Topics & Results
The main results of sessions organised by the Education Experience Team can be found on this page. Not all results are published here, if you would like to know more results please subscribe to our newsletter to receive the results a few times a year. The newsletter sign up can be done from the right side of the page.
Do you have any questions? Then you can get in contact with us by sending an email to studentexperience@wur.nl.
Outcomes about personal development at WUR
Training & Workshops
Searching & Finding a Job
The way how study programmes play a role in helping students to find a suitable job and how they are better orientated on the job market, has been investigated within this topic for different studies. You can e-mail us to receive detailed information, as the results are study-specific.
Study Advice (students)
Study Advice (study advisors)
After having organised sessions for students on the role of study advice, this also has been investigated through sessions for study advisors. What is their perspective on giving study advice? These sessions were organised online and also tried to identify the effect of giving study advice online. Three main needs (+ideas) that study advisors indicated were:
- Optimizing digital content and looking for additional solutions
- Sharing information and experience with colleagues
- Informal social contact among colleagues
Compose a study programme
Making sure your study programme is composed in a way that you can study what you like within the boundaries of a programme is very important. Students indicated that orientation on courses can be done easily, but the use of several systems to compose the study programme in can be confusing. Therefore clear expectations need to be communicated to students.
Use of Macbooks at WUR
Some students choose to use this device to study, mainly because of the ease of use. But is it most compatible to study with these devices at WUR, as other programmes also need to be installed on it? One of the advices is to help students with this at the WUR’s laptop shop and maybe provide a special appstore for WUR students with a Macbook.
Orientation on studying at WUR
The Education Experience team also supports prospective students to make a right choice for their study. For this, WUR needs to know how prospective students experience the 'orientation on your study' process at WUR. All steps within this journey were marked as positive by a group of prospective students.
Only the orientation part that happens together with students' parents, high school teachers etc. was experienced as a frustrating step for this students. There appeared to be a need for more personal contact with current WUR students and more guidance and clarity.
More information of this customer journey could be requested by e-mailing: studentexperience@wur.nl.
What did we do regarding improving courses, thesis, student challenges and internships?
Follow a course
Follow a course online
Due to the Covid-19 crises, a lot of courses were taught online. This was a major but essential change in education. The main outcomes of these session in perspective of students were:
- Benefit: more time & flexibility
- Drawback: limited social contact which may lead to isolation and hampered learning
- Drawback: difficulty with focus and motivation
The Education Experience team addressed these outcomes to the university board and how to handle the drawbacks especially in order to keep students motivated for their study in a safe way.
Online examination
Due to the Covid-19 crises, a lot of exams took place online, as well as for a lot of courses. This was a lot of change for both students and teachers. The main outcomes of these session in perspective of students were:
- Info about the exam could be given through 1 channel, instead of multiple and to provide clarity about the exam instructions;
- Student had the need for more practice exam questions and to be stimulated to study together (online) with other students that follow the course as preperation for the exam;
- There was also a need for students to receive their grade within 14 days; that rule is also in the regulations of WUR!
More details about this customer journey can be requested by e-mailing studentexperience@wur.nl.
Writing your thesis
Doing your internship
Student Challenges
Printing, Scanning and Copying
One of the main focal points of WUR is sustainability. Outcomes of this sessions showed that WUR students also value sustainability, as they would be willing to pay more money for sustainable printing methods or options to reuse printed paper. Below you can read their experiences (in Dutch).
Outcomes of sessions regarding student technology and systems at WUR
Bring your own device (BYOD)
Student Portal (new Myportal)
New student information system (SSC online)
Brightspace (for students)
Brightspace (Teachers)
Weblectures
Privacy & Security
Receiving help when facing problems, student housing, wellbeing, information needs, social life on campus and when going to activities, as well as following Blended Education
Receiving help when facing problems
Housing
In collaboration with Idealis, the municipality Wageningen and municipality Ede, the Education Experience team organised a design thinking session where students could give their input on the housing plans students. They could also give input on their ideal student room. Additionally, a questionnaire was sent to a group of students to give input on their specific living situation and their ideal living situations, including their terms and conditions they preferred. The main outcomes:
- Socialisation: welcoming environment, like minded housemates & a common space to relax;
- Facilities: a proper working internet connection, better isolation to prevent/lower noise disturbance from housemates
- Information: better and more detailed information on housing, how to choose a room, getting in contact with current residents etc.
The outcomes will take part in the decision processes of the involved parties. More information can be requested by mailing studentexperience@wur.nl.
Social life: A day at WUR Campus
Social life: Campus activity
Blended Education
Accountability in Student Wellbeing ('Duty of Care')
When you are in a first year of your BSc or MSc studies at WUR there are a lot of things new to you. The university would like to know what information you need and when you need it regarding amongst others: general information, enrolment, systems and study specific information. However, to what extent is the university responsible for providing this information and to what extent is it the students' responsibility?
The outcomes of this sessions contained amongst others the following outcomes:
- Student were more responsible to chat with each other about finding the right information, instead of the university
- The university could organise (more) opportunities to learn from each other
- Decrease taboo on talking about certain problems
More specific results can be obtained by sending an e-mail to educationexperience@wur.nl
Information needs of first years students
First year BSc or MSc studies at WUR experience a lot of new things. Because the university would like to know what information you need and when, sessions were organised across first & second year BSc & MSc students to get a better idea of this. Results from the session were, amongst others:
- Need for clear expecatations through centralisation of information and providing details
- Extra guidance on some forms of information
- Some forms of information need proactive presentation
Going abroad
Of course going abroad for your study is a nice and very meaningful experience. Nevertheless, a lot has to be arranged for it. Our results from this journey found that for WUR student that study abroad are mostly in need of clarity of information and overall guidance and skill development during their time at the university. Fun fact: 92% of the indicated needs related to this topic!
Outcomes regarding the WUR library, teaching a course as a teacher & Knowledge clips
Online library
The role of the library within the university is also very important. From this sessions, students indicated that the library could partner with other departments of the university, for instance with the Wageningen Writing Lab.
Teaching a course (teachers)
Teaching a course II (teachers)
[Results will be updated soon]
Besides doing research, a lot of teachers are also teaching courses at the university. What problems do teachers encounter while givingand preparing for a course? How can these be solved and subsequently be optimized? In this second edition of the teaching a course, teachers will work out solutions to, among others, the previously mentioned questions via the Make your Mark method. In this way, several solutions from the teachers' perspective will be generated to solve the main issues while preparing & teaching a course. Results will indicate what the main bottlenecks are and what recommendations are suitable to combat these.