University of Groningen participates in national pilot project ‘A smarter academic year’

The University of Groningen is participating in the national pilot project ‘A smarter academic year’, which aims to reduce the workload for lecturers and students and improve the studyability of programmes. The pilot project creates more space during the academic year, allowing time for other activities and more moments of rest. For lecturers, this means they can focus more on research, educational innovation and personal development, such as training and courses. Students will have more flexibility in their study planning, with room for their own pace, timing and assessment moments. In addition, the pilot programme offers extra space for internships, international experiences and a better balance between study, work and private life.

Pilot projects at the University of Groningen (2023-2026)

Between 2023 and 2026, the University of Groningen will carry out various pilot projects within its faculties, with each participating faculty giving its own interpretation to the pilot. Currently, the uniform academic year consists of four blocks of ten weeks each, eight weeks of teaching and two weeks of assessment. The pilots will experiment with various adjustments, such as:

• Reducing the number of teaching and exam weeks

• Clearly defining the Christmas break and teaching-free weeks between teaching periods

• More formative assessment moments instead of summative ones

The content of the weeks that are freed up will vary per faculty and may include organised self-study periods, career days, time for research or conference visits. Two years after the start of the pilot, the results will be evaluated and the possibilities for scaling up will be examined.

Background and funding

This pilot was launched in response to a report by De Jonge Akademie, which concluded that the Dutch academic year is longer and more intensive than in other European countries. Dutch universities have an average of 5.5 extra teaching weeks and 3.8 extra exam weeks, which leads to a higher workload and study pressure and less room for innovation and research. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) is making a total of €10 million available for the national pilot projects, of which the University of Groningen will receive €225,000 annually.

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Pilot projects at the University of Groningen

Success factors of the project within the University of Groningen

The project will be considered successful if the following criteria are met:

• The results contribute to more peace and space for both students and staff.

• The new structure of the academic year offers clear advantages in terms of reducing workload, which outweigh any disadvantages.

• Best practices are identified for redesigning education, including improvements in assessment methods, planning, teaching methods and the structure of teaching periods.

• Agreement is reached within the University of Groningen on a new, uniform structure for the academic year.

• The studyability of programmes is guaranteed and not negatively affected.

Project implementation and support

The project will be implemented by faculty project leaders, supported by a steering team. This team consists of faculty education administrators, the student assessor of the Executive Board and representatives of the central staff for strategy and policy. In addition, the faculties will receive extra support in the areas of didactics, assessment, quality assurance, evaluation and legal matters from the university's central expertise.

Pilot projects at the University of Groningen

Contact

If you would like to know more about the Smarter Academic Year, please contact project leader Alexandra van den Doel or Hans Beldhuis (Strategy Department for Education and Students).