Study guidance and facilities

The quality of study guidance and facilities is key to the quality of education. That’s why we plead, among other things, for the reopening of the Academic Writing Centrum, standard recordings of lectures and for the employment of more academic staff. Also, better support for writing your thesis and a central framework for student assistants are improvements that we promote.

Sufficient number of qualified academic staff

Lijst Calimero thinks it is important that teachers keep fulfilling the basic qualifications for education (Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs – BKO). The BKO is a certification of didactic skills for teachers in academic education. Lijst Calimero pleads for repeated verification of the BKO, so that the quality of teachers is ensured. Next to qualitatively good teachers, it is important that there is a sufficient number of teachers. At the moment, the University of Groningen has a lot of students per docent compared to other universities in the Netherlands. Lijst Calimero believes that lowering the student/staff ratio will improve the quality of education.

Better matching procedures

The expected positive effect of matching was a drastic decrease in the dropout rate of first year students. However, this effect has not yet occurred. Lijst Calimero pleads for improved matching procedures so that it can be used more effectively. This can be done by making a matching interview an obligotary part of the matching procedure, by confronting prospective students with actual study material from the first year of study programmes and by introducing an evaluation in the first block of the study programme.

Reopening of the Academic Writing Centre

Lijst Calimero pleads for the reopening of the Academic Writing Centre Groningen, where students can be helped when they are struggling with academic writing. The Academic Writing Centre guides students in the writing process and helps them become better writers, but does not provide feedback on the content of texts.

Sufficient number of study places

In the past, we successfully pled for the opening of the Harmonie building library in the weekends during the exam periods. This year we will keep up our effords to make sure enough study places are available, especially during the exam periods.

Better support for writing your thesis

Writing a (Bachelor’s) thesis is a great challenge for most students and, too often, they have the feeling that they do not receive sufficient support during this process. This is why Lijst Calimero believes that teachers should have more time and resources available to support students in writing their thesis. Reopening the Academic Writing Centrum could contribute to this.

Better study guidance

First year students experience increased pressure to make the right choices right away, due to the abolishment of financial support from the government (studiefinanciering). Therefore, Lijst Calimero believes that the UG has to improve the support for first year students in order to reduce this pressure. This can be done by providing more information and offer mentor meetings that are not only focused on study related business.

Standard provision of video lectures

Recording lecture is useful for students in many ways. Therefore, Lijst Calimero pleads for an opt-out system in place of an opt-in system. Lectures are automatically recorded, unless a teacher chooses not to publish or record them, in case it could harm the course quality.

Future-proof food and drinks services

The food and drinks services will be outsourced, meaning that they wil be provided by an external party. Lijst Calimero believes that the canteens must continue to offer a varied selection of food and drinks at a low price. It should also remain possible to reside freely in the canteens, to study there and to eat their own foods. Furhtermore, a sustainable partner should be found that focusses on environmental sustainability and healthy aging.

Clearly formulated job description for student assistants

Lijst Calimero believes that the University of Groningen should formulate and implement a clear framework for the deployment of student assistants. It has to be ensured that being a student assistant is a challenging task. At the same time, it is important not to give too much responsibility to student assistants since that can be damaging for the quality of education. Additionally, new student assistants have to be encouraged to follow the UG’s MOOC ‘Students taking charge of higher education’ so that they can acquire the required (didactic) skills to make their time as a student assistant a success. Furthermore, Lijst Calimero believes that the recruitment of student assistants has to be more transparent: for every position there have to be open applications so that every students has the chance to apply for a position as a student assistant.

Availability and knowledge of study advisors

Lijst Calimero pleads for the implementation of a basic qualification for study advisors in order to ensure the skills and knowledge of study advisors. Study advisors should always be aware of the possibilities they have to offer to students. Furthermore, we plead for a system in which students can evaluate their study advisors anonymously. 

Digital exam inspection

Lijst Calimero believes that students should always be able to view exams and their own exam answers online. This way, students can receive feedback in a straightforward way without necessarily having to go to a meeting organised by the teacher.