra, geometry and calculus. This profile is necessary to attend medical training at the HBO.
• Natuur en Techniek (literally, "nature and technology") emphasizes on natural sciences. The mathematics classes focus on algebra, geometry and calculus. This profile is necessary to attend technological and natural science training at the HBO.

Vwo

The vwo (voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs, literally, "preparatory scientific education") has six grades and is attended from age twelve to eighteen. A vwo diploma provides access to wo training, although universities may set their own admittance criteria (e.g. based on profile or on certain subjects). The vwo shares the profiles system described above with the HAVO route. The distinctions that can be made are that the difficulty level is higher, and that the Tweede Fase lasts three years instead of two.

The vwo is divided in Atheneum and Gymnasium. A Gymnasium programme is similar to the Atheneum, except that Latin and Greek are typically compulsory until the third year. Not all schools teach the ancient languages throughout the entire Basisvorming. Latin may start in either the first or the second year, while Greek may start in second or third. At the end of the third year, a pupil may decide to take either or both languages in the Tweede Fase, where the education in ancient languages is combined with education in ancient culture. The subject that they choose, although technically compulsory, is subtracted from their free space.

Vwo-plus, which is also known as Atheneum-plus, Vwo+ or Lyceum, offers extra subjects like philosophy, extra foreign languages and courses to introduce students to scientific research.

Vavo

Vavo (voortgezet algemeen volwassenen Onderwijs, literally, "prolonged general adult education") is ghvmbo, havo or vwo taught for adults.

Vervolgonderwijs

Mbo

Mbo (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, literally, "middle-level vocational education") is oriented towards vocational training. Many pupils with a vmbo-diploma attend mbo. Mbo lasts three to four years. After mbo, pupils can enroll in hbo or enter the job market.

Hbo

With an mbo, havo or vwo diploma, pupils can enroll in hbo (Hoger Beroeps Onderwijs, literally "higher professional education"). It is oriented towards higher learning and professional training, which takes four to six years. The teaching in the hbo is standardized as a result of the Bologna process. After obtaining enough credits (ECTS) pupils will receive a 4 years (professional) Bachelor's degree. They can choose to study longer and obtain a (professional) Master's degree in 1 or 2 years.

Wo

With a vwo-diploma or a propedeuse in hbo, pupils can enroll in wo (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, literally "scientific education"). Wo is only taught at a university. It is oriented towards higher learning in the arts or sciences. The teaching in the wo, too, is standardized due to the Bologna process. After obtaining enough credits (ECTS), pupils will receive a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Laws degree. They can choose to study longer in order to obtain a Master's degree of different fields. At the moment, there are three variants: Master of Arts, Sciences, and Master of Laws. A theoretical Master typically lasts one year, however the majority of practical (e.g. medical), technical and research Masters require two or three years.

Grading

In The Netherlands, grades from 1.0 up to 10.0 are used, with 1 being worst and 10 being best. Generally one decimal place is used and a +/− means a quarter, rounded to either 0.8 or 0.3. Thus, a 6.75 could be written as 7− and count as an 6.8, whereas a 7+ would be a 7.25 and count as an 7.3.

The grade scale with the labels:

• 10 (perfect)
• 9 (excellent)
• 8 (very good)
• 7 (good)
• 6 (sufficient)
• 5 (insufficient)
• 4 (strongly insufficient)
• 3 (very strongly insufficient)
• 2 (bad)
• 1 (very bad)

Depending on the grade, several honors are available: total average of grades 8 with no grade under 7 and finishing in time: cum laude. For an average better than 7, but not meeting the criteria for cum laude, met genoegen (with honor), is sometimes awarded. This honor system is typically only used at universities.

Usually 5.5 and up constitute a pass whereas 5.4 and below constitute a fail. If no decimal places are used, 6 and up is a pass and 5 and below a fail. Sometimes, when no decimal place is used, an additional grade, 6−, is used as "barely passed". This is what would have been a 5.5 if a decimal place were used.

Dutch higher education

There are two types of higher education in the Netherlands (see also above). The universities prepare students for independent scientific and scholarly work in an academic or professional setting. The hogescholen are universities of applied sciences that prepare students for a wide variety of careers in seven sectors: agriculture, engineering and technology, economics and business administration, health care, education/teacher training, social welfare, and fine and performing arts. This type of higher education is known in Dutch as HBO (hoger beroepsonderwijs). At present there are 14 universities in the Netherlands and 45 universities of applied sciences.

