M Management of Development Van Hall Larenstein University ...

Vlindersingel 220

NL 3544 VM Utrecht

+31 30 87 820 87

www.AeQui.nl

[email protected]

M Management of Development

Van Hall Larenstein University of

Applied Sciences

Report of the limited programme assessment

18 and 19 May 2011

Utrecht, The Netherlands

August 2011

www.AeQui.nl

Assessment Agency for higher Education

2 Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences

� This document is best printed in duplex.

M Agricultural Production Chain management August 2011 3

Table of contents

Table of contents ..................................................................................................................................................... 3

Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Colophon ................................................................................................................................................................. 6

Introduction............................................................................................................................................................. 7

1. Intended learning outcomes................................................................................................................................ 9

2. Teaching-learning environment......................................................................................................................... 12

3. Assessment and achieved learning outcomes ................................................................................................... 20

Attachments .......................................................................................................................................................... 25

Attachment 1 Assessment committee................................................................................................................... 26

Attachment 2 Program of the assessment ............................................................................................................ 29

Attachment 3 Quantitative data............................................................................................................................ 31

Attachment 4 Final qualifications.......................................................................................................................... 32

Attachment 5 Overview of the programme........................................................................................................... 34

Attachment 6 Documents...................................................................................................................................... 35

Attachment 7 Declarations of independence........................................................................................................ 36


Summary

On 18 and 19 May 2011 an assessment committee of AeQui has performed an assessment of the master-

programme Management of Development (MoD). The overall judgement of the committee regarding the quality of

the programme is good.

MoD is a 1-year full-time programme with a total of 70 EC. It is composed of a 9-month taught course in Wagenin-

gen and 3-months of thesis research in the students’ home country in collaboration with their professional organi-

zation. The MoD programme has a generic part and four specializations: Rural Development and HIV/AIDS (RDA),

Rural Development and Communication (RDC), Rural Development and Food Security (RDF), and Rural Develop-

ment and Gender (RDG).

The MoD programme teaches its students on current trends and discourses concerning rural development and the

ways to bring about organizational change.

The programme is unique in the Netherlands and Europe, first of all due to application of theory into practice while

other programmes are often more academically oriented. Secondly the MoD programme focuses on the main-

streaming of specific development issues in rural development organizations taking into consideration the room for

manoeuvre and the possible consequences for its organizational structure and functioning. This does not feature as

prominently in the programmes of other universities. Finally, the MoD programme includes a thesis research in the

home countries of students, an aspect rarely seen in other educational programmes.

Intended learning outcomes

The assessment committee qualifies the intended

learning outcomes as good. Although the profes-

sional field is in transformation, the assessment

committee noted that the qualifications meet the

requirements from the professional field well. This

corresponds to the special needs of the applicants

who have several years of relevant work experience.

The MoD programme has a clear profile. All lecturers

involved are keen on actual developments.

Teaching-learning environment

The assessment committee qualifies the teaching-

learning environment as excellent. The programme is

mature. It is keen on current developments and has a

strong focus on international development coopera-

tion. In each module students are placed in a practi-

cal, complex situation, are assigned a role and are

asked to undertake specific actions, leading to a

result. Students learn to take increased responsibility

for their own learning. During the entire process and

through the assessment, students reflect on their

actions. Students are enthusiastic about this Compe-

tence Based Learning and have confidence they can

apply the knowledge and skills they have learnt. The

fact that there is a strong focus on application in the

programme is a great benefit to students as well as

their professional environment. As a part of CBL

students would appreciate more opportunities for

reflection.

The lecturers together form an excellent part of the

programme. Most teachers travel around the world,

undertake international projects and spot new

trends at an early stage. Their way of coaching stimu-

lates and motivates students, because they work

together with students in a fraternal way. Many spe-

cialists are also aligned with the programme, which

means the quality of the guest lecturers is high. The

assessment committee hopes the good level of guest

lecturers will be maintained.

Assessment and intended learning outcomes

The assessment committee qualifies the assessment

and achieved learning outcomes as satisfactory.

As the competences are leading for the assessments,

it is assured that the actual competences are as-

sessed. Therefore, the assessments are valid in the

sense that they measure the criteria explicitly stated

in the competence descriptions.

MoD students do individual applied research projects

that include fieldwork in their home countries. They

M Management of Development August 2011 5

study specific problems of their organizations leading

to grounded realistic and applicable recommenda-

tions. The outcome of the research – the thesis re-

port – is presented and defended in a colloquium. In

this final assessment, the student has to show that

theoretical concepts have been mastered, correctly

applied and used to address existing problems, and

exhibit the ability to present, defend, discuss and

convince the examiners with coherent arguments.

Without a doubt the students reach the Master’s

level, but the assessment committee found some

weak spots in some of the thesis reports. Students

only have a short period of time to do field research,

analyse the data and write their thesis report. The

assessment committee noticed that sometimes this

did not result in a strong connection between the

problem definition and the recommendations.

Recommendations

Apart from the positive findings, the assessment

committee noticed some fields for further improving

the programme.

The role and position of the thesis process could be

reconsidered, since it has a strong scientific focus at

the time. For a professional Master’s programme a

focus on application might be a better match, espe-

cially considering the professional backgrounds of

the students.

The assessment committee has the impression that

there is not always enough time for the students to

reflect. Students say that the work pressure during

the 1-year programme is high. They learn a lot in a

short period of time, so they feel there is no time left

to reflect on what they have learned and how know-

ledge and skills can be integrated. Especially develop-

ing a professional attitude (for instance through

interaction with people from different cultures and

with different backgrounds) demands time for reflec-

tion and adjustment. Attitudes only change gradually,

this takes time. Therefore, students and alumni feel

the most important part of the reflection takes place

after graduation, when they are back home and can

become fully aware of the changes, in themselves

and in their practice.

In the contacts between alumni and lecturers the

progress in their careers and the challenges they

face, are being discussed. Such information from

alumni for instance contributed to the decision to

give special attention to conflict transformation in

one of the sub-modules of the RDC specialization

and to lobbying and advocacy in RDG.

The assessment committee has great respect for the

initiative to provide a Post Graduate diploma. Since

students might lose their job when they do not re-

ceive their Master’s degree and come back empty-

handed, the Post Graduate diploma (PG diploma) is

very important to them. The assessment committee

therefore wishes VHL will keep this PG diploma, or

otherwise will find a good alternative that can stand

up to legal regulations.

As a last remark, the assessment committee wishes

the good level of guest lecturers to be maintained.

All three standards of the NVAO assessment framework are assessed positively and hence the review committee

awards a positive recommendation for the accreditation of the programme.

On behalf of the entire review committee,

Utrecht, August 2011

Ir. R.S. Kloosterman A.J.C. van Noort MScMC

Chair Secretary


Colophon

Institute and programme

Institute: Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences

Address: Droevendaalsesteeg 2, 6708 PB, Wageningen

Telephone: (0317) 48 62 30

Status institution: publicly funded

Result of institutional assessment: applied for

Programme: Management of Development

Level: Professional Master

Number of credits: 70 EC

Specialisations: Rural Development and HIV/AIDS (RDA)

Rural Development and Communication (RDC)

Rural Development and Food Security (RDF)

Rural Development and Gender (RDG)

Nomenclature: M Management of Development

Location: Wageningen

Mode of study: fulltime

ISAT: 70057

Data on intake, graduates and drop-outs: see attachment 3.

Responsibility for the quality of the programme: G. Oosterhof, VHL Wageningen Programme Director.

Assessment committee

Ir. R. Kloosterman, chair

Prof. A. Fuller, domain expert

O. Ntjenje MSc, domain expert

Dr. F. van Schoubroeck, domain expert

W. van Weperen MSc, domain expert

A. de Brouwer, student

A. van Noort MScMC, secretary

The Committee was presented to the NVAO for approval.

The assessment was conducted under responsibility of

AeQui VBI

Vlindersingel 220

3544 VM Utrecht, The Netherlands

+31 30 87 820 87

www.AeQui.nl


Introduction

Van Hall Larenstein (VHL) is part of Wageningen University and Research centre (Wageningen UR). Courses are

provided at three locations: Leeuwarden, Velp and Wageningen. With a a staff of more than 400 FTE, VHL provides

education to more than 4,000 students in 14 registered Bachelor courses, 3 Master and 6 Associate Degree courses.

