1. PREAMBLE
 

Alfredo Soeiro (Porto University) introduced THENUCE, Thematic  Network Project in European University Continuing Education, for which EUCEN was granted a subsidy by the European Commission. The core of the project is formed by a 'Scientific Committee', for which each of the eighteen participating EU and EFTA countries provides one representative. Paul Wijdeveld was recently appointed to represent the Netherlands. The Committee also has representatives from the CRE [Association of European Universities], Switzerland, our Central European partners and the Socrates Technical Assistance Office. The chairman is Alfredo Soeiro (who is also Vice President of EUCEN). The national experts are preparing a country-by-country report on the present-day situation regarding "University Continuing Education", with particular emphasis on the existing problems. These national reports will provide the basis for a European report which will serve as the preparatory document for a two-day conference on 14 and 15 October 1997 in Dublin, to precede the next EUCEN Conference
in Dublin.

In order to be able to report on the situation in the Netherlands, the following steps have been taken.
 

. Discussions have been held with Mr J. Houben, the PAO officer at the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU).

. Reports on Post-'doctoraal' Professional Education (PDBO) relevant to the above-mentioned report have bee requested from the B & A Groep [B & A Group] in The Hague.

. Information has been obtained from the various bodies concerned with Postgraduate Continuing Education in the Netherlands, on the general situation, the PAO activities themselves and on bottlenecks and problems.

. The report by the visitation committee on university teacher-training programmes (VSNU, April 1997) has examined the situation regarding university refresher courses.

. Information has been requested from the National Association of Education for Mature Students.

. The Distant Learning Service has been approached for information.

. A brief study has been conducted on lifelong studying based on relevant literature.
 

Information from the VSNU

Basically four forms of continuing education can be differentiated in the Netherlands.
These are:
 

Post-'doctoraal' Professional Education, PDBO: teaching programmes for people who have completed a 'doctoraal'
programme of study, are of long/longer duration and consist of short courses, leading to a diploma with so called 'civiel
effect'.

Postgraduate continuing education, PAO: primarily run by non university-related foundations, mainly using the services of university teaching staff, aimed at university graduates or those who are / seeking to be professionally engaged at an academic level in terms of intellect and work. University refresher courses, conducted by highly qualified graduates for university-trained people, which may or may not be concluded with a diploma, run by university institutions geared to such provision and generally linked to the initial degree of the teacher training programme leading to the grade-one teaching certificate. This is ideally a form of continuing education without which the participating students would beunable to continue working at the required level of quality.

Education for Mature Students, HOVO: teaching programmes conducted by highly qualified, highly specialised - mainly university - staff for participants at a tertiary level of intellect and work. The programmes in question are of a general formative nature and do not lead to a certificate.

Open University, OU: the Open University provides study programmes at university level as well as complete, academic courses leading to the title 'meester', 'doctorandus' or 'ingenieur'.
 

3. A Education following the 'doctoraal'

Post-'doctoraal' professional education is geared to post-WO (university education) and post-HBO (higher professional education) programmes (the so-called Eerste Fase, or First Phase'), that caters to the needs of 'the market'. These (non-mainstream, post-initial)-degree programmes are developed by the institutions themselves, which are also required to arrange funding. The wide assortment of alternatives is available in a single data base (PIHO) which is reasonably easy to access at universities, 'hogescholen', and a large number of companies and public institutions.

In 1992, the VSNU and the HBO Council commissioned the B & A Groep (Beleidsonderzoek en -Advies [Policy Research and Advice] BV, The Hague) to make an inventory of education following the 'doctoraal', 'to the extent that it is organised by universities and institutions affiliated to them'. Much of the information below has been taken from the final report:

Onderwijs na het doctoraal, een inventarisatie; B & A Groep, den Haag [Education after the 'doctoraal', an inventory: B & A Group, The Hague] 30 March 1992. The report refers to the primary objective of the research as being: laying a basis for improvement of information provision and policy forming by VSNU, the HBO Council and individual institutions. There is a further, policy-related goal: an overall view of programme availability is of importance in the development of a system of quality assurance. For the research, the B & A Groep approached the universities, the national bodies for postgraduate education, and where possible faculties and departments. The researchers estimate that in 1992 they charted nearly 90% of the professionally oriented programmes of longer than two days' duration.

