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<h1>Language usage in the Netherlands is a quality issue </h1>
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<div class="gmail-field gmail-field-name-field-standfirst gmail-field-type-text-long gmail-field-label-hidden"><div class="gmail-field-items"><div class="gmail-field-item even"><p>Concerns
about whether internationalisation and English usage has gone too far
should be addressed from the perspective of quality assurance,
says Michèle Wera</p></div></div></div> </div>
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June 14, 2018 </div>
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<div class="gmail-views-field gmail-views-field-title"> <span class="gmail-field-content">By <a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/author/michele-wera">Michèle Wera</a></span> </div></li>
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<div class="gmail-views-field gmail-views-field-field-breaking-news-images"> <div class="gmail-field-content"><img src="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/styles/the_breaking_news_image_style/public/holland.jpg?itok=wjcXrnBr" alt="A water level gauge, Netherlands" title="A Dutch polder" width="620" height="414"></div> </div>
<div class="gmail-views-field gmail-views-field-field-file-image-credit"> <div class="gmail-field-content">Source: iStock</div> </div>
<div class="gmail-views-field gmail-views-field-field-file-image-caption"> <div class="gmail-field-content">Water level staff gauge in ditch in polder Schokland, Noordoostpolder, Flevoland, Netherlands</div> </div> </div>
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<div class="gmail-field gmail-field-name-field-body gmail-field-type-text-long gmail-field-label-hidden"><div class="gmail-field-items"><div class="gmail-field-item even"><p>For
years, the Dutch government has stimulated the exchange of
international staff and students and supported universities’ efforts to
broaden their scope. This has put higher education in the Netherlands
one step ahead of the Bologna Process; by now, nobody questions the
concept of the international classroom, or the status of English as the
dominant language of science.</p>
<p>Yet in recent months, English-medium instruction has become a topic
of hot debate. Are universities in the Netherlands trendsetters or
simply out of control, having forgotten the quintessence of education in
the national context?</p>
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<div class="gmail-field-type-image"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/europe-watches-dutch-seek-caps-english-language-students"><img src="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/crown.jpg?itok=B16pCQqr" alt="Orange inflatable crown" width="100" height="67"></a></div>
<h3 class="gmail-pane-title"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/europe-watches-dutch-seek-caps-english-language-students">Europe watches as Dutch seek caps on English-language students</a></h3>
<p class="gmail-more-link"><a href="https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/europe-watches-dutch-seek-caps-english-language-students">Read more</a></p> </div>
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</div><p>The Dutch Language Union was among the first to publish a <a href="http://taalunieversum.org/publicaties/nederlands-als-taal-van-wetenschap-en-hoger-onderwijs" class="gmail-processed">critical report</a>,
in 2016. A year later, former minister of education Jet Bussemaker
asked the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences to look into
the matter. The academy’s <a href="https://www.knaw.nl/nl/actueel/publicaties/nederlands-en-of-engels" class="gmail-processed">report</a>
concludes that the language of instruction must be a matter of
conscious choice at programme level. The Association of Universities in
the Netherlands (VSNU) followed up by stating that that decision should
be taken in consultation with staff and students.</p>
<p>Most recently, the non-profit organisation Better Education
Netherlands has launched legal action against the Inspectorate of Higher
Education and two universities, claiming that anglicising higher
education <a href="https://www.beteronderwijsnederland.nl/nieuws/2018/05/persbericht-bon-sleept-universiteiten-voor-rechter/" class="gmail-processed">is in violation of</a> the Education Act, which states that all education be in Dutch unless there is a good reason for another language.</p>
<p>Debating the pros and cons of English-taught programmes inevitably
leads to a discussion of the growth of the international student
population in the Netherlands. This is seen as a direct result of the
easy accessibility of higher education to non-Dutch students; not many
European countries offer so many high-quality and affordable programmes
in English.</p>
<p>This expansion means that every university in the Netherlands
experiences challenges around overcrowding and the erosion of
student-centred learning. The latter jeopardises the Bologna aspiration
of small-scale teaching with flexible learning paths, individual
guidance and timely and adequate feedback.</p>
<p>On several occasions, students have expressed their concern about the
English proficiency of both university staff and their fellow students.
Staff members have made similar complaints about their students and
colleagues. However, statistics do not necessarily support these
grievances. Student surveys do not show a significant difference in
appreciation of programmes taught in Dutch and English, and a <a href="https://www.studyportals.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/EAIE-StudyPortals-English-taught-bachelor-programmes-Europe.pdf" class="gmail-processed">2017 study</a>
by the European Association for International Education was
inconclusive about the quality of English-taught bachelor’s programmes
in the European Higher Education Area.</p>
<p>The peer review reports that are the basis for the programme accreditation decisions made by <a href="https://www.nvao.com/procedures/assessment-framework-accreditation-system-netherlands-2016" class="gmail-processed">NVAO</a>,
the accreditation organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders,
occasionally mention quality issues related to English-language
proficiency and growing student numbers. In general, however, peers are
impressed by the international teaching and learning environment. At
institutional level, some NVAO audit reports mention international
student growth as problematic in terms of maintaining a balanced student
population, sufficient staff and adequate facilities.</p>
<p>The present minister of education, Ingrid van Engelshoven, has asked NVAO to advise her on the quality issue. In a <a href="https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2018/06/04/kamerbrief-over-internationalisering-mbo-en-ho" class="gmail-processed">letter to parliament</a>
earlier this month, she emphasised the importance of a balanced
approach towards internationalisation, and underlined the full autonomy
of universities regarding both language choice and quality assurance.
She is <a href="https://www.rathenau.nl/nl/kennisecosysteem/scheefgroei-inkomsten-en-prestaties-universiteiten" class="gmail-processed">not the first</a> to argue that the debate should focus not on internationalisation but on maintaining quality.</p>
<p>NVAO could facilitate discussion with relevant stakeholders on
quality criteria and include them in its assessment frameworks. First,
language policies could become part of institutional audits: to what
extent does the policy support a balanced international classroom? How
does the university cope with the growing numbers of students in terms
of quality? Second, in the <a href="https://www.nvao.com/procedures/assessment-framework-accreditation-system-netherlands-2016" class="gmail-processed">external assessment</a>
of programmes, peers could examine the impact of the choice of language
of instruction on curriculum quality and student achievement; of
special interest would be the proficiency of graduates and staff in both
English and Dutch. And, third, the approval of representative bodies of
students and staff could be required in matters of internationalisation
in general and language of instruction in particular.</p>
<p>Such moves would offer universities terms of reference for reviewing
their international goals and action plans, and put them in the lead on
identifying and responding to quality issues related to
internationalisation.</p>
<p><strong>Michèle Wera is a p</strong><strong>olicy adviser for </strong><strong>NVAO in The Hague. </strong></p></div></div></div> </div>
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<br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+<br><br> Harold F. Schiffman<br><br>Professor Emeritus of <br> Dravidian Linguistics and Culture <br>Dept. of South Asia Studies <br>University of Pennsylvania<br>Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305<br><br>Phone: (215) 898-7475<br>Fax: (215) 573-2138 <br><br>Email: <a href="mailto:haroldfs@gmail.com" target="_blank">haroldfs@gmail.com</a><br><a href="http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/" target="_blank">http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/</a> <br><br>-------------------------------------------------</div>
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