Van Hall Larenstein offers programmes that focus on nature and the environment, health of both humans and ani-

mals and sustainable entrepreneurship.

The institute

Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences

(VHL) offers two professional Master’s Programmes

at Wageningen: Management of Development (MoD)

and Agricultural Production Chain Management

(APCM). The MoD programme is intended for profes-

sionals working within government and non-

governmental rural development organizations and

professionals working as specialists or consultants in

rural development. Applicants must hold a first de-

gree in life sciences or a Bachelor’s degree in rural

development or a related field, have at least two

years of work experience functioning in middle man-

agement positions and an aspiration to achieve

higher positions. The majority of students comes

from developing countries and are mostly financially

supported with Nuffic scholarships. A number of

students are supported by their own organization.

The programme

MoD is a 1-year full-time programme with a total of

70 EC. It is composed of a 9-month taught course in

Wageningen and 3-months of thesis research in the

students’ home country in collaboration with their

professional organization. The MoD programme has

a generic part and four specializations: Rural Devel-

opment and HIV/AIDS (RDA), Rural Development and

Communication (RDC), Rural Development and Food

Security (RDF), and Rural Development and Gender

(RDG).

The MoD programme teaches its students on current

trends and discourses concerning rural development

and the ways to bring about organizational change.

The programme is unique in the Netherlands and

Europe, first of all due to application of theory into

practice while other programmes are often more

academically oriented. Secondly the MoD pro-

gramme focuses on the mainstreaming of specific

development issues in rural development organiza-

tions taking into consideration the room for ma-

noeuvre and the possible consequences for its or-

ganizational structure and functioning. This does not

feature as prominently in the programmes of other

universities. Finally, the MoD programme includes a

thesis research in the home countries of students, an

aspect rarely seen in other educational programmes.

The assessment

Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences

(VHL) has assigned AeQui VBI to perform a quality

assessment. In close co-operation with VHL, AeQui

has convened an independent and competent as-

sessment committee.

A preparatory meeting with representatives of the

programme has taken place. In this meeting the

program for the site-visit and the interviewees were

determined, see attachment 2.


Two weeks prior to the site-visit, Van Hall Larenstein

announced the open consultation to students and

staff. Neither students nor staff has used this possi-

bility.

The assessment committee has made a choice of

theses over the last two years, and has reviewed

these theses. The results of this review were input

for discussions during the site-visit, see chapter 3.

The committee assessed in an independent manner;

at the conclusion of the assessment the results were

presented to representatives of the programme.

The concept of this report was sent to the repre-

sentatives of the programme; their reactions have

led to this final version of the report.


1. Intended learning outcomes

The intended learning outcomes of the programme have been concretised with regard to content, level and orientation; they meet international requirements.

Explanation: As for level and orientation (bachelor’s or master’s; professional or academic), the intended learning outcomes fit into the Dutch qualifications frame-

work. In addition, they tie in with the international perspective of the requirements currently set by the professional field and the discipline with regard to the

contents of the programme.

Based on the interviews and examination of the underlying documentation, the assessment committee qualifies

the intended learning outcomes as good. Although the professional field is in transformation, the assessment

committee noted that the qualifications meet the requirements from the professional field well. This corresponds

to the special needs of the applicants who have several years of relevant work experience. The MoD programme

has a clear profile. All lecturers involved are keen on actual developments.

Links with professional practice

Each specialization in the MoD programme designed

its curriculum to correspond with the professional

field, because of the didactical concept of compe-

tence based learning (CBL, see Structure of the pro-

gramme). The Course Specific Educational Regulation

(CSER) for each specialization explains the relation-

ship between competences, assessments and cur-

riculum. Module books serve the same purpose and

are more detailed per module.

The MoD programme attracts professionals who are

eager to study at a university of applied sciences

from all over the world. The generic part the MoD

programme provides education in the form of theo-

ries on rural development, organizational change,

planning, management and applied research and

how these may be used in the daily activities of de-

velopment organizations. In addition to this generic

part MoD consists of four specialisations.

Up-to-date job profiles are made in consultation with

the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC) and the

international professional field. These require that

the alumni have the ability to function independ-

ently or in a multidisciplinary team. Competences

and learning outcomes are defined on the basis of

these profiles.

The curriculum is an adequate realization of the

intended learning outcomes of the programme. This

concerns the level, the orientation and the sub-

ject/discipline-specific requirements. The intended

learning outcomes are adequately translated into the

educational goals of the curriculum.

Within the curriculum, excursions and practical train-

ing in the field are offered so that students can ex-

perience professional environments. Guest speakers

from the professional field are invited to talk about

their experience on a certain topic. Lecturers inform

these guest speakers about the context in which the

participants operate in terms of the competences,

the specific professional environment, the partici-

pants’ role, the assignment and the specific knowl-

edge, skills and attitude needed by the participants.

In this way, guest speakers can link their lecture with

assignments and other lectures material.

Up to date

To make sure that the job profiles and learning out-

comes are up to date and correspond to the re-

quirements by the professional domain, the pro-

gramme receives input from the PAC, the staff and

feedback from alumni.

The new PAC was composed in 2010, with represen-

tatives of various Dutch organizations working in


rural development. The PAC meets once a year. Some

of the recurrent points on the agenda are recent

developments in rural development thinking, includ-

ing organizational strengthening and its incorpora-

tion in the educational programme, and whether the

MoD programme delivers graduates who have the

professional qualifications to function independently

or in a leading position in an organization. Some

members of the PAC are external examiners for the

thesis research, which allows them to have insight

into the achievement of the formulated compe-

tences.

Lecturers involved in the MoD programme discuss

the relevance of the job profiles, the competences,

the learning outcomes and the curriculum itself dur-

ing educational development days and at regular

staff meetings. The majority of the staff members

participate in international projects and refresher

courses, stimulating them to keep up to date with

current trends and discussions.

MoD also carries out a survey amongst its alumni

once every 5 years, and also receives feedback dur-

ing the refresher courses.

Concrete

Discussions with the PAC and developments in the

professional domain led to the following job profiles

for the MoD programme:

Project or programme coordinator/manager.

In this position professionals coordinate the work of

their departments or of projects or of programmes.

They implement national or organizational policies

into departments’ programmes of activities. They

facilitate necessary processes of change so that new

policies are adequately mainstreamed in the man-

date and activities of the organization. They manage

projects and programmes, from acquisition to im-

plementation, and monitoring and evaluation.

Specialist or consultant.

Specialists work in a specific professional field. They

advise the management and staff members of other

disciplines on issues related to their specializations.

They contribute to the effective incorporation of

these issues in the organization in several ways and

work in interdisciplinary teams. They make sure that

issues related to their specialization are on the

agenda of their own related organizations.

Based on these profiles the following MoD generic

learning outcomes were formulated:

- To explore complex problems considering stake-

holder and system perspectives;

- To analyse the performance of rural develop-

ment organizations in a dynamic context;

- To design processes of change from an inclusive

perspective.

Besides these generic learning outcomes the four

specializations have their own outcomes that are

based on their specific domain (attachment 4).

The learning outcomes have been operationalized

(the professional situation, the role of the profes-

sional, the action and outcome and the assessments)

in order to check whether students have required

the competences. The criteria are related to the

modules and classes given. The MoD team will make

it consistent with the way it is done at Bachelor’s

level, so module manuals will clearly describe why

the knowledge, skills and attitudes dealt with in the

module are relevant to carry out those roles ade-

quately.

Dublin Descriptors

The intended learning outcomes are in line with the

Dublin Descriptors. The programme assured this

through comparing the assessment criteria of each

competence at the final level with the Descriptors.

The result of this comparison was showed to and

studied by the assessment committee. The commit-

tee noted that this comparison was insightful and

adequate.

If competences are adapted, or if assessments and

their criteria are changed, the modifications are

checked with the descriptors before being imple-

mented.

Although the MoD programme has four specializa-

tions, the learning outcomes are at the same level.


This is assured because the generic MoD part makes

up 70% of the programme. Specialization coordina-

tors regularly meet in order to ensure that the level

of the intended learning outcomes of all four spe-

cializations is similar.