3 A.1 Definitions

The universities and 'hogescholen' in the Netherlands employ a two-tier structure; the 'First Phase' is of four years' duration and is financed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The educational institutions are themselves responsible for the majority of the so-called Tweede Fase, or Second Phase', programmes, but are also required to arrange their own funding. To the extent that such post-'doctoraal' programmes are geared to participants with a university (or equivalent) level, they fall within the scope of postgraduate professional education. Courses aimed at brushing up or systemising theoretical and/or practical knowledge are known as postgraduate courses. Programmes catering for participation by HBO graduates are generally referred to as post-initial professional programmes or courses. In practice, this distinction is not always clear-cut. Courses geared to the specific requirements of recipients are covered by the term contract teaching.

As the assortment of alternatives is wide-ranging, with definitions not always clear-cut and information provision of a highly variable nature - sometimes given nationally and sometimes by individual institutions, faculties or departments - it is extremely difficult to obtain a complete picture.

3 A.2 Organisation and programmes offered

The research conducted by the B & A Groep in 1992 examined the PAO bodies but concentrated in particular on the thirteen larger universities. It also covered four Theological Universities, the University for Humanist Studies, the Netherlands Business School (Nijenrode University), the Royal Naval College and the Royal Military Academy.

As far as the programmes themselves are concerned, only those of more than two days' duration have been included. In the research year, the number of courses totalled 393: 209 were run by national PAO bodies, 55 by educational institutions, 71 by faculties, 58 by departments and similar (see page 15 from the B & A report). The non-response is estimated by the researchers at 48 courses (this would then take the total to 441).

3 A.3 Information provision

In the research year, there was a significant difference in the method of provision of information pertaining to the programmes available. In the case of nearly half the fields of study, information is supplied via a national body, and concerns information on 50 to 100% of programmes available; the remainder of the programmes are publicised under their individual names. Only occasionally at large universities is there one single body to supply clear information on all PAO activities at the university in question. The large/large universities tend to work in combinations: a particular body within the university may have links with, for example, the national body, faculties, or departments.

Since then, some foundations have been formed or are in the process of formation which, while not connected with the universities, largely use the services of university teaching staff.

3 A.4 Contents, numbers of participants

The 1992 B & A Groep report (on page 29) states in summar that 'the aggregate of postgraduate continuing education programmes with a duration of over two days numbered between 13,000 and 14,000 participants'. In terms of content, th largest numbers of participants were in the sectors economics, technology and health; language, culture and computer science achieved low numbers (at the beginning of the '90s); natural sciences also recorded low numbers, presumably also a consequence of the lack of information from the national PAO body in question.

3 A.5 Duration and costs

The inventory research has revealed that almost two thirds of the courses, including self-tuition, last a maximum of five days. Programmes lasting fifty days or more represented 15% of the total number on offer.

The costs show a wide spread, averaging NLG 400.- a day.
 

3 B Longer post-initial education programmes

 
In 1995, the B & A Groep (see A above) carried out follow-up research on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science, Department of University Education / Policy department: an analysis of course details for 1994 - 1995 and course details for 1992. Continuing on from the 1992 inventory, the aim was to obtain information on the longer post-initial education programmes provided by institutions for higher education. The questions in the research focused on the number of courses, contents, numbers of participants, costs, whether the course was linked to a diploma or not, and most particularly whether there had been any developments from the situation in 1992 until that of 1995, and if so, what these were. B & A Groep: longer post-initial education programmes, The Hague 1993.
 

3 B.1 Definitions

The courses and programmes in question are for people who have completed a course of non government-financed higher education, provided by universities, 'hogescholen' and affiliated institutes. The concept adopted in this follow-up research relates to programmes of 30 days' duration, or 240 contact hours.
 

