Teaching

‘Our students develop critical thinking skills in preparation for responsible positions in society’

Our educational vision

Academic. Personal. Sustainable. These are the three pillars of our educational vision. Together, they convey what we consider to be essential for good education. They provide us with direction and guidance in our development and innovation, and in our subsequent choices. They form a future-oriented continuation of the three pillars of our previous educational vision: quality, bonding and clarity. They also contribute to the common language we use to talk about what we believe is important for our education, our students, our lecturers, and our university.

An international focus and regional roots

Radboud University is an internationally oriented university with strong roots in the region. Our university welcomes students from different backgrounds, countries and cultures and offers equal opportunities for all. Radboud University is committed to making sure everyone on campus feels at home.

We respond to new developments. Face-to-face contact in a digital world.

Bachelor’s programmes: developing critical thinking

Our bachelor’s students build a solid foundation within their chosen programme for the next stage of their studies. In the bachelor’s programme, they experience the depth that is part of an academic discipline. This forms the core of their academic training. From that foundation, they are able to converse effectively with experts from other disciplines. Our university gives them ample opportunity to do so. Each bachelor’s programme offers room for electives, which students can also select from outside their own discipline. In addition, all students receive philosophy training and come into contact with sustainability issues within their own discipline. All students have an opportunity to gain international learning experience and we encourage extra-curricular activities in, for example, work on boards, sport, culture and entrepreneurship. This helps them to develop critical thinking skills in preparation for taking up responsible positions in society.

Master’s programmes: a growing ambition to continue learning

Alongside programmes offering in-depth knowledge of the discipline, we offer our master’s students interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary programmes. There they learn to deal with questions from academia and from society that demand a broader, interdisciplinary approach. Our master’s programmes have a distinctive profile that distinguishes them from programmes at other institutions at home and abroad. These programmes, and in particular our special research master’s programmes, are closely tied to our research. In this way, students receive the best possible preparation for an academic career.

All our master’s programmes meet the needs of a rapidly changing society, which calls for motivated, creative and versatile professionals with up-to-date knowledge and skills, and a desire to keep learning. In this way we are enhancing our students’ future prospects. We maintain active relationships – internationally, nationally and regionally – with companies and institutions that offer internship places that are of interest to our students.

Our doors are open. We embrace broad perspectives on the world.

Radboud Teaching and Learning Centre

We incorporate the latest educational research findings into the design and organisation of our programmes. With the help of the Radboud Teaching and Learning Centre, Radboud University boosts the quality of its teaching through research and innovation. The Centre is a place where lecturers and students can meet, share experiences and inspire one another, ensuring that educational innovations are felt across the university. The Centre also provides practical support with educational innovations and plays a key role in the professional development of our lecturers.

Digital resources and face-to-face contact

Digital resources offer many opportunities for improving, enriching and complementing teaching. They make learning paths more flexible and allow teaching to be tailored to the individual student. Within each programme, students learn to use digital technology that is relevant for their discipline. This involves reflecting on the implications of technological developments for academia and for society. In an increasingly digital world, we as a university also continue to support the need for face-to-face contact – between students and lecturers and among students. When it comes to the creative and innovative use of digital technology in teaching, there is a lot that we as an academic community can learn from one another. The Radboud Teaching and Learning Centre plays a key role here. For example, the Centre gathers data on how students learn, with a view to improving our teaching still further. We make the most of opportunities and possibilities in this area, allowing students individual choices about sharing their data, thereby safeguarding their privacy.

Our ambition is to ensure that anyone graduating from Radboud University will have gained international experience

Speaking about language

Our students are trained in strong communication skills in preparation for the job market. Our language policy is aimed at improving their proficiency in at least Dutch and English. We have introduced diagnostic testing in Dutch and English, coupled with supplementary courses where necessary. The language of instruction for each programme, specialisation or course is determined on the basis of quality and content. Other considerations include the demands of the professional field and the need to ensure that the programmes remain accessible to Dutch students.

The right place for everyone

Radboud University owes its origins to the Catholic emancipation movement of early last century. Because of our heritage, we attach great value to accessibility: we feel a responsibility to provide anyone who is willing and able to undertake university study with an opportunity to do so. This applies particularly to students who for whatever reason are unfamiliar with universities. We regard the quality of teaching as paramount. We take the necessary steps if this quality comes under pressure through unexpected fluctuations in student numbers. We wish to grow in quality, not necessarily in quantity. ‘The right student in the right place’ is our guiding principle.

Contributing to a learning society

Learning doesn’t stop once you graduate from university. Graduates continue to develop throughout their lives. They require flexible, modular forms of post-initial education, with content that is determined by social need, personal ambition and/or a curiosity that is anchored in academic knowledge. As a university we welcome anyone who wishes to keep developing in this way. We use new pedagogical models, personalised learning paths and a combination of online-applications and face-to-face encounters on campus. In so doing, we contribute to a learning society together with international, national and regional partners.

‘We encourage an open intellectual climate in which staff and students inspire and challenge one another’