The differences between the universities of applied sciences and the research universities have become less marked in the course of time. Nevertheless, a number of differences remain. Universities of applied sciences offer four-year programmes, leading to a Bachelor's degree, which are strongly geared towards practical training. The programmes focus on specific occupations and include traineeships or work placements that provide students with practical work experience. Universities of applied sciences also offer an increasing number of programmes that lead to a Master's degree.

Academic Calendar

The Dutch academic year officially starts on the first Monday of September and is effectively 42 weeks long. The academic year is built up of two semesters of each 21 weeks. The semester switch takes place at the end of January.

There are a few one or two week breaks in the course of the academic year, which are not included in the 42 study weeks. The summer holidays therefore do not start until mid July.

Study programmes may deviate slightly from the official opening and closing dates of the academic year. Check the information that you will receive from your department or check with the International Student Office for the academic calendar of your study programme.

Higher education reform

The Bologna Process

In September 2002, the Bachelor/Master degree structure was officially introduced in Dutch higher education. The new degree structure is the result of the decision of the European ministers of education, made in Bologna in 1999. The aim is to harmonize the various degree systems that exist across Europe by introducing a system of higher education consisting of three cycles (undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate). The undergraduate cycle leads to a Bachelor's degree; the graduate cycle leads to a Master's degree; the post-graduate cycle leads to a PhD degree. All students who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree programme at a university of applied sciences after 1 September 2002 will be allowed to use the title of Bachelor.

Quality assurance

Degree programmes offered by Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences are accredited by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditattion Organisation (NVAO), which is responsible for assessing the quality of study programmes offered by higher education institutions in the Netherlands and Flanders (Belgium). The NVAO uses a validation framework, containing the topics, facets and criteria to be assessed. A positive validation report indicates that potentially a study programme satisfies the requirements of basic quality.

In the Netherlands, accreditation is a precondition for government funding of Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programmes, for the right of awarding recognised diplomas and for granting financial assistance for students. In the light of the internationalisation of education and the labour market, accreditation provides for comparable quality assurance of higher education.

Virtual learning initiatives in the Netherlands

In the Higher Education and Research Plan 2000 (HOOP 2000) of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, a cutback of NLG 15 million (£4.3 million) in the annual governmental contribution was announced for the Open University of the Netherlands (OUNL). This decision was based on both the decline in enrolment rates of the OUNL and also on the fact that the proportion of OUNL students that had al-ready obtained a higher education degree had increased in the 1990s. The OUNL was established in 1984, its most important objective was to provide higher education to adults that had not yet had the opportunity to attend higher education (the so-called second-chancers). A report in 1995 observed that part of this objective was reached, but it also pointed to the increasing student population that was not within the official target group but rather consisted of highly educated and highly skilled professionals, updating and expanding their knowledge base.

Due to new legislation in 1997, the OUNL gained a second core function: contributing to the innovation of higher education. Although the OUNL had carried out several efforts to shape this new core task, in the HOOP 2000 it was observed that, given the limited capacity of the OUNL and its expanding tasks, a new arrangement was needed for the organisation of distance education in the Netherlands. The need to reorganise the distance-education sector was further increased due to the fact that other “traditional” HEIs were also developing innovative ways of delivering and improving higher education. These observations eventually resulted in two possible scenarios for the future of the Open University of the Netherlands and its relationship to the national organisation of distance education:

• A merger with the University of Maastricht (located near the OUNL).
• A broad consortium in which universities, HBO institutions and private enter-prises participate.

On the basis of a scenario study by PricewaterhouseCoopers in July 2000, the Ministry decided that the consortium scenario would be the most attractive and feasible option. The envisaged consortium would be based upon two main objectives: contributing to educational innovation on the one hand, and providing digital education both as part of regular higher education and for new target groups on the other. The broad financial base of the consortium option played a major role in this decision. Immediately afterwards, the OUNL, three universities and nine HBO institutions signed a letter of intent to participate in the consortium.

The main rationale for establishing a consortium was the range of operations, which were considered too broad for separate institutions to handle, as individual institutions had neither the resources nor the experience and expertise. Co-operation was therefore seen as necessary to keep up with contemporary and future developments. For the participating institutions, a variety of motivations could be distinguished. The Digital University (DU) could have led to cost reductions through the joint development of products and the sharing of infrastructure facilities. Furthermore, the DU provided access to new markets, to expertise that was not present within the institution, and to new content. Participating institutions hoped to enjoy a “first mover advantage” and to make a profit by selling products to non-participants. The DU was officially established on 6 April 2001 in Utrecht. But the concept did not succeed: Three years later it closed.