3 B.2 Organisation and programmes offered

Programmes of longer duration are run by 44 study programme providers, one third WO and two thirds HBO. Compared with 1992, the total number of providers has risen by approximately one fifth; a quarter of the original 1992 providers had dropped out by 1995. The remainder are still active, and newcomers have since appeared. The total number of courses lasting a minimum of 240 contact hours has remained virtually the same. This indicates that the average number of courses per provider (22% more providers, an equal number of courses in total) has diminished. There has also been a great deal of changing around: twelve original providers have dropped out and 18 new providers have appeared, totalling 44!

 3 B.3 Information provision

The 1995 report contains no explicit comments on (difficult) information processing. A possible indication that obtaining information on longer post-initial education programmes is no easy matter (also the case in 1995) might be that out of the 100 potential respondents who were questioned, 32 providers failed to produce a useful response.

 
3 B.4 Contents, numbers of participants, target groups, diplomas

. The B & A Groep categorised the courses in accordance with the sectors differentiated in the Higher Education and Research Plan (HOOP): economics, behaviour and society, health care, agriculture and the environment, natural sciences and computer science, languages - history - culture, engineering and technology, and others. The scores achieved in these sectors are, expressed in percentages: economics 43%, health care 15%, engineering and technology 12%, the other sectors achieving significantly lower results: behaviour and society 6%, others 6%, the remainder 1 to 2%. Compared with 1992, economics - including management - continued to be dominant; engineering and technology went down from 22 to 12%, health care increased from 5 to 15%.

. Regarding the exact numbers of participants in longer courses, the research group showed that it was extremely difficult to obtain figures. Based on part-figures, conversion factors and estimates derived from additional, reliable information, page 10 refers to a growth percentage of 50 to 75% in the period 1992 - 1995: for a virtually equal number of courses on offer, a substantial increase in participants per course.

. In the professional groups targeted and reached, policy making and higher executive positions (in public administration) achieved the highest scores, the highest being around 35%; these are followed by doctors, dentists, veterinary surgeons with 24%; architects, engineers, technicians and draughtsmen score 20%. The remaining professional groups are considerably lower with 2 to 6.

. Diplomas or certificates are awarded in the majority of courses; the B & A researchers could make no pronouncements on the effect on the labour market of the legal right to use the title in question (this not being an aspect of the research). Over half the longer University courses convey entitlement to a Master's degree.
 

3 B.5 Duration and costs

The average length of the longer post-initial education courses is in the case of WO 57 days and for HBO 55 days. The total duration from start to finish is 72 weeks on average. The courses are becoming more expensive: approximately 20% more per contact day than in 1992. In HBO, prices of between NLG 100.- and NLG 200.- per day are commonplace, though the researchers report that prices above NLG 400.- per day are exceptional. In WO all the various price categories are found but there are more courses with prices in excess of NLG 800.- per day.
 

3 B.6 Conclusions and bottlenecks

. In the early nineties, 13,000 to 14,000 people took part in post-'doctoraal' education. Over two thirds of the courses were short (no longer than 5 days); economics, engineering and technology and health were particularly popular. In addition to these short courses, there are long/longer professional study programmes, 15% of which last for 50 days or longer.

. As regards prices, the shorter-duration courses (taking the WO and HBO together) cost an average of NLG 380.- per course day, the longer-duration ones being cheaper per day. The national PAO bodies perform the task of information provision regarding their own sector / courses offered reasonably well.

. The information provision on postgraduate education - from the individual institutions, on the interrelation between information flows and relating to a national picture - is generally problematic. The large/larger universities have not combined their selection into a single separate body, and have often in fact not grouped them faculty-wise.

. There is no adequate, coordinated data base, information flows are at cross purposes and often insufficiently up-to-date; a potential participant does not find it easy to orientate himself.

. Because of the generally inadequate information provision and the great variety of courses - one to two days / two to five days / over five days / fifty days or more - it is difficult to arrive at a good system of quality control.

. In the mid nineties, the longer professional programmes increased substantially: 20% more providers, over 50% more participants. Nearly half of all the longer courses related to economics / management; courses on health care also increased; courses on engineering and technology / natural sciences / computer science diminished. The prices are at present approximately 20% higher than in the early nineties, there being a rising trend.

