Afbeelding
HowULearn
Afbeelding
HowULearn

HowULearn

Project leader
Anouk Donker
Duration
2021 - present
Domains
Education

By questioning students and carefully listening to their answers, we develop tools for teachers to shape meaningful, quality education with attention to the personal and professional development of students. By paying attention to their way of learning and their well-being, our students are well prepared for their role as professionals in their future, dynamic field of work.

What is the motivation for the project?

The development of the DBE educational concept is based on a combination of theoretical principles that have proven their value in previous contexts. Now that DBE has been largely implemented, the actual effects of this new educational concept will have to be demonstrated. One of the ways in which this is being researched is by means of the 'HowULearn' questionnaire, developed at the University of Helsinki, with which the DBE chair has a partnership.

This questionnaire provides insight into various themes: how students perceive their education, how students learn, to what extent they work on general professional competencies (in addition to their professional profile) and their well-being. The results of this study are therefore interesting on several levels: at the level of the university of applied sciences, they provide an insight into DBE from the perspective of our most important stakeholders: the students. At the educational level, feedback is provided on the curriculum and on the well-being of 'own' students. Finally, students can gain insight into their own learning process and how they can improve it where necessary.

What issue does the project address?

Education is often evaluated with the aim of improving it. In addition to module evaluations and the more qualitative analyses, it is important to collect additional information.

A good questionnaire, which looks beyond student satisfaction, meets three conditions:

  • The questions must be based on a theoretical framework about teaching and learning in higher education
  • The questionnaire must be empirically tested to establish its validity
  • The questionnaire has to focus on an entire course rather than a single course.

The HowULearn questionnaire meets all these criteria and provides a broader perspective on students' experiences. By adapting the educational environment where necessary on the basis of these insights, learning can be influenced.

Project team

This research originates from (the predecessor of) the DBE professorship. Starting in 2021, this research will be conducted in close collaboration with the coordinators of Theme 2 (student guidance) and Theme 3 (study success) of the Quality Agreements.

What are the key (or preliminary) results?

In the most recent results (academic year 2020-2021) over 800 students from 46 programmes are represented. In general, it is striking that students are positive about their connection with the programme and are already capable of 'deep learning'. Attention should be paid to the so-called 'alignment' within programmes. In addition to this global picture, it is useful to look at the results at programme level; there are large differences between programmes and it is interesting to learn from each other and to share good practices. Programmes have received feedback and a pilot is currently running in which lecturers and students discuss results during SLB interviews.

Sustainable Development Goals

This project contributes to...