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jaargang 42, 24 augustus 2000 English page

TUE Adopts Bachelor/Master System This academic year TUE is making drastic changes in its system of education, switching from the Dutch system to the Bachelor/Master structure used in many countries around the world. TUE is one of the first universities in the Netherlands to adopt the Anglo-Saxon system of higher education. Last year 28 European countries signed an agreement to change to this system. ìOur new course structure has two main advantages. First of all, our courses should now receive more international recognition. Previously, without the two phases in the Bachelor/Master course, it may have seemed as if our courses only reached Bachelorís level. But the most important advantage is increased international mobility for both our Dutch students wanting to study abroad and foreign students coming to TUE,î says TUE vice-chancellor Martin Rem. Mobility The people who will benefit from the new system are undergraduate and graduate students. Students at TUE will be able to take part of their degree at a foreign university. It will also become easier for foreign students to transfer to TUE. If they obtain a degree from TUE, it will be recognised in their own country. If Bachelorís programmes are roughly the same at every European university, it becomes possible to follow part of the course at a foreign country without losing any time. In the new set-up it will also be possible to obtain a Bachelorís title in one subject and go on to do a Masterís degree in another. As is the case at universities all over the world where this system is used. The Bachelorís programme will cover the first three years of the course and include a propaedeutic year. A Masters degree may be gained after another two years of specialised study and research. The content of the total five-year programme will be comparable to the current Dutch four-year and five-year programmes currently resulting in a ëdrs.í or ëir.í titel. TUEís eight Faculties are all still working on defining the exact content of their Bachelorís programmes, which will end with a so-called ëkandidaatsexamení, used in a previous Dutch system. Rem says that keeping up the quality of education is an important consideration in setting up Bachelorís programmes. ìThis shouldnít be too difficult for us, as we generally do very well with the review committees.î First Bachelorís Exam TUE was already working toward the Bachelor/Master system and registered two years ago for permission to administer a Bachelorís exam. The first TUE students (of Biomedical Technology) will sit the exam on September 20 2000. Later on this year, a group of Mechanical Engineering students is also expected to take the exam. According to TUEís vice-chancellor, the exam on September 20 will be the first ëkandidaatsexamení to be taken by anyone at a Dutch university in twenty years. ìI think weíll be the first university in the Netherlands to award a Bachelorís degree,î he says. The University of Amsterdam is the only other university authorised to administer a Bachelorís exam this year, and only for its science courses. The change should be comparatively smooth for degree courses that already take five years, which is the case for all courses at TUE. Many other universities have four-year programmes, mostly in Arts subjects. They need more time to transfer to the new system. There is much difference of opinion on the content of the Bachelorís courses, which are supposed to offer a broad introduction to a given field. Some future Bachelorís courses may take four years. Rem says Bachelorís courses at TUE will cover a somewhat broader range of knowledge than was previously the case in the first three years of a degree course. The duration of Masterís courses is also under discussion, they may take anything from one to three years, depending on the university and the subject./.

Extra Teaching Course in English The Education Service Centre (OSC) is organising an extra teaching course for foreign staff who teach in English. It is entitled ëTeaching and Learning in Higher Educationí. The course was held earlier this year, but because of the limited number of places available not everyone who registered was able to take part. The extra course will take place on Thursday 14, Friday 15 and Monday 25 September 2000 and consists of five half-day sessions. It targets both starting and experienced lecturers and post-docs. The course offers broad orientation in several teaching activities. According to teachers who participated earlier, they were given a good, sound basis for preparing and delivering lectures, tutorials and so on. The course covers topics such as how to design a lesson, systematic problem approach, making teaching more attractive and efficient, assessment of student results etc. The course provides a large number of suggestions on how to spend teaching time more efficiently. Participants are actively involved in the course, for instance by giving presentations and by exchanging ideas and experiences. Participation is free of charge for foreign teaching staff at TUE. More information on the course is available from Harry van de Wouw (3126), Mark de Graaf (3065) and Willeke van den Einde (3396). More information can also be found on the OSC Web page. Enrolment: is by phone (3396) or email (w.p.v.d.einde@tue.nl). Please apply before September 1. Intro 2000 Starts The introduction period for new TUE students started this week. Intro officially started on Monday with a welcome by vice-chancellor dr.ir. Martin Rem. He told first year students that studying at TUE is more than only study. ìThis is a period in your lives that offers many opportunities for growth. We think itís terribly important for you to take part in university life here in Eindhoven. Be active, youíll profit it for the rest of your lives.î This week groups of new students can be seen walking around on campus and in town getting to know each other, TUE, student associations, sports clubs, cultural groups and social clubs.