. There is still no absolutely clear view of the quality of the courses, participant satisfaction and real interest (and whether this will last) on the part of the various target groups.
 

4. POSTGRADUATE CONTINUING EDUCATION, PAO

 
4.1 Foundations

Postgraduate education in the Netherlands is partly provided by the universities themselves, but mainly organised by foundations and institutions affiliated to the universities. While the Foundations are not connected with the universities themselves, they tend mainly to use the services of university teaching staff. There are twelve foundations in all, namely:

- Business Administration and Public Administration Studies (PAO-BB)

Kromme Nieuwegracht 8, P.O. Box 1070, 3500 BB Utrecht
Tel.: 030-2315813 Fax: 030-2315996

- Tax Studies (PAOB)

P.O. Box 533, 2300 AM Leiden
Tel.: 071-5133558 Fax: 071-5277732

- Pharmacy

P.O. Box 30460, 2500 GL The Hague
Tel.: 070-3624111, extension 220 Fax: 070-3106530

- Behavioural Sciences, Communication, Personnel and Organisation

P.O. Box 325, 2300 AH Leiden
Tel.: 071-5143142 / 5143143 Fax: 071-5140145

- Geoplan

Emmastraat 28, 1075 HV Amsterdam
Tel.: 020-6716121 Fax: 020-6646306

- Computer Science (PAOI)

Oostenburgervoorstraat 128, 1018 MR Amsterdam
Tel.: 020-6233094 Fax: 020-6252478

- Natural Sciences (PAON)

Schipholweg 94, 2316 XD Leiden
Tel.: 071-5214155 Fax: 071-5226549

- Law (PAO)

Janskerkhof 3, 3512 BK Utrecht
Tel.: 030-2537021 Fax: 030-2538410

- Veterinary Medicine Foundation (PAO-D)

P.O. Box 85205, 3508 AE Utrecht
Tel.: 030-2517374 Fax: 030-2516490

- Dentistry (PAOT)

P.O. Box 615, 3430 AP Nieuwegein
Tel.: 030-6037675 Fax: 030-6041500

- Technical Sciences (PATO)

P.O. Box 30424, 2500 GK The Hague
Tel.: 070-3644957 Fax: 070-3562722

- Traffic Research and Traffic Engineering (PAO-VW)

P.O. Box 1871, 2280 DW Rijswijk
Tel.: 070-3988363 Fax: 070- Tel.: 070-2784618 Fax: 015-2784619 (Delft)

4.2 Definitions

For definitions and more detailed descriptions reference should be made to sections 3 A.1. (page 5) and 3 B.1. (page 7). Whatever else the definition may contain, "the aim of PAO is to enlarge the participants' intellectual thought processes, to enhance their ability to develop a pro-active repertoire of action", as is stated in one of the brochures.

4.3 Organisation and programmes offered

The PAO bodies organise over half the total of postgraduate programmes. These bodies are organised nationally and while they are independent Foundations, they collaborate with other institutions in presenting the courses.
 

Examples

1. PAO business administration and public administration studies This body organises a multitude of programmes, in conjunction with various universities, with government managers and consultants and with De Baak-Management Centrum VNO-NCW: post-'doctoral' part-time curricula, training courses, short courses, workshops, lecture series and in-company programmes. Typical of just such an independent organisation
 
. Administration: four persons
. Project leadership: two persons
. Management team: two persons
. Board of governors: seven persons (3 professors, 2 doctors, 1 'doctorandus', 1 unspecified)
 

De Baak-Management Centrum VNO-NCW, which is a regular partner, (and which is considerably larger, both volume and capacity-wise), offers a number of programme options: continuing education, executive development, personal development, project management and management of change, human resource management, marketing and strategic management, financial control and logistics, information management, government programmes, a study centre for development of employee participation in management. De Baak naturally has its own management, staff and board of directors, and - its own Hotel de Baak.