The outcome of the ongoing debate in the Nether-

lands about the need to differentiate between a

professional and an academic’s Master is of utmost

importance for VHL. A professional Master’s is not

recognized in some home countries of the students.

Graduates are sometimes not admitted to some PhD

programmes on the basis of their professional Mas-

ter’s degree.

Assessment criteria in which the Dublin Descriptors

have been taken as point of departure turned out to

be quite difficult to apply to the thesis and were

multi-interpretable. Therefore, more specific as-

sessment criteria that are easier to apply are being

drafted, and will ensure that the Dublin Descriptors

are covered.


2. Teaching-learning environment

The curriculum, staff and programme-specific services and facilities enable the incoming students to achieve the intended learning outcomes.

Explanation: The contents and structure of the curriculum enable the students admitted to achieve the intended learning outcomes. The quality of the staff and of

the programme-specific services and facilities is essential to that end. Curriculum, staff, services and facilities constitute a coherent teaching-learning environment

for the students.


the teaching-learning environment as excellent. The programme is mature. It is keen on current developments and

has a strong focus on international development cooperation. The lecturers together form an excellent part of the

programme. Most teachers travel around the world, undertake international projects and spot new trends at an

early stage. Their way of coaching stimulates and motivates students, because they work together with students in

a fraternal way. Many specialists are also aligned with the programme, which means the quality of the guest lectur-

ers is high. The assessment committee hopes the good level of guest lecturers will be maintained. Students are

enthusiastic about Competence Based Learning and have confidence they can apply the knowledge and skills they

have learnt. The fact that there is a strong focus on application in the programme is a great benefit to students as

well as their professional environment. As a part of CBL students would appreciate more opportunities for reflec-

tion.

Programme covers the learning outcomes

The MoD programme certifies that it takes account

of current developments and therefore trains profes-

sionals in middle and higher management to become

competent in acquiring insight into the living condi-

tions and survival strategies of those who are at risk

of becoming excluded and in translating this into

organizational policies, strategies and practices.

The programme is guided by the following principles:

• A strong interaction with the professional field

to gain insight on the latest developments and

innovations;

• The use of appealing interactive learning envi-

ronments that simulate real-life situations and

create strong commitment in students;

• The use of up-to-date study materials including

case studies and assignments;

• Constant reflection on the professional practice

and its performance.

Since the start of the MoD programme the need for

practically oriented professional Master’s program-

mes has increased. This is shown by various devel-

opments in the professional domain that indicate

that large segments of the rural population in devel-

oping countries are excluded from mainstream de-

velopment, for example:

• Privatization changes the role of the government

and the market;

• Competing claims on natural resources often

exclude local people;

• Increased use of land for biofuel production at

the cost of land for food production.

These developments led to the specialization Food

Security. The submodule Conflict Transformation was

also developed as a consequence of recent devel-

opments.

The curriculum is an adequate realization of the

intended learning outcomes of the programme. This

concerns the level, the orientation and the sub-

ject/discipline-specific requirements. The intended

learning outcomes are adequately translated into the

educational goals of the curriculum. Students think

the competences have added value for the work they

are doing in their home countries. Back home they

learned by doing, now they gain knowledge and

learn how to apply this and respond to problems.

Students appreciate this greatly.


The assessment committee has the impression that

there is not always enough time for the students to

reflect. Students say that the work pressure during

the 1-year programme is high. They learn a lot in a

short period of time, so they feel there is no time left

to reflect on what they have learned and how

knowledge and skills can be integrated. Especially

developing a professional attitude (for instance

through interaction with people from different cul-

tures and with different backgrounds) demands time

for reflection and adjustment. Attitudes only change

gradually, this takes time. Therefore, students and

alumni feel the most important part of the reflection

takes place after graduation, when they are back

home and can become fully aware of the changes, in

themselves and in their practice.

Up to date

The educational programme is continuously adjusted

using two major sources:

o There is one Academic Programme Committee

(APC) for the two Master’s programmes. The

APC consists of 7 students (4 from the MoD pro-

gramme) and 3 lecturers, and meets 4 times a

year. Quality of the MoD programme is one of

the recurring points in the agenda.

o The lecturers themselves, through self-

evaluations, participating in projects, giving re-

fresher courses, thesis supervision, attending

courses, and visiting organizations and universi-

ties, congresses and symposia in relation to their

expertise.

The MoD programme organizes refresher

courses for alumni in collaboration with local ru-

ral development institutions. During the re-

fresher courses, the applicability of the profes-

sional Master’s programmes and their specializa-

tions are discussed with alumni and staff of col-

laborating institutions.

The students are being encouraged to use up to date

resources and textbooks by way of supportive mate-

rial for lessons. The professional literature is rou-

tinely updated by replacing existing textbooks, arti-

cles, documentaries, etc. with new publications or

new editions of existing textbooks.

Students can only apply to the programme when

they have relevant work experience (at least two

years). This work experience is important in all mod-

ules. Because students bring up to date personal

experience into the programme, interaction in-

creases and the learning experience is stimulated.

Although at the start of the programme students find

this interaction somewhat challenging, they find it

extremely useful at the end of the programme.

Suggestions for adjustments of the programme are

discussed in the MoD team, after which a decision is

made about which of the adjustments to include in

the improvement plans. Criteria are the relevance of

the feedback and the efficiency and effectiveness of

possible solutions. Improvements are carried out in

the next academic year.

The assessment committee thinks MoD is an up-to-

date programme. The MoD team receives input from

refresher courses for alumni, PAC meetings, a net-

work of professionals and guests. The lecturers

themselves also go abroad and work in international

projects. This is how they get an impression from

developments in the professional domain. They are

able to translate these developments into the pro-

gramme very aptly.

Structure of the programme

Since August 2005, the educational concept of VHL

at Wageningen has been based on the principles of

Competence Based Learning (CBL). Competences

lead to learning outcomes, which in turn lead to

assessments and the lectures given.

The teaching methods in the programme allow for

the fact that the students are professionals. Their

work experience is actively used in the learning

process. Students are stimulated to learn by doing.

The learning process followed in the modules con-

sists of the following steps (in no particular order):

� Students are asked for their experience in a

specific topic;

o Students are given theoretical classes in relation

to the topic;


o Students are given an assignment to apply the

acquired knowledge;

o Students are asked to apply their knowledge and

skills in a simulation and to show competent be-

haviour;

o Students are asked to reflect on the learning

experience;

o Students are asked to show their competence in

an assessment.

In each module students are placed in a practical,

complex situation, are assigned a role and are asked

to undertake specific actions, leading to a result.

Students learn to take increased responsibility for

their own learning. During the entire process and

through the assessment, students reflect on their

actions. This enables them to develop the knowl-

edge, skills and attitudes needed to be a successful

professional.

Lecturers diversify their way of lecturing as much as

possible. Methods used are plenary sessions, work-

shops, and coaching of groups. The use of presenta-

tions is alternated with reading and discussion of

articles, watching documentaries and going on ex-

cursions to experience the professional field. In order

to be able to provide the practical component at an

early stage, the programme invites guest speakers

from the professional field to talk about their experi-

ence in relation to a certain topic. Lecturers use their

own professional experience in their lectures, linking

theory with practice in a specific context.

One of the more innovative teaching methods used

is the Visual Problem Appraisal (VPA). It explores the

field of MoD professionalism through the simulation

of a consultancy assignment where a complex, multi-

disciplinary problem needs to be analysed and

framed by means of stakeholder consultation. The

first stage (a desk study) is undertaken individually.

The second stage (‘interviewing’ stakeholders by way

of pre-recorded interviews on DVD) is done in a

team. The third stage (writing a project proposal

using an EU format following the Project Cycle Man-

agement approach) is also a team exercise. Besides

subject matter expertise and doing research, profes-

sional development is looked at through a structured

process of continuous self-reflection.

Skills and outlook are honed during various practical

training sessions in and outside of school. Examples

are communication training, interview training, in-

tercultural training and training on lobbying. Lectur-

ers also make students reflect on their behaviour and

attitude.

The professional experience of the students is ac-

tively used in the learning process. Theories ex-

plained by the lecturers are used to conceptualize

the practical knowledge of the students. While dis-

cussing literature, students are stimulated to link

concepts to their own work situation, which contrib-

utes to better understanding of the theory. In addi-

tion, students are encouraged to use assignments

and cases derived from their actual practice. These

case study assignments and simulations are used to

give the student the opportunity to practice with the

application of knowledge and to show his compe-

tences.

