The Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) has awarded the Distinctive Quality Feature Internationalisation to the International Bachelor’s Programme in Communcation and Media (IBCoM).
Erasmus University submitted the application for the ‘Distinctive Quality Feature Internationalisation’ during the regular re-accreditation procedure for the IBCoM programme. The final outcomes of this procedure were made public last month. The NVAO confirmed the positive assessment of the international expert panel that visited Erasmus University to meet IBCoM’s programme managers, lecturers, support staff, and students.
The panel concluded that the IBCoM programme systematically surpasses the current generic quality standards for a Bachelor of Science Degree programme across its entire spectrum. Among other things, the expert panel was favorably impressed by the high level and the very ambitious nature of the IBCoM programme, its assessment system, the quality of the bachelor theses, and last but not least, the performance and the enthusiasm of both IBCoM students and staff.
In addition to this positive overall judgement, the NVAO decided to grant the so-called Distinctive Quality Feature Internationalisation to the IBCoM programme. The NVAO looks at internationalisation as a rule when accrediting study programmes. However, the Distinctive Quality Feature Internationalisation is different in that the study programme needs to distinguish itself in terms of internationalisation, the level of ambition must be high and there has to be an explicit vision on internationalisation.
According to the panel the programme has a well-defined vision on internationalization, focusing on preparing the students for an international career or advanced studies all across the globe. The panel considered the intended learning outcomes to reflect the programme's internationalisation vision clearly and convincingly. IBCoM students are expected to master the international and intercultural dimensions of the media and communication subject matter and are to be able to communicate and collaborate with people from other nationalities and other cultural backgrounds.
The panel found the curriculum and the learning environment to be an appropriate reflection of the international and intercultural learning outcomes. The IBCoM programme features a significant number of courses with an international or intercultural orientation, while the teaching methods foster the active participation of the students in class and promote their international and intercultural awareness and skills. The small-group tutorials allow for the intense international and intercultural interaction between the lecturers and the students and among the students. The panel considered the results the graduates have achieved to be very much up to standard. It also noted that IBCoM graduates perform well measured by their rates of admission to prestigious international master's programmes in the Netherlands and abroad.
The panel has observed the teaching staff "to be very much internationally composed. The international research qualities of the lecturers are up to standard (…) Also, the lecturers are experienced regarding teaching international and interculturally diverse student groups and, definitely, meet the requirements of this international programme.”
The panel considered the composition of the student population to be very international on the one hand and to be balanced in terms of nationalities on the other hand. Moreover it noted that the “students have ample opportunity to meet students from other countries and other cultures. The students gain international and intercultural experience, as is evident from the course contents, the topics addressed in the classes and the skills the students are trained in. The percentage of students going abroad in the course of the curriculum is very high. Therefore, many of the students will have a real-life international and intercultural experience in the programme.” Last but not least, the panel has verified the programme management and support staff to provide adequate information, guidance, counseling and housing services as well as diploma supplements to the students.”
The results of the assessment procedure and the award of the ‘Distinctive (Quality) Feature for Internationalisation' underline the growing international reputation of the IBCoM programme, which was launched in 2009 by Erasmus University’s Department of Media and Communication.
More information:
About the IBCoM programme
About the distinctive quality_feature_internationalisation
(NL) Over het bijzonder kwaliteitskenmerk internationalisering
(NL) Overzicht van als good/excellent beoordeelde opleidingen in Nederland