HZ was the first of the 37 universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands to receive an agreement from the Minister of Education, Culture and Science on its Quality Plan in the context of the Quality Agreements. Most of the financial resources that become available will be distributed among the HZ study programmes.
The proceeds resulting from the abolition of the basic grant and the introduction of the student loan will be distributed over the educational institutions in the 2019-2024 period. The instruction is to invest these funds for the improvement of the quality of education.
HZ has drawn up the Quality Plan in consultation with staff, students, the University Council, management, the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board. The plan describes how the HZ intends to employ the resources and the corresponding objectives. The choices made are closely related to the 2018-2021 Institutional Plan, so that the quality agreements are embedded in the direction already taken.
What choices has HZ made?
The following plans have been proposed and approved:
Retention and possible expansion of Teaching Staff
Most of the resources (63%) will be distributed among the study programmes. They can use these funds at their own discretion for the retention and possible expansion of the Teaching Staff and reduction of the teacher-student ratio (DS ratio). Thus, HZ gives the quality of small-scale education and research an extra boost, which is in keeping with “the personal university of applied sciences”.
Strengthening the HZ community and student participation
HZ wants to further strengthen its community and student participation by, among others, investing more in facilitating study programme committees and study associations, improving the connection between secondary education, MBO and HBO, intensifying the mental support of students and offering students more opportunities to enhance their talents, for example, by participating in the Honours Programme.
Strengthening HZ as a learning and cooperating organization
Successful and challenging education and research is largely determined by the strength and quality of teams as a collective and the individual employees within them. In the coming years HZ will focus even more on team composition, team development and empowering employees.
Further development of an inspiring campus
HZ profiles itself with Student and Process-oriented Education, characterised by intensive, small-scale and challenging education and the integration of education and research. A good physical and digital campus is an important part of this. HZ will invest in the further development thereof.
More information?
Read the HZ Quality Agreements.
The quality agreements
In 2018, the Minister of Education, Culture and Science entered agreements with the Association of Universities, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, the ‘Interstedelijk Studenten Overleg’ and the National Student Union on the design of quality agreements for higher education 2019 up to and including 2024. The resources released due to the abolition of the basic grant in 2015 and the introduction of the student loan will be linked to these agreements and will be distributed pro rata among the universities of applied sciences. It is up to them, in dialogue with their target groups, to translate the use of the resources at local level into concrete measures and policies.