Although in general students are very satisfied with

the programme, module evaluations and regular

individual meetings by the specialization coordinator

show that some students face difficulties with what

they consider a new educational concept. For many

students CBL and learning in teams are new experi-

ences. The educational concept and teaching meth-

ods require students to be proactive and to look for

additional information with a critical mind. For those

who are accustomed to being told exactly what to

do, this is a completely new experience. This will get

more attention in the general introduction at the

start of the academic year and during the introduc-

tion of modules, although for some students these

problems will not be solved easily within one aca-

demic year.

Coherence

The MoD programme lasts twelve months, full-time.

The programme comprises a series of modules of

different study loads. The total study load is 70 EC.

The MoD programme has a generic part (18 weeks)

with classes which are followed by all MoD students.


The generic modules give students the basic compe-

tences to study rural livelihoods and rural develop-

ment organizations and to design projects and pro-

grammes. In their classes, lecturers integrate knowl-

edge (using recent books and articles from important

scientific journals, and case studies) and skills, and

discuss attitude.

After that the students follow one of the four spe-

cializations they enrolled in (14 weeks). The speciali-

zation modules broaden and deepen students’

knowledge and skills related to the specific domain.

They have to develop strategies to change their or-

ganization, confront their own biases, individual

strengths and weaknesses and look for the most

appropriate personal strategies as a change agent.

All specialisations have two modules with a number

of sub-modules.

The programme ends with a research project cum

thesis (14 weeks) in the domain of the specialization.

Under the guidance of the specialization coordinator

and incorporating the concepts studied in the spe-

cialization modules, students write a research pro-

posal for their thesis research. After approval by a

MoD thesis supervisor, the students leave for a 6-

week period of fieldwork, often in their home coun-

tries. After returning to the Netherlands, they finalize

their thesis.

Most classes are given in the morning. The after-

noons are often used by students to work on individ-

ual or team assignments. In team assignments stu-

dents learn about team dynamics.

Feasible

The programme has a study load of 70 ECTS credits.

This is more than the regular 60 ECTS credits per year

because there is no summer break in the pro-

gramme. During the summer break the students go

to their home countries for their thesis research.

The academic year is divided into modules that en-

sure that the workload is distributed evenly over the

year. The CSER provides a complete overview of the

programme, the modules, the literature to be stud-

ied, the assessments and the ECTS credits to be

gained per module. Module books and the schedule

are published on Blackboard. A lecturer introduces

the module/sub-module and encourages the stu-

dents to read the manual thoroughly so that they are

well aware of the contents of the module.

Specific components in the introduction module are

meant to get students acquainted with CBL and the

variety of teaching methods. It is also the opportu-

nity to ensure that students start more or less at the

same level with the main programme, although it is

realized that differences will always remain. The

small classes, the intensive coaching by lecturers, the

regular and often detailed feedback given, and the

informal culture (which makes it easy for students to

contact lecturers) form a stimulating learning envi-

ronment.

The study load per module is divided into contact

hours (e.g. lectures, group assignments, discussions,

practical training and excursions) and self-study.

Most contact hours (on average 20 per week) are in

the morning while self-study takes place in the after-

noons. Self-study can be an individual undertaking or

a team exercise.

Assessments are held at the end of each mod-

ule/sub-module. The specialization coordinator

keeps close watch over study progress and discusses

with the students the re-sits and the timeline for the

thesis research. Only in exceptional cases the thesis

process can be extended by one month.

Should a student fall ill, he can catch up by checking

the material published on Blackboard or by asking

fellow students or lecturers. If a lecturer falls ill, he is

replaced by a colleague or lectures are postponed

until an agreed moment. If a lecturer is expected to

be ill for a longer period, a replacement is arranged.

Students are requested to report on problems with

the workload during the regular written evaluations

and panel discussions. Students’ feedback and rec-

ommendations feed into an improvement plan made

by the lecturer that is discussed in the APC meeting.


The evaluations show that most students found the

workload reasonable; a few found it tough, especially

during the thesis process. Students will also be al-

lowed to start working on their thesis proposal ear-

lier and the coaching by lecturers will be advanced

by a few weeks. This should not lead to a higher

workload.

Coaching

MoD students are motivated adults with a lot of life-

and work-experience who have purposively decided

to study abroad but are new to Dutch culture and to

some of the educational concepts used. The purpose

of the tutoring is to help students accustomising to

the new situation and to assist them in their learn-

ing. The specialization coordinator in the role as

tutor does that through:

o Informing students about the programme;

o Managing and directing students in the devel-

opment of their competences;

o Making students reflect on themselves and their

study progress;

o Helping students to learn how to study.

Being the tutor, the specialization coordinator meets

the student at least three times a year on an individ-

ual basis. Points for discussion are study progress,

problems/personal problems encountered and the

student’s attitude. In specific cases the tutor advises

students to meet the social dean who, depending on

the problem, may refer them to a more qualified

person. Students from abroad are advised to join

groups with students who have the same nationality

when they come to Wageningen. This will help them

to integrate and feel at home. Students say that

besides sharing problems with their specialization

coordinator, it helps to share problems with other

students who have the same nationality. VHL also

stimulates group work. This feels like a social net-

work to the students. When students become aware

that one of them is having problems, they inform the

lecturers or the specialization coordinator so they

can keep a close watch on this student and perhaps

provide additional coaching.

Information related to the general organization of

the modules (e.g. schedules), VHL policies (e.g. ‘Edu-

cation and Examination Regulations’; EER), student

affairs, etc., is uploaded onto the VHL Studentnet

(Intranet for students). All the information related to

the modules (e.g. lectures, assignments) is uploaded

onto Blackboard. Students have access to their re-

sults in a safe computer environment called 12Use.

Results are available within 15 working days.

Students express their opinions about tutoring and

the quality of the contact with lecturers in the

evaluations and the APC meeting. This information is

channelled to the staff members concerned. If nec-

essary, the team leader discusses problems with

specialization coordinators and students.

Many MoD students come from an educational sys-

tem in which critical analysis is not the norm; hence

they have difficulties accepting lower grades when

such analysis is lacking or insufficient. In addition,

many students come from a culture where self-

reflection and talking about personal problems is not

a regularly routine. This requires that tutors are

equipped with appropriate skills to carry out the

challenging tasks of supporting and guiding students.

VHL therefore thinks the continued training and

support of the tutors, especially in inter-cultural

communication, is an issue for improvement.

Intake

The MoD programme focuses on rural development

professionals with relevant work experience, and a

Bachelor's degree or an equivalent qualification in

agriculture or a related subject. Applicants must have

a good working knowledge of spoken and written

English (TOEFL score of 550 or more. New policy

from the Dutch Immigratie- en Naturalisatie Dienst

states that students must have an IELTS score of 6.0

or higher). Applicants may be required to show proof

of this proficiency, such as certificates issued by a

recognized language institute (e.g. IELTS, TOEFL or

Cambridge). Computer skills (Windows, Word, Excel)

are strongly recommended.


Most MoD students are financially supported with

Nuffic scholarships. For these students, additional

Nuffic policies (for instance about country of resi-

dence and educational background) apply. Applicants

for a Nuffic scholarship have to go to the Dutch Em-

bassies in their countries. They do a first screening of

the application forms, including references from

employers and former lecturers. Application forms of

nominated candidates are controlled by the VHL

students’ office and then screened by the team

leader and specialization coordinator, who make the

final selection. Applications from students with

scholarships other than from Nuffic or who pay for

themselves are also screened by the specialization

coordinator and the team leader before admittance.

Most students come from African countries (due to

Nuffic policy), have a Bachelor’s degree and are

working in middle or higher management positions

in governmental and non-governmental organiza-

tions. Average work experience was eight years in

the 2010 batch. Employers in principle guarantee

that students can return to their jobs after finishing

their studies. In practice this is not always the case,

especially with those students working for NGOs.

Every year a few students are not able to reach the

Master’s level. Besides low or insufficient marks for

assessments, this is often shown clearly in the quality

of the research proposal. In these situations, the

examination committee decides if the student may

continue or that he needs to leave. In the latter case

the student is given a certificate (see also chapter 3,

paragraph 3: Achieved learning outcomes).