A survey of virtual university activity in the Netherlands was produced in 2001 for HEFCE and updated in summer 2004. It is called Impact of the Internet on Higher Education in the Netherlands and was written by Petra Boezerooy and Eric Beerkens with the assistance of Professor Betty Collis, Jeroen Huisman and Professor Jef Moonen. It is now rather out of date.

Important Dutch virtual learning initiatives in higher education

Table 1

Nr	Name	Institution	City	Type
1.	Leidse Onderwijsinstellingen (LOI)	LOI	Leiden	Commercial Distance learning /continuing education.
2.	Open University of the Netherlands	OUNL	Heerlen	Distance Learning University.

1)

2) The Open Universiteit Nederland (or Open University of the Netherlands) was founded in 1984, welcoming its first students in September 1984. It is an independent government-funded institute. The administration is based in Heerlen, in the province of Limburg, in the very south of The Netherlands. Dispersed over the Netherlands, the Open Universiteit has twelf study centres and three support centres, as well as six study centres in Dutch-speaking Flanders (Belgium) and 1 study centre in the Netherlands Antilles. 29,104 students are enrolled (in 2007) at all study or support centres in the Netherlands. 51 per cent of the students are female, 10 per cent are between 18 and 25 years old, 32 per cent between 26 and 35, 33 between 36 and 45 and 25 per cent are above age 45. 60 per cent of the student body has a full-time job and 44 per cent are second-chance students, who have never completed a higher professional (hbo) or university-level programme at a Dutch educational institution before (10,542 students).

The Open Universiteit Nederland in 2007 offered 299 academic courses, 6 bachelor programmes, 10 master programmes, 16 short higher education programmes, 3 programmes at professional education (hbo) or graduate (post-hbo) level and one MBA-programme.

The Open Universiteit uses a variety of methods for distance learning, including written materials, the internet, and occasional evening seminars or day sessions.

Aims

The Dutch government's purpose in founding the Open Universiteit Nederland was to make higher education accessible to anyone with the necessary aptitudes and interests, regardless of formal qualifications. The Open Universiteit identifies four further aims:

• to create a cost-effective form of higher education,
• to encourage innovation in Dutch higher education, in terms of both curriculum and teaching methods,
• to reduce the teacher shortage in Dutch primary and secondary schools, and
• to be a recognized player in (commercial) distance and e-learning training programmes and consultancy.

Organisation

Departments & faculties

The Open Universiteit is divided into four departments. The Educational department develops and provides educational materials and conducts educational programmes. It consists of six faculties, grouped according to their general focus:

• School of Management,
• School of Cultural Studies,
• School of Informatics,
• School of Natural Sciences,
• School of Psychology,
• School of Law.

Furthermore, the university has a School of Education and an Educational Technology Expertise Centre, which assists the faculties in developing courses and programmes and develops innovative teaching methods for distance education and higher education in general. Each faculty - except for the School of Education - is headed by a dean of studies, who supervises teams of subject specialists and educational technologists engaged in developing courses and programmes, often in co-operation with specialists from other educational institutes or from trade and industry. The other two departments are the department of Business Services and the department of Support Services, which provides operational services, ranging from staff administration to the distribution of course materials.

Study programmes

The Open Universiteit offers three types of study programmes: 1) Bachelor and Master degree programmes. The Open Universiteit offers fully accredited Bachelor or Master degree programmes in Law, Economics, Business and Public administration, Engineering, Environmental science, Cultural studies and Psychology. The university converted its programmes to the Bachelor-Master structure in September 2002. 2) Short programmes. Students can also follow short programmes. These include short vocational training courses, postgraduate courses and short undergraduate programmes, which are developed in co-operation with universities of professional education, academic universities, professional bodies or commercial companies. 3) Courses. Besides these academic programmes, students can choose from over 300 modular courses. This modular course system implies that student can enrol either for full-length degree programmes or choose to study one of over 400 individual courses. Most course-material is in Dutch, but more and more material is becoming available in English. Examinations are in general in Dutch and have to be taken at one of the locations of the Open Universiteit, that is, either at a study centres or at a support centres in the Netherlands, Flanders or the Netherlands Antilles. For individuals there are possibilities to have (under strict supervision conditions) an exam taken at an alternative location, such as at Dutch embassies, in prisons or on a ship.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_the_Netherlands

http://www.hanze.nl/home/International/International+Programmes/Higher+education+in+the+Netherlands

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_University_(Netherlands)

http://www.ou.nl/Docs/Universiteit/5608329_Factsheet%202007_ENG.pdf

Impact of the Internet on Higher Education in the Netherlands

NML-NIB im internationalen Kontext Länderbericht: Niederlande (PDF - EN) by FNM-Austria

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