Education at Radboud University is characterised by its high quality and its closeness to the research that's being carried out. To maintain the high quality of our programmes, Radboud University works continuously to strengthen its culture of quality. A healthy culture of quality generates a climate in which it is natural for lecturers, students and management to work together to improve and renew education.
Through our quality assurance system, we ensure optimal quality of our teaching by examining whether we can improve/adjust our education. The core of quality assurance consists of the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle (PDCA). Each organisational level has its own PDCA cycle. A distinction is made between the institution (Executive Board and Supervisory Board), faculty, education and research institute, programme and a course.
At each level within the university, management information is used to determine the progress of the goals set and/or whether the policy is having the desired effects. A similar review, aimed at improvement, takes place in response to the outcomes and recommendations from the accreditation reports, the results of the National Student Survey (NSS) and on the basis of the results of the course evaluations.
External accountability is through the programme accreditations and the institutional quality assurance assessment by The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO). You can consult NVAO's accreditation decisions on its website.
Inspection and accreditation
Part of the quality culture is that all Radboud University programmes are assessed once every six years by external visitation committees.
Institutional test
The institutional quality assurance assessment is carried out by NVAO. The institutional quality assurance test assesses the extent to which the university's quality assurance system is in order. A positive assessment confirms confidence in the institution. Programmes at institutions with a positive Institution Test Quality Assurance go through a limited assessment at accreditations.
In 2017, Radboud University participated in an Institution Quality Assurance Test. This resulted in a positive decision by the NVAO, based on an advisory report by a committee chaired by Professor Van Haaften. The NVAO's decision is valid until 20 November 2025.
Participational bodies
At every level in the organisation, students and staff think about policy and give advice to improve the quality of education. At university level, employee participation consists of the University Joint Assembly (UJA), at faculty level of the Faculty Joint Assembly (FJA) and, per programme, of the study programme committees.
Quality in Education Handbook (in Dutch)
The ‘Handboek Kwaliteit Onderwijs’ (Quality in Education Handbook) contains more information about quality assurance in education at Radboud University.
Other downloads (in Dutch)
Contact
If you have any questions, please contact the educational policy advisors.
aa-kwaliteitszorg [at] ru.nl