.webp)
From fragmented processes to a single, clear approach
The challenge
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) is a research university where education and research are closely intertwined. With over 32,000 students and 140 programmes, it is a dynamic institution that not only trains students to become professionals, but also helps them with their personal and academic growth.
"At VU Amsterdam, you don't become something, you become someone,"says Arjen Heijstek, Process Manager for Teaching and Learning Support at VU Amsterdam. "We work according to our core values: open, personal and responsible. We believe it is important that students are open to different perspectives, that ethics play a role in their education and that everyone is seen for who they are."
But in such a diverse and large organisation, how do you ensure that all students receive the right guidance for their final project, which is usually a dissertation? How do you monitor quality when programmes work in different ways? And how do you maintain an overview when the workload increases?
According to Arjen, this is a growing challenge: "Financial resources are declining, while the number of students is growing. In some programmes, such as Computer Science, the number of students has tripled in a short period of time. How do you ensure that you can continue to provide the same quality of education and guidance with the same number of staff?"
Marjolein Paap, Education Policy Officer, adds:
"Within various faculties, there was no clear overview: where are students in the final thesis process? Where are the theses and assessment forms stored? How do you ensure that all assessments meet the accreditation requirements? We have been working on these questions for ten years, but the solution was never really clear-cut. Some faculties mainly needed support with supervision, others were looking for a better way of assessing, and still others wanted to archive theses and forms securely."
To get a handle on these challenges, VU University Amsterdam set up a working group to map out the thesis process. This proved to be a considerable task, because despite a number of similarities in broad terms, programmes often worked in completely different ways when it came to the details.
"The core of the problem was that we had to see the big picture. Each small process separately may not have seemed so inefficient, but when you add everything up, you see how big the challenge actually is," explains Arjen.
The VU formulated four main requirements for a new approach:
- The process had to become less time-consuming.
- The quality of the assessments had to be improved.
- Student supervision needed to become more efficient and transparent.
- The archiving of final theses and assessment forms needed to be in order, both for internal quality control and for visits.
With these requirements in mind, VU University Amsterdam set out to find a solution.
The solution
After extensive research, it became clear that the existing systems within VU University Amsterdam were not adequate. Privacy and security requirements also played a major role, so a tender was issued.
"OnStage came out on top," says Arjen. "We were already familiar with the product, and it largely met our needs. We specifically looked for a solution that would give us control over the entire thesis process – from submission to assessment and archiving. Some programmes also include an internship, but not all of them. For us, it was particularly important to organise the process management properly."
OnStage helped the VU to combine all the fragments of the thesis process into one clear whole. A big plus was that OnStage ensured that the system enforces that each thesis is assessed by two independent assessors and that lecturers are encouraged to provide feedback in several steps.
"Previously, a student could disappear and only submit a thesis at the deadline. With OnStage, we can better see how a thesis is developing, what students are learning and what feedback they are receiving," Marjolein explains. "It is also now easier to see who is responsible for which student, without having to search through separate Excel files and emails."
In addition, OnStage proved to be a valuable tool in the fight against fraud.
"With the rise of AI tools, it is becoming increasingly easy to generate texts. OnStage forces students to submit multiple versions of their thesis, giving us better control over the process and allowing us to follow the student's growth process," says Arjen.
The implementation: a learning process for everyone
The switch to OnStage meant a significant change for the VU. It was important for the VU that OnStage was immediately well received by the end users – lecturers and students.
One of the most important steps was to automate links. "Previously, students had to be added to systems manually, which was time-consuming and prone to errors. With OnStage, this is now done automatically," says Arjen.
Another challenge was that the VU has nine faculties, with a total of 212 different final project programmes. This could not be set up centrally, so each faculty was assigned its own key user who, together with a team, had to set up the process.
"It was really a learning process," says Marjolein. "We couldn't try to solve everything with OnStage, but had to think about what was and wasn't useful to put into the system. Fortunately, the people at OnStage were open to feedback and contributed good ideas."
Nevertheless, there was also resistance, mainly because OnStage is a system that requires processes to be structured.
"Many lecturers were used to working in their own way. OnStage brought more structure to this, which meant that some people had less freedom in how they approached things. That took some getting used to," explains Marjolein.
Gradually, the realisation grew that this structure actually helped to get a better grip on the process. The examination boards and faculty boards also saw the advantages.
"A key user sees things happening that previously went unnoticed. If something isn't going well somewhere, it can now be addressed more quickly," says Marjolein.
The result
By implementing OnStage, VU Amsterdam has made great strides in improving the thesis process. The system ensures that assessments are more uniform and that the process runs more efficiently.
"We now have much more control over the entire process," says Arjen. "Students and lecturers know exactly where they stand, and faculties can focus on quality."
In addition, OnStage has helped to reduce administrative burdens. Whereas theses and assessments used to be scattered across emails and separate files, everything is now stored in one central location. This saves time and prevents errors.
External quality controllers are also enthusiastic about the new working method. "During a recent visit, the committee indicated that they were pleased that we now have a system that allows theses to be better monitored and assessed," says Marjolein.
Although not all programmes are using OnStage yet, the VU expects that almost everyone will be working with it next year.
"We are not finished yet, but we are making great strides. And we warmly invite other universities to visit us and learn from our experience," concludes Arjen.