Faculty of Law

Meeting of the Directors General for Higher Education

Student centred learning: new challenges

Cyprus 2012

Faculty of Law

Excellence in Teaching

• Problem-based learning as a model

• Development of evaluation methods

• The use of new technologies

• Teaching excellent student by stimulating their research participation

Faculty of Law

Maastricht University (UM)

• Founded 1976

• Medicine, Law (1981/82), Economics (1986) Now 6 faculties including social sciences and arts, psychology and

humanities and sciences

All faculties use PBL

BUT enormous changes in student population since the establishment of the UM

From a Dutch to an International student population Use of English as the main language of instruction at a Dutch

university Consequences for PBL Consequences of technical innovations on the learning process

Faculty of Law

Problem-based learning (PBL) as a model

Which are core elements of PBL?

What type of students do you need?

What type of professors do you need?

Faculty of Law

Core elements of PBL

• Student centered• Small groups• Interactive • Case based

Students should be in charge of the learning process

Faculty of Law

Core elements of PBL

• Learning by doing (skills)• Learning by teaching peers• Activate prior knowledge• Intrinsic motivation

Active student participationSelection of students

Faculty of Law

What is PBL at the Law Faculty of Maastricht University?

Is it different to PBL at other faculties?

Faculty of Law

Philosophy of PBL

• Make a core “Philosophy of PBL” in each Faculty/University

• Update this every 3 years with some “fresh staff members”

• communicate and evaluate key elements and formulate PBL challenges

Faculty of Law

What is done to improve PBL

- Course evaluations

- Increase of self study hours - written preparations

- Staff development

- Student involvement in improvement of PBL

- Selection procedure students – matching and binding numerus fixus and selection at the port

Faculty of Law

Student involvement

• By student evaluations• By representation in:- Planning Groups of courses- Programme Committees- Faculty Board/Faculty Council• By alumni (alumni council)

Faculty of Law

Use of new technologies

• Blackboard (or other electronic learning environments)

• Digital teaching and examination

• Co-teaching across borders • Distance-learning

Faculty of Law

Relationship with research

• Involvement of students in research • Honours programmes

• Marble: extended thesis, organization of a academic conferences, publications of papers/thesis:Bachelor level

• Premium: involvement of students of various faculties in setting-up business and multi-disciplinary research projects: Master level

Faculty of Law

Relationship with professional life

• Internships• Moot Courts

• working at a real law firm, legal clinic in the faculty

• Alumni network and alumni council

Faculty of Law

Excellence in teaching

• Finding the best method for each faculty • but also for each individual student

• Creating interest for the own field of expertise by involving students in research projects

• Awareness on the life-long learning process – new digital teaching methods

Faculty of Law

Excellent teaching: Professional perspective

• Excellent teaching must have professional consequences

Selection criteria of professors not only based on the passed performance in research but also on quality of teaching

Teaching Awards on faculty and university level

Budgetary insentives for innovative teaching proposals