2. The Foundation for the Netherlands Institute of Postgraduate Education These 'partners for professionals' in behavioural sciences, communication, personnel and organisation, summarise their information as follows: "PAO is an independent foundation and has no administrative (formal) links with universities. However, 100 to 200 university teachers do contribute to our courses every year; this means that in effect all the Dutch universities and a number of foreign universities participate in the education/research-related activities in our area of work. All the participants in a course who meet the required standards receive a PAO certificate on completion of the course. Many PAO courses count towards obtaining registration by a professional association, particularly in the field of behavioural sciences (NVO, NIP and other associations). PAO is recognised by CEDEO. PAO activities are financed entirely by the recipients, meaning the participants or the organisations employing them. PAO operates on a commercial but non profit-making basis".

The fifty-or-more courses, study days and workshops are intended for graduates 'who wish to keep up the standard or enhance the quality of their functioning as professionals'. The following are areas of particular interest: communication management, personnel/organisation training, management and communicative skills, developmental and behavioural problems, diagnostics (NVO/NIP), problem solving (NVO/NIP/VGt), supervision and coaching. In addition, 'tailor-made PAO' may be requested by an organisation: 'tailor-made PAO courses; Tailor-made educational routes.

3. PAO Computer Science

PAO Computer Science is a foundation that has emerged from university PAO activities. The responsibility for quality control is jointly shared by PAO Computer Science and the university in question. As stated by the PAO body, the foundation is non-profit making and costs are covered by course fees. A certificate is awarded on completion of the course.

The PAO Foundation organises courses in conjunction with nearly all the Dutch universities, though predominantly with the universities of technology (TUs). Every year around 600 students take part. There are no distance education courses. The courses are of brief duration, lasting between one day and five days. A course programme is compiled twice a year in conjunction with the universities which comprises innovative computer science subjects

4. PAO Veterinary Medicine Foundation

In the organisation of PAO Veterinary Medicine, use is generally made of teachers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht and Ghent. In addition, teachers from the Wageningen Agricultural University, practitioners, the Animal Health Service, the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries and where necessary specialists in particular areas are deployed to conduct the courses.

PAO Veterinary Medicine welcomes approximately 2,500 participants every year spread over approximately 100 courses. These courses are subdivided into courses for livestock and poultry stock (bovine animals, pigs and poultry) and companion animals (dogs, cats, horses, exotic animals and fish). In addition, courses in public health, management, pharmacy management, certification and communication are organised. Although PAO Veterinary Medicine offers no distance education courses, there are nevertheless close links with the Spekmann Foundation which provides PAO with the use of video, etc.

Regarding the form of government, PAO Veterinary Medicine is a foundation. The Central Board of the Foundation comprises representatives from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, the Royal Netherlands Society for Veterinary Medicine (K.N.M.v.D.), the IDO-DLO, the Animal Health Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries.

In order to arrive at a determination of the content of the course, consultative bodies have been organised where, for each animal species, practitioners and representatives from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine have a seat. Course duration varies from one half-day session to several weeks. Every half year, the PAO Veterinary Medicine office (director, course manager, course administration and clerical staff member) publishes a brochure containing the programme of study for the spring and autumn. In addition, PAO Veterinary Medicine has a column in the Tijdschrift voor Diergeneeskunde [Journal for Veterinary Medicine] and a page on the Internet. As a teaching aid, each participant and teacher is given a syllabus containing a written version of the subjects covered in the course.

The quality of the courses is monitored by a process of evaluation, course by course and by each participant, with the aid of a questionnaire handed out at the beginning of the course, on which participants may indicate their rating for each component by means of points and/or comments. At the end of the course, the completed questionnaires are processed and sent to the course leader and teachers in question. Participants receive a certificate on completion of the course. For each participant, the PAO Veterinary Medicine office maintains a total overview of course participation.

In respect of financing: the PAO Veterinary Medicine Foundation is fully self supporting. For each course, a budget is drawn up covering the costs of teaching staff, accommodation, materials and overheads. Each course must in theory be cost effective (approximately NLG 200.- p.p.p.d.).