Teaching staff

In order to be a highly qualified university of applied

sciences, VHL recruits well-qualified lecturers. The

intended result of the policy is to establish a compe-

tent and diverse team that will be able to fulfil all the

relevant tasks in the best possible way. Lecturers

have to meet the following requirements:

o Substantive and adequate professional knowl-

edge and experience;

o Experience in the professional field;

o Familiarity with education;

o Compatibility in the team and the culture of the

course;

o Good command of the English language.

The professional orientation of lecturers plays a very

important role. They are not only experts in their

field but also have relevant experience in rural de-

velopment in developing countries. Many of the

lectures do project or conference visits abroad,

sometimes even several times a year as a way to

check whether the content and the level of the pro-

gramme still match with the professional field.

Furthermore, lecturers engage in external activities

such as excursions, congresses, symposia, projects

and refresher courses in order to keep in touch with

the professional field. Newly appointed lecturers

who do not have a didactic certificate are required to

follow a course at the Hogeschool Arnhem Nijmegen

(HAN).

In total, 22 lecturers participate in the MoD pro-

gramme, of whom 11 are core staff; 7 out of the 11

core lecturers have a Master’s degree and 4 have a

PhD in a relevant field. One is working on her PhD

and two are planning to do a PhD.

A policy on human resource development is docu-

mented in the ‘Strategisch Personeelsplan 2008 –

2010’ and the ‘Strategisch Personeelsplan Wagen-

ingse Opleidingen 2008 – 2010’. The number of staff

employed is based on a staff/student ratio of 1:10. In

general the aim is to appoint 15% temporary staff at

the Wageningen location.

During the academic year, four team days are sched-

uled to share experiences, discuss good practices and

work on teambuilding. Each staff member also has

the opportunity to go on trainings; the number of

hours per year depends on the contract.

The professional work field contributes to the MoD

programme by means of guest lectures, excursions,

discussing the contents of the modules and in the

assessments of the thesis. MoD lecturers clearly

explain to guest lecturers the contents of the pro-

gramme and the specialization, so that their lectures

are effectively linked with the learning outcomes.


Students speak of lecturers with utmost apprecia-

tion. Students and alumni think they teach in an

appealing manner, they stimu-

late and motivate students to

participate. Lecturers are

helpful, students can contact

them at any time. However,

they are also realistic: if lec-

turers don´t know, they will

refer to others with relevant

information or skills. As one of

the students said: “An expert

knows what he doesn’t know.”

The assessment committee

agrees with the students and

alumni: the team of lecturers

has up-to-date, relevant

knowledge of the professional

field. The lecturers know how

to teach this to the students in an appealing manner

and coach the students very carefully. Because of the

enthusiasm and commitment of the lecturers that is

shared by the students, and the innovative teaching

methods they develop and apply in the course, the

assessment committee qualifies this aspect as excel-

lent.

Facilities

The move of VHL to the Forum building in Wagenin-

gen brings the profound advantage that students and

lecturers have easy access to

the vast range of Wageningen

UR facilities, which include 80

lecture halls, class rooms and

teaching labs, 23 computer

rooms, 300 individual study

areas and the main university

library.

VHL rents the 5th

, 6th

and 7th

floor of the Forum building and

can also use facilities at lower

floors if required.

For housing and social activi-

ties students are mixed with

the international Wageningen UR student popula-

tion, which is an advantage for the MoD students.

The students’ opinions are evaluated on the subjects

of housing and material facilities. Except for the

unavailability of student accomodation in Wagenin-

gen, no serious issues have been reported. Currently

Wageningen University is rebuilding 400 housing

units to solve the problem of students’ housing.

The team of lecturers has up to date,

relevant knowledge of the professional

field. They know how to teach this to the

students in an appealing manner and

coach the students very well. Because of

the enthusiasm and commitment of the

lecturers that is shared by the students,

and the innovative teaching methods they

develop and apply in the course, the as-

sessment committee qualifies this is as

excellent.


3. Assessment and achieved learning outcomes

The programme has an adequate assessment system in place and demonstrates that the intended learning outcomes are achieved.

Explanation: The level achieved is demonstrated by interim and final tests, final projects and the performance of graduates in actual practice or in post-graduate

programmes. The tests and assessments are valid, reliable and transparent to the students.


the assessment and achieved learning outcomes as satisfactory. Without a doubt the students reach the Master’s

level, but the assessment committee found some weak spots in some of the thesis reports. Students only have a

short period of time to do field research, analyse the data and write their thesis report. The assessment committee

noticed that sometimes this did not result in a strong connection between the problem definition and the recom-

mendations. The role and position of the thesis process could be reconsidered, since it has a strong scientific focus

at the time. For a professional Master’s programme a focus on application might be a better match, especially con-

sidering the professional backgrounds of the students.

Valid and reliable

The rules governing the assessment are published in

the ‘Examination Regulations’. Each module/sub-

module ends with an assessment. Assessments,

criteria and standards are defined beforehand and

must comply with quality standards as defined (valid-

ity, reliability, clear standardization, objectivity,

transparency). This means that the questions and

assignments must reflect the competences and the

learning outcomes, that the assessment measures in

a consistent manner and that an answer key is made

with marking criteria. An assessment committee

gives lecturers advice on how to improve the quality

of their assessments. This committee uses a checklist

as a tool.

The assessment is made according to quality stan-

dards of the lecturers involved in the teaching of the

module, keeping the level of the competences in

mind. Assessments differ in content and method:

o The conceptual pathway: assessments to check

knowledge concerning theories, concepts and

models. These are most often written assess-

ments, but knowledge may also be assessed dur-

ing an oral assessment;

o The skills pathway: assessments to check

whether the students can apply learnt skills. De-

pending on the required skills the assessments

may be oral or written. However, a clear link

with the professional field is made;

o The reflection pathway: students have to reflect

on what they have learnt by writing a reflective

report;

o The integral pathway: often an oral assessment

to judge knowledge, skills and attitude.

As the competences are leading for the assessments,

it is assured that the actual competences are as-

sessed. Therefore, the assessments are valid in the

sense that they measure the criteria explicitly stated

in the competence descriptions.

In most cases written assessments are marked by the

lecturer or lecturers who drew up the assessment

using an answer key. Oral assessments are mostly

attended and marked by two lecturers. The thesis is

assessed by three persons: the thesis supervisor, a

VHL lecturer who is not the supervisor and an exter-

nal expert from the professional field. For the as-

sessment of the thesis, criteria are derived from the

Dublin descriptors, certifying that the student per-

forms at the Master’s level.

The specialization coordinator keeps close watch

over study progress and discusses re-sit opportuni-

ties and the various thresholds of the thesis research

with students. If a student is not able to finish the

thesis report in time or if the thesis report turns out


to be insufficient, the student has the opportunity to

extend the process for one month. However, most

students graduate in one year.

Students are informed about their marks within 15

working days after the assessment. Marks are regis-

tered in 12Use. The Examination Board is ultimately

responsible for awarding the marks and the credits.

In addition to the staff involved with the assess-

ments, input from student evaluations is used in

order to monitor the quality of the assessments. An

assessment committee has been appointed as well,

to help the Examination Board to screen and to ad-

vise on the assessments at VHL Wageningen.

From the academic year 2011-2012, students who

are not permitted to finalize their studies will not

receive a certificate. Instead, they will receive a dec-

laration from the Examination Board recording all

the assessments that have been successfully com-

pleted.

Transparency

The students can be aware of the competences and

the assessment criteria by way of:

o The Course Specific Educational Regulations,

which specify purpose and character of the as-

sessments, the competences, the learning objec-

tives to be measured and the standards to be

met;

o The competence descriptions. These descrip-

tions include the criteria that students have to

meet;

o The course manuals, in which the criteria are

further specified towards the assessment sta-

tion;

o The feedback students receive during the mod-

ules.

In the student evaluations that are held after each

module, there are two questions directly referring to

the clarity of competences and assessment criteria:

whether the competences one had to acquire were

clear to the student and whether the assessment

criteria are understood by the student.

