New study program has to give students more choice
University of Applied Science, but different. That is what the Windesheim Business College will become. Next schoolyear, forty students will be able to start with the program. The trajectory is flexible, the aims are fixed.
BMR-director Jolande Gomolka: “We are going to focus on students who want to do it differently. Who wants to gain knowledge in a different way.” Founders of the WBC are Hans Baltjes and Steve Clemens. There won`t be a special selection process, says Baltjes: “We will develop a variant on the existing study check. Next to that, we shall be on the lookout for students who are capable of taking responsibility and we will also look at the internal motivation. All the students will be linked to a study coach, who will help draft up personal aims and help students set end goals. The program will start with 4 fte staff. One and a half fte will be daily involved with WBC; besides, there will be five study coaches who are going to start, each working for a half fte.
The College, says Gomolka, could be a solution for students who have not yet decided which economical study program they want to start with: “The study coach will help the students to actively draft a learning pathway. However, the student will be in charge. Students can choose all kinds of different learning methods- at a company, at different educational institution or at a Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) – but that has to be arranged by the student. Therewithal, the students are going to participate in ‘hackatons’, meetings in which the students form groups to solve problems about a social or economic question, whilst having time pressure.
The substantive freedom allows the student to decide the pace of the program. It is just a matter of planning and arrangement.” Baltjes: ‘You can study in a normal pace but you can also choose to increase the pace, if you think you already mastered a skill. Then you can ask if you can do an exam earlier. However, you can also choose to delay an exam. For example because you like a certain subject and like it so much you want to dig deeper into the subject.’ Gomolka: “when you follow regular subjects, then you will do regular tests. There are also different options. For example: You invite your teachers to the company where you are working for an assessment opportunity. But there will always be tests. And the intention is that you gradually will join the specialization of one of the already existing study programs. The College offers a lot of freedom, and hopefully a lot of happiness- but no permissiveness.” (MH)