5. Foundation for Postgraduate Continuing Education in Dentistry The PAOT Foundation has, as requested, summarised its information concisely and to the point.

The following organisations provide PAOT:
 

a. 3 Universities (Amsterdam, Groningen, Nijmegen); participants per year: 3,500

b. 16 Academic dentistry associations; participants per year: 6,000

c. 34 Non-commercial organisations, institutions, foundations, etc.; participants per year: 10,000

d. 17 Commercial institutions; participants per year: 3,500

 

The courses are run over the whole country. Nearly every possible aspect of dentistry is covered, by means of refresher courses as well as in-depth courses.

Supply is matched to demand.

With the exception of courses for commercial institutions, costs are met by the participants.

Certificates

There is a national quality evaluation system which, it is expected, will ultimately be used by every provider. It is a product of the Commissie van Overleg (COVER) [Consultative Commission] and has been worked out in detail. The Committee also has representatives from the academic associations, the Dutch dental association and the PAOT. Implementation of the quality policy has been delegated to COVER, which is supported by the Centre for Research and Development into Higher Education/Nijmegen University. The information brochure states that "the judgment given by COVER on accreditation of an institution/course/person is binding."

The course provider monitors the quality before, during and after the course.
 

The activities in the area of university refresher courses and services to the community are undertaken by ten universities. These are:

1 Graduate School of Teaching and Learning (ILO) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA)

2 Interfaculty Institute of Teacher Training, Educational Development and Study Skills (IVLOS), at Utrecht University and Wageningen Agricultural University (LUW)

3 University Teacher Training Institute (UNILO) at Nijmegen University (KUN) and Tilburg University (KUB)

4 University Teaching Training Centre (IDO) at the Free University Amsterdam (VU)

5 Institute for Didactics and Educational Practice (IDO) at the Free University Amsterdam (VU)

6 Graduate School of Teaching and Learning (UCLO) at the University of Groningen (RUG)

7 Graduate School of Teaching and Learning (ULO) at the University of Twente (Enschede)

8 Graduate School of Education (ICLON) at Leiden University (RUL)

9 Rotterdam Teacher Training Institute (ILR) at Erasmus University, Rotterdam (EUR)

10 Graduate School of Teaching and Learning (ULO) at Delft University of Technology (TUD)

  The activities are diverse, varying from highly specific and specialised, educational / 'agogisch', pedagogical / didactic, team-targeted, etc.

This form of postgraduate education for teaching staff is generally linked to the activities that form part of the university programme of teacher training and in this way is differentiated from practical experience-led refresher courses organised by other, non university, institutes.

Bottlenecks and obstacles

Since the transfer of funds for refresher courses to the individual colleges, the university refresher course institutions have maintained their potential, high-grade calibre range of programmes, but the presentation of training and support have become strongly dependent on demand. Staff are kept down to a minimum, with the initial-degree programmes having first call on them, with the result that the theoretically potentially satisfactory situation cannot always be converted into teaching carried out in actual practice. Competition from partners which have partially retained their subsidy makes the future position on the market uncertain. The laborious transition to a national collaboration by one single association of interested parties and the lack of a jointly agreed spearhead action form additional obstacles.

6. EDUCATION FOR MATURE STUDENTS, HOVO

'HOVO' education is university education for mature students, organised from within universities and/or associations between universities and 'hogescholen'. Although there is no requirement of specific previous education, students are nevertheless expected to have a sufficiently high level of general education. The teaching staff are university trained, the courses may comprise lectures, tutorials, working groups or excursions. There are courses forming part of a complete unit (for example art history, philosophy, comparative literature), and others that form entire programmes in themselves. The courses do not lead to a diploma or certificate. HOVO is only intended for people wishing to do something to further their general education in a structural context or wishing to supplement a perceived shortfall in a certain academic area via a structured learning process.

. HOVO is currently available at 17 institutions for higher education in the following 26 towns: Amsterdam, Breda, Doetinchem, Driebergen, Eindhoven, Emmen, Enschede, The Hague, Groningen, Heerenveen, Heerlen, den Bosch, Kampen, Leeuwarden, Leiden, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Roermond, Roosendaal, Rotterdam, Sittard, Tilburg, Utrecht, Venlo, Vlissingen and Zwolle.

