Adapting the provision of services
- We are adapting our services, in order for study programme teams to be able to take the lead and be well-facilitated for that role. This will result in a shift from generic service provision to providing services for the study programme teams:
- The service geared toward education will remain 15%
- The size of generic services will decrease from 22,7% to 20%
- The Governance Board of directors and course directors will expand to include lecturers and students.
- The means that will become available from decreasing generic services, will be invested in education.
Who is involved?: Governance Board, central departments, administration offices.
In the lead: The Executive Board.
Leadership and professionalism
To have study programme teams optimally developing and functioning, investment is needed in leadership skills and professionalism for everyone. Leadership and professionalism are inextricably bound. Collective leadership means having leaders on all levels. We are asking the lecturer to take on direct responsibility for development and implementation of high-quality education.
All advisory groups emphasise the importance of professionalisation and leadership. Giving and taking responsibility, and having collective leadership calls for a sizeable investment in the
leadership and professionalisation programmes of the school.
Actual steps:
- Mandatory and recurrent supplementary learning applies to all lecturers with a focus on improvement of pedagogical and didactic skills.
- All lecturers have 10% professionalisation hours at their disposal with the aim of increasing knowledge and skills for the purpose of quality of education and study success.
- All management and Board members participate in a Leadership Development programme, in which complex issues are tackled in teams.
- The current common activities for management and directors, such as Focus days, Management Development programme, and other management days will be transformed into a programme geared toward learning collectively including a prominent role for lecturers, researchers, students and alumni.
- We are developing the HR-Academy and strengthening the academy to become the ‘opleidingshuis’ for the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Who is involved?: Managers and Directors, lecturers, students and Board members.
In the lead: Education & Development (O&O).
Appropriate and Visible Game Rules
The school as well as the study programmes need to adhere to a large number of (game) rules.
Many are mandatory, many unwritten. Some are clear, others are not. Superfluous and unclear rules hinder us in our development. In order to take charge, it is necessary that we define a set of clear and limited number of rules.
We will take the following steps to come to a set of appropriate and visible rules:
- All study programmes will have the opportunity to take the initiative and question rules and discuss them with the members of the Executive Board. Each proposition will be responded to with an assessment.
- The departments will supply input about rules and regulations to the opleidingshuis; the input will be applied to the study programme tracks for the (new) managers and directors.
- Study programme teams will get assistance in translating the rules to good work processes. The departments will offer help with the so-called Continuous Improvement (Continu Verbeteren).
Who is involved?: Lecturers, Course Directors, Team Continuous Improvement.
In the lead: Concern Staff.
Future-proof participatory decision-making
We will do the following to ensure that our participatory decision-making is up-to-date
- Central participatory decision-making related to far-reaching decentralisation will be researched.
- We will pursue participatory decision-making that corresponds to a decentralised organisation, including good cooperation with the Central Representative Board, the decentralised boards (the Institutes’ Representative Boards, the Services Participation Council) and study programme boards.
- We are developing creative ways of working together, where we can better make use of our participation boards and councils for improving the quality of our education.
- We support active participation of lecturers, staff and students in these participation bodies
- We offer good support, and safeguard the continuity in councils and boards by means of training facilities, and setting up a peer network.
Who is involved?: CMR, IOD, IMR boards, and study programme boards.
In the lead: Concern Staff.
Staying on the message
Measures in order to stay ‘on the message’ ?
- The Executive Board will set up a small academic advisory body (Academische Raad), with an internal core team organising a second team of external professionals who can help with the transition: from having a discussion to giving advice. When necessary the advisory body will take the lead in projects or initiatives, which may be undertaken for the improvement of quality and for ‘staying on the message’. This academic advisory body has advisory authority about quality, risk, and compliance issues in the school and can be consulted by the hubs and management, including the Executive Board. Goal is to stimulate expertise, knowledge- sharing and holding the critical dialogue. Their role is independent and free. Colleagues and students participate upon invitation and we will facilitate hours spent by lecturers via the planning and task assignment. External participants will have the role of advisor or sparring partner.
Who is involved?: Students, Lecturers, Course Directors, Directors, Board members.
In the lead: Concern Staff.