Achieved learning outcomes

MoD students do individual applied research projects

that include fieldwork in their home countries. They

study specific problems of their organizations leading

to grounded realistic and applicable recommenda-

tions. The outcome of the research – the thesis re-

port – is presented and defended in a colloquium. In

this final assessment, the student has to show that

theoretical concepts have been mastered, correctly

applied and used to address existing problems, and

exhibit the ability to present, defend, discuss and

convince the examiners with coherent arguments.

This final assessment is marked by three people: the

MoD thesis supervisor, an internal VHL examiner and

an external expert from the professional field. The

assessors decide whether the student is competent

on the basis of predetermined criteria based on the

Dublin descriptors that cover knowledge and skills

and attitude.

Throughout the year students learn and develop

research skills, to prepare them for the thesis proc-

ess. The VPA, for instance, starts in October and

students have to do (desk)research, so they learn to

formulate research questions. After the desk re-

search and the interviews, the students have to write

a report. But there is also a research module and

attention is paid to writing skills of the students.

Students start the thesis process in April, which is

rather late according to many students. The thesis

process takes three months. In May students present

their research proposals. After the research propos-

als are approved and the literature review is done,

the students go to their home countries to conduct

six weeks of research. When they return to the

Netherlands they will analyze the research data and

within three weeks write their theses. Of course, the

advantage for the students lies in the fact that they

do this research in the organization they work for, so

they are familiar with the organisation, its external

environment and the processes and procedures

affecting its work.

Although lectures on the research project/thesis are

given early in the MoD programme and while stu-

dents are coached by the specialization coordinators


and the thesis supervisors, students sometimes find

it difficult to finalize the thesis in time and with suffi-

cient quality. Hence, the MoD team has decided to

improve the thesis process by focusing their lectures

more on the analysis of data and by allowing stu-

dents to start writing a very concise draft of their

research proposal earlier. Lecturers will ensure that

this is not to the detriment of the normal classes

given. In addition, students will be coached more on

their writing skills.

E-mail surveys undertaken in 2006 and 2010 show

that most alumni work as managers or as specialists.

The response in 2010 was low, but still indicative: 12

out of 16 alumni had been promoted in their jobs or

had changed to higher positions in other organiza-

tions. The survey also shows that most alumni stated

that the MoD programme made them acquire ge-

neric knowledge and skills as well as specific knowl-

edge and skills in the area of their specialization.

Furthermore, the survey shows that 15 out of 16

alumni agree that the MoD programme has helped

them to perform better as professionals and that it

was helpful in their private lives. These findings are

confirmed by the contacts between alumni and lec-

turers, during which they discuss the progress in

their careers and the challenges they face. Such

information from alumni for instance contributed to

the decision to give special attention to conflict

transformation in one of the sub-modules of the RDC

specialization and to lobbying and advocacy in RDG.

The link to the professional field is discussed inter-

nally, among lecturers during educational develop-

ment days and regular staff meetings, with the team

leader, with the management, in the APC and using

students’ evaluations. The link is discussed externally

with representatives of other organizations working

in rural development and using evaluations by

alumni. The quality of the thesis is assured by the

MoD supervisors on the basis of criteria and stan-

dards set out beforehand and included in the thesis

manual.

In order to check whether external assessors feel

that the graduates have achieved the Master’s level,

they are requested to fill in an evaluation form. Their

feedback is incorporated in the improvement plan. If

deemed relevant, suggestions to improve the com-

petences and the curriculum are submitted to the

Examination Board for approval.

The assessment committee spoke to members of the

PAC, who are also involved in assessing the thesis.

They think that in general the final level of the stu-

dents is sufficient. When it comes to oral presenta-

tion and defence of the thesis the difference in qual-

ity between students becomes the most apparent. In

those cases analysis might seem weak. That is not

surprising, as the period of time to do the thesis

research and (especially) writing the thesis is quite

short. There is little time to process the data, which

has an impact on the quality of analysis and there-

fore the quality of the thesis as a whole. Students

would also like more time to work on their thesis

because applying the knowledge learnt during the

programme in their home countries is something

completely different than practising these skills in a

classroom environment. It takes time to adjust to

that.

Considering the fact that now there is more coaching

during the thesis process, the students think one

year is enough to complete the programme. The

study would be less appealing if it was a 1½ -year

programme, because that would mean having to

leave their families and jobs for a longer time. The

disadvantage of the short programme is the lack of

possibilities to reflect, which students think of as one

of the most important aspects of CBL. As one of the

students said: “Without enough time for reflection,

it feels like you’re consuming breakfast, lunch and

dinner at the same time.”

Sometimes the results of a student are not good

enough (average score below 5,0; with average score

between 5,0 and 6,0 personal effort is taken into

account) to be admitted to the graduation phase of

the study. This means the student will not be allowed

to do the thesis research and write the thesis report.

Sometimes students fail their master thesis and

therefore will not receive their Master’s degree. In

those cases, when students from abroad return to

their home countries without a diploma, this can

have tremendous impact. For these students, who

will not receive their Master’s diploma, VHL provides

a Post Graduate diploma. From a legal point of view


it has no value, but from a psychological point of

view the value is enormous. However, the Legal Of-

fice of VHL thinks there is no legal ground to main-

tain this proposition and therefore the Post Graduate

diploma will not be provided anymore.

The assessment committee has great respect for the

initiative to provide a Post Graduate diploma. Since

students might lose their job when they do not re-

ceive their Master’s degree and come back empty-

handed, the Post Graduate diploma (PG diploma) is

very important to them. The assessment committee

therefore wishes VHL will keep this PG diploma, or

otherwise will find a good alternative that can stand

up to the legal regulations.

Considering the achieved level of the learning out-

comes, the assessment committee thinks that gener-

ally students reach the Master’s level, although

sometimes the theses reflect the Master’s level in-

sufficiently. For some reason the research and thesis

reports are based on scientific rather than profes-

sional methods. Science has a specific way of validat-

ing knowledge for “objectivity” – while in a profes-

sional environment; the scientific method might be

too narrow to reach professional objectives. There

are other ways in which information is valued. For

example, the measure by which political or financial

support can be mobilized for a particular idea. For

professionals the scientific method may hamper

their effectiveness – and a good professional thesis

might be assessed poorly by scientific standards. In a

professional Master’s programme, practical solutions

and recommendations are suggested based on the-

ory. There is a strong focus on applying knowledge

and skills. This also matches with the background of

these students: everyone has professional work ex-

perience.

So, for the MoD programme, it seems a little out of

place to choose a scientific approach for the thesis

process after a year of application. Therefore, per-

haps it would be better if the focus during the thesis

process is more on application and professional de-

velopment as well. VHL would, based on the infor-

mation available to the commission, place itself

more strongly if it would develop clear criteria for

professional masters theses and realign the thesis

trajectory accordingly. Possibly, the number of stu-

dents successfully finalizing the course would also

increase – as the thesis is totally in line with their

future professional skill needs.


Attachments


Attachment 1 Assessment committee

I List of panel members and secretary

Name

(including title(s))

Role (chair / member /

student-member / secretary)

Expert in the field

(yes / no)

Prof. A.M. Fuller member yes

Ir. R. Kloosterman chair no

O.J. Ntenje MSc member yes

Dr. F. van Schoubroeck member yes

W. van Weperen MSc member yes

A. de Brouwer student no

II Secretary / Co-ordinator

A. van Noort MSc secretary Nov 2010

III Brief job descriptions for panel members

1 Prof Anthony Fuller is Adjunct Professor at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, China, and re-

tired from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph,

Canada

2 René Kloosterman is director of AeQui and chairs many assessment committees

3 Oliver Ntenje is senior lecturer logistics, marketing and supply chain management at professional mas-

ter and bachelor programmes at Arnhem Business School (institute of HAN)

4 Frank van Schoubroeck is an international consultant in governance in NRM and rural entrepreneurship

5 Willem van Weperen is an international consultant in sustainable agriculture and agricultural extension

system development

6 Anne de Brouwer is student Language and Culture at the University of Utrecht. She is chair of the stu-

dent union

IV List of expertise within the panel1

Expertise The expertise is demonstrated by:

1 Note: the secretary is NOT a panel member.


Expertise regarding the developments

within the discipline

Prof Anthony Fuller is Adjunct Professor at the China Agricultural

University in Beijing, China, and retired from the School of Envi-

ronmental Design and Rural Development at the University of

Guelph, Canada

Frank van Schoubroeck is an international consultant in govern-

ance in NRM and rural entrepreneurship

Willem van Weperen is an international consultant in sustain-

able agriculture and agricultural extension system development

International expertise Prof Anthony Fuller is Adjunct Professor at the China Agricul-

tural University in Beijing, China, and retired from the School of

Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University

of Guelph, Canada





Oliver Ntenje was a logistics manager at UNHCR, Congo, in 1997.

