Quality Agreements
The Quality Agreements are assessed by NVAO. They pertain to the study advance funds allocated to institutions for the improvement of the quality of education.
“Collectively drawing up the plans for the investments in the quality of education was a treat,” or so the researchers were told repeatedly during the interviews that were conducted in the purview of this study. This is perhaps the main yield of the process relating to the development of the Quality Agreements at the universities. In concert, students, teachers, university authorities, support staff, and supervisors have formulated the plans for investing additional funds in educational quality. In addition to garnering widely supported input for the plans, this has also boosted the community spirit within the institutions; the participation councils have been given impetus; and the role of the Supervisory Board has been expanded, as is stated in Chapter 6. A report on the substantive yield of the Quality Agreements will be published concurrently with this study. This national picture shows that the universities are investing in all six themes listed in the sector agreements. The themes selected most frequently are educational facilities, student counselling, and staff quality. The national picture confirms, as does this report, that the plans have been developed in close consultation with the participation councils, but also with the universities’ broader rank and file.