Recently he was involved in strengthening a Tanzanian business

school as part of a Nuffic program.

Practical expertise in the professional

field relevant to the programme

Prof Anthony Fuller is Adjunct Professor at the China Agricul-

tural University in Beijing, China, and retired from the School of

Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University

of Guelph, Canada





Experience in teaching and developing

education at the relevant programme level

and expertise regarding the educational

format(s) practised by the programme

Prof Anthony Fuller is Adjunct Professor at the China Agricultural

University in Beijing, China, and retired from the School of Envi-

ronmental Design and Rural Development at the University of

Guelph, Canada.

Oliver Ntenje is a senior lecturer logistics, marketing and supply

chain management at professional master and bachelor pro-

grammes at Arnhem Business School (institute of HAN)

Review or audit expertise René Kloosterman is director of AeQui and chairs many assess-

ment committees

Student-related expertise Anne de Brouwer is student Language and Culture at the Univer-

sity of Utrecht. She is chair of the student union

Short résumés

Anthony Fuller retired as a Professor from the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the Uni-

versity of Guelph, Canada in 2007. In the last 10 years of a 35-year career at Guelph, Dr Fuller focused increasingly


on policy issues such as government programs for community development, rural poverty, rural transportation,

sustainable livelihoods and complexity in policy making. His earlier work and publications include a research on

pluriactivity, the Arena Society and rural outreach. He recently undertook workshops in several countries on ‘asset

mapping’ for rural community and policy development.

Anthony Fuller is currently an Adjunct Professor at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, China.

René Kloosterman has studied Industrial Engineering (TUE) and worked for the consultancy-firm KPMG. Since then

he participated in major projects in food-industry at home and abroad (Russia, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic, Cura-

cao). Since 1995 he works as an independent entrepreneur and interim manager.

Since 2002 he has been active in educational assessments, both as a director and later as an owner of an assess-

ment agency. He chairs assessments very frequently.

Oliver J. Ntenje (born in Malawi) studied business studies at HAN and completed his master Supply Chain Man-

agement at WUR. Oliver has a large international experience, e.g. in 1997 he acted for a year as a Logistics coordi-

nator in Congo for UNHCR, offering Logistical support for relief programme setup in Goma (Congo DRC) and plan-

ning the repatriation of refugees from Tanzania to Congo in Uvira (Eastern Congo DRC).

Since 2005 he is involved in HAN University of Applied Sciences as a senior lecturer on logistics, marketing and

supply chain management. His responsibilities include teaching logistics in the Masters-programme in Business

Management and in bachelor programmes at the HAN-institute ‘Arnhem Business School’.

He is involved in development of study programmes or units within the programme, coaching of students during

their four years and supervising project groups. Oliver carries out research in order to determine the possible route

the institute should take to satisfy the labour market and trained CBE lecturers as part of a NUFFIC project,

NPT/TZA/217, aimed at ‘Strengthen the capacity of the College for Business Education (CBE) to develop and apply

modular, competence based curricula’.

Frank van Schoubroeck studied Plant Pathology and Production Ecology at Wageningen Agriculture University and

received his PhD in 1999 on socio-technical innovation in Bhutan agriculture at the Departments of Communication

and Innovation Studies and Entomology. He worked as an international consultant since, for among others SNV and

the EU / Royal Government of Bhutan IPM development project, for the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation,

Babar Mahal, Kathmandu, Nepal, and for ILIEA.

Frank van Schoubroeck has recent experience to work with:

• Social inclusion for productivity Involve different social groups and women to develop agricultural systems for

optimum productivity

• Open-source innovation Make use of all relevant resources and capacity at hand, such as local and national gov-

ernment, formal and traditional rules, legislation and strategies, modern and traditional technology, global policy

and know-how

• Socio-technical knowledge Based on ecological opportunity, make use of human ingenuity and organization to

realize durable production

• Governance of agriculture sectors: have local and national government agencies organise “Communities of Prac-

tice” to create “common good”

• Promotion of trees in agricultural systems

Willem van Weperen is a specialist in sustainable agriculture and agricultural extension system development. He

has a solid experience of over 30 years in the field of bilateral (Dutch, Swiss) and multilateral (EU,WB) development

cooperation. During this period he worked half the time on long term assignments as project coordinator, team

leader and technical advisor, and the other half of the time he worked on short term assignments as consultant and

trainer. His country experience comprises South Asia (Philippines, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri-Lanka, Nepal,


Thailand), Central Asia (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan), East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania) as well as Eastern

Europe (Poland, Georgia, Croatia).

Anne de Brouwer is currently studying in Language and Culture Studies at the University of Utrecht, within the

track Political History and International Relations. In 2009 she was selected to participate in the Humanities Col-

lege, a faculty-wide Honours programme for excellent students. She is involved in an internship at the Peace of

Utrecht with the assignment to create a digital platform at international and local level in order to sign a new treaty

in 2013.


Attachment 2 Program of the assessment

18 May, 2011 Exploration

12.30 – 14.00 Arrival of committee

14.00 – 14.30 Board and management

Geartsje Oosterhof

Robert Baars

14.30 – 15.15 Show-cases

15.15 – 16.00 Open consultations

Possibility for students and staff to exchange thoughts with the committee. Also documentation review.

16.00 – 16.45 Representatives of the Professional field committee

Willem Wurdemann, guest lecturer, future member of PAC

Jorge Chavez-Tafur, guest lecturer, member of PAC

16.45 – 17.15 Internal meeting of the committee

17.15 – 17.30 Feedback of preliminary findings, focus-points for the next assessment day

19 May, 2011: In-depth assessment

09.00 – 09.30 Arrival of committee

09.30 – 10.45 Teaching staff MoD (including a delegation of the examining board)

Ivonne de Moor

Annemarie Westendorp

Marcel Put

Koos Kingma

Eddy Hesselink

Loes Witteveen

10.45 – 11.00 Internal meeting of the committee


11.00 – 12.00 Students MoD (including a delegation of the programme committee)

Morrish Ochen

Deborah Sabarre

Sayed Rahman

Sayed Khalid

Hussein Juma Kiranga

Johanna Aumama Mbandi,

Mary Bamusiime

Haregu Mohammedadem Ahmed

12.00 – 13.30 Lunch and document review

16.00 – 16.30 Additional research, formulating conclusions

16.30 – 17.00 Feedback of findings and conclusions


Attachment 3 Quantitative data

1.Data on intake, graduates and drop-outs (2006-2010)

Graduated Not graduated Cohort Total at start

In 12 months Delayed due to

poor thesis

Failure Stopped

2006-2007 28 20 6 2 -

2007-2008 41 33 6 2 -

2008-2009 38 25 10 1 2

2009-2010 48 37 10 1 -

2010-2011 57 1 (expected) 3

Source: Administration VHL

2.Teacher -student ratio achieved: 1 : 10.

3.Average amount of face-to-face instruction in the study programme: 20 hours/week.


Attachment 4 Final qualifications

Learning outcomes, generic for MoD:

- To explore complex problems considering stakeholder and system perspectives.

- To analyse the performance of rural development organizations in a dynamic context.

- To design processes of change from an inclusive perspective.

Besides these generic learning outcomes the four specializations have their own that are based on their specific

professional domain. These are the following.

Rural Development and HIV/AIDS (RDA)

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has far reaching social, cultural and economic impacts on large populations in Sub-Saharan

Africa and elsewhere; it affects the labour force, agricultural production, knowledge transfer and livelihood strate-

gies. For rural development organizations HIV/AIDS often means a loss of employees, increased staff absence due

to their responsibilities to care for affected people or participation in funerals, and diversion of organizational re-

sources towards support of affected people. Those who hold a professional Master’s should therefore be able to

undertake internal and external mainstreaming activities on HIV/AIDS in rural development organizations. There-

fore the following learning outcomes have been formulated:

- To adapt programmes and activities to the context of the HIV/Aids epidemic.

- To prepare the own organizations for effective response to the epidemic.

- To engage in strategic partnerships.

Rural Development and Communication (RDC)

Rural development organizations work in a dynamic environment in which natural hazards, political turmoil, con-

flict situations, economic downturns or a lack of resources may cause or affect change. One effect of this situation

is well recognized: a growing desire to increase good governance, public participation and informed citizenship. To

respond to such circumstances, many of these organizations need to reorient their approaches and policies, and to

design new operational structures and communication processes. Thus, managers may need new competences

that equip them to work in a range of complex multi-actor settings. Hence, the following learning outcomes have

been formulated:

- To analyse stakeholders’ interests and needs and outline policies that lead to social change and participation.

- To design processes and strategies that facilitate communication and knowledge sharing.

- To transform traditional extension policy and practice and develop new approaches to communication and

innovation.

- To design and facilitate effective, appropriate and exciting learning environments.

Rural Development and Food Security (RDF)

Globalization and liberalization have provoked a dualistic agricultural development in rural areas in developing

countries. On the one hand there is an increase in large-scale high external input agriculture producing for the

world market and urban communities, while on the other hand small-scale low external input agriculture with

production for local and regional markets continues to exist. This dualistic development in the rural areas of devel-

oping countries gives rise to the question how agricultural service delivery organizations can deal with the different

types of farmers without excluding food producers for local and regional markets in order to safeguard local food

security. Professional Master’s graduates working in agricultural development and service delivery organizations

should therefore be able to safeguard the support to producers for local and regional markets. Hence the following

learning outcomes have been formulated:


- To analyse rural livelihoods that produce for local and regional markets.

- To develop support programmes for rural livelihoods producing for local and regional markets.

- To recommend necessary organizational adjustments within service delivery organizations to enhance local

food security.

Rural Development and Gender (RDG)

Various groups of people are excluded from full participation in economic, social and political life due to their class,

ethnicity, religion or sex. Starting with the different roles of men and women this specialization addresses social

exclusion dynamics. Despite the awareness that gender equality is a prerequisite for sustainable development,

gender-specific requirements, opportunities and constraints have not yet been systematically mainstreamed in the

design and implementation of rural development programmes and projects. To mainstream gender, rural develop-

ment organizations have to train staff and adapt their activities and their internal organization. Hence, the follow-

ing learning outcomes have been formulated:

- To enhance social inclusion and gender equality in rural development and service delivery programmes and

activities.

- To recommend necessary organizational changes to realize social inclusion and gender equality.

- To develop personal strategies to enhance gender equality in the own organization.


Attachment 5 Overview of the programme The Management of Development programme consists of five main parts:

1. Introduction

2. Management of Development

3. Management and Transformation of Development Organisations and Project Management

4. Specialisation

5. Research and Thesis

Part 1: Introduction

This module aims to achieve familiarity with the educational philosophy, staff and other students, so that pro-

gramme students will get to grips with the Master’s programme. The module aims to develop the students’ com-

mitment to the variety of working modes and methods to be used during the course. At the same time, the module

stimulates students to inventory their strengths and weaknesses as well as their frame of reference with respect to

learning.

Part 2: Management of Development

This part of the programme is common to all MoD students. It focuses on competences of rural development pro-

fessionals and specialists. Since the 1950s major shifts have taken place in rural development thinking. One theory

follows the other in the search for sustainable rural development. Policy makers and development professionals are

aware of the complexity and multi-disciplinary or rural development and the great variation of interests and pow-

ers of different stakeholders.

In this part rural development is looked at from three angels:

- Rural development theories which can handle the most important theories from the 1950s until now;

- The professional who is confronted with complex problems in a simulation of a consultancy assignment

dealing with multi-stakeholder perspective;

- Rural livelihoods are studied within the framework of sustainable rural livelihoods a.o.

Part 3: Management and Transformation of Development Organisations and Project Management

This part is common to all MoD students. It focuses on competences required to function as an advisor, manager or

policy maker within the development organisation and includes the following elements:

The professional environment in which various concepts or organisation theory and organisation models in rural

development are analysed. Influences from changing institutional environments on the organisation and push and

pull factors for organisational change are studied. Often the internal structure and functioning of an organisation

has to be adapted to the new requirements set by the institutional environment. Organisational change and being

a change agent gets attention. Training is provided in a great number of professional competences such as leader-

ship and communication.

Management and planning in which students develop their competences to manager development projects and to

write and assess project proposals using the OOPP and logical framework approach. Often gender differences in

needs and opportunities are overlooked in project planning. Students will therefore be trained to use gender plan-

ning tools and gender analysis frameworks.

Part 4: Specialisation

This part of the programme differs from specialisation to specialisation. The modules in this part of the programme

enhance the competences of the subject matter specialist. Besides broadening and deepening the theoretical


knowledge and operational skills with regard to the specific field of study, students are required to apply these

specialist competences within the framework of management and transformation of their working organisations,

project management and research.

- RDA. In the Rural Development and HIV/AIDS module the whole spectrum of rural development and the epi-

demic is explored: background knowledge of the epidemic, the drivers and its impact on rural populations, the

niche for rural development organizations to operate and mainstream HIV/AIDS, and individual attitudes, values

and norms are discussed in the light of students’ professional functioning. The Managing Change module deals

with strategies and push and pull factors to mainstream HIV/AIDS in rural development organizations

- RDC. The Rural Development and Communication module gives the historical background to the transformation

of rural extension into recent thinking on communication and learning processes for change and the recognition

that all client groups are competent actors. The Learning and Transformation module is about theories and con-

cepts of knowledge and learning in settings of development and social change. These form the theoretical

background to the development of training and facilitation and media design and management.

- RDF. The Agricultural Development and Food Security module focuses on theories and approaches with regards

to local food security. The Agriculture and Economics module sets local food security in the context of regional

economy and farm economics.

- RDG. In the Food Security and Rural Livelihood module students study theories and tools to get insight into

gender relations and processes of social exclusion. The Mainstreaming Gender module in Agriculture and Rural

Development deals with various strategies to mainstream gender in rural development organizations.

Part 5: Research and Thesis

To qualify for the Master degree, students have to prove that their cognitive and conceptual skills with respect to

the central disciplinary themes of the programme are at a master level. An important test for qualification is

whether the student is capable of conducting and managing an individual research project resulting in a thesis. The

thesis could show the student’s ability to apply, deepen and integrate the expertise and skills acquired during the

programme in a largely self directed or autonomous way. The research topic should be relevant to the professional

activities of the specialisation and be related to a professional problem of the organisation in which the student

works. The coordinator of the specialisation must approve the topic and the proposal of the thesis beforehand.

The module offered in this part of the programme are common to all MoD students. Research and Thesis consists

of four elements:

- Training in research process and methods;

- Writing a research proposal, including a definition of the problem to be studied, a review of the relevant

literature, and the research methodology to be adopted;

- Field research in the home country and the elaboration of the thesis;

- Presentation and defence of the thesis during a colloquium and oral examination.


-

Attachment 6 Documents

- Critical reflection

- Final projects of 22 students

- Literature

- Written assessments and stations, including student’s work and evaluations

- Placement reports and evaluations

- Reports management deliberation (W-team)

- Reports Exam committee

- Course specific Educational regulation

- Competence descriptions

- OPCO regulations

- Reports OPCO deliberation

- Reports team deliberation

- Reports PAC

- Reports from Educational Development days

- Report ‘The Larenstein Educational concept’

- Report about quality improvement assessments

- Reports from Assessment committee deliberation

- Career counselling/self development manuals

- Curricula vitae lecturers

- Evaluation reports

- Employee monitor 2008

- Course manuals

- Placement manuals

- Annual report Wageningen UR 2008

- Appraisal system

- Employee monitor 2008

- Strategic personnel plan VHL and WUR

- ICT facilities

- HBO monitor

- Visual Problem Appraisal


Attachment 7 Declarations of independence

M Management of Development Van Hall Larenstein University ...

Documents

Transcript of M Management of Development Van Hall Larenstein University ...