. HOVO education is also referred to as 'tweedekans-onderwijs' [second chance education]. The courses, which are always in the daytime, last from 8 to 14 weeks and begin in the autumn and spring. The subjects are in the field of philosophy and theology, economics and law, language and literature, history, the history of art and music, and social and behavioural studies. Although there was initially less interest in science subjects, for some time now there has been greater demand for technology, mathematics, computer science and biology. A number of HOVO institutions offer the opportunity to link up courses within a field of study to form a complete unit.

In the 1995-1996 academic year, over 8,000 people took part in HOVO courses.

A clear bottleneck is the weak financial position: HOVO is not subsidised by the government, being of an extramural nature. It is therefore only possible to carry out HOVO if universities or 'hogescholen' make rooms and facilities available and if teachers consent to a modest remuneration or offer their services free of charge. The participants pay a contribution varying from NLG 225.- to NLG 375.- depending on the length of the course.

HOVO-Nederland is a national association with the aim of stimulating higher education for mature students, thus creating new initiatives.
 

HOVO-Nederland,
P.O. Box 1287, 6501 BG Nijmegen.

7. OPEN UNIVERSITY, OU

The Open University provides study programmes at university level as well as complete, academic courses leading to the title 'meester', 'doctorandus' or 'ingenieur'. The Open University offers distance education courses.

The OU range comprises over 250 courses in the field of economics and business, marketing and communication, personnel and management, policy and management, culture, law and legislation, psychology and education, nature and the environment, mathematics and computer science, international law.

There are study programmes leading to a title in the fields of business administration, public administration, economics, the humanities, educational studies, psychology, Netherlands law, applied natural sciences and computer studies.

  There are eighteen study centres distributed over the country, twelve of which are in the Netherlands and six in Flanders. At each centre there is a library as well as access to computer, video, videodisc, CD-i or CD-rom equipment.

The number of participants/students is around 35,000.

8 CONCLUSIONS AND BOTTLENECKS

1. In the Netherlands there is a wide assortment of education that may be categorised as continuing education at tertiary level: post-'doctoraal' professional education, postgraduate education, university refresher courses, education for mature students, open university distance education.

This variety is on the one hand the strength of continuing education (ample choice for everyone), but at the same time it forms a bottleneck: a chaotic bunch of flowers which the insufficiently initiated find it well nigh impossible to arrange into a bouquet.

2. Within this vast array, there is a great variation in definitions: post-'doctoraal' professional programmes, postgraduate courses, post-initial professional programmes, post-initial education programmes, postgraduate programmes, contract education, training and refresher courses, support, continuing education, etc, etc. Quite apart from this confusing terminology, some courses lead to the title of master, 'meester', 'doctorandus' or 'ingenieur'. In other forms, the courses are completed with diplomas, certificates, certificates of attendance, and so on, with uncertainty as to their statutory status. Sometimes, such as in the case of PAO behavioural sciences for example, many of the PAO courses count as credits towards registration by a professional association (in this case NVO, NIP).

3. The information provision on the total number of courses on offer is highly divergent, not surprising in view of the great variety. Over half of the total number can be found out about via the national PAO bodies. It is then of course up the prospective participant to track down the addresses of these bodies as best he can. There is an - outdated - file at the VSNU Press and Information department. Acquiring information on the remaining 50% of the courses on offer proceeds laboriously via universities, faculties, departments, academic associations, other, non-commercial, associations, as well as associations that are commercial. Very few of them have a central point from which information is supplied in a coordinated, adequate manner and - of great importance surely - is kept up-to-date. The PIHO data base also displays a fair number of these deficiencies. A vast degree of confusing fragmentation, then. * The fact that information provision does not proceed smoothly was experienced at first hand during the course of writing the present report: . not till three weeks later and after repeated requests to this effect did information on post-'doctoraal' professional programmes arrive;

. of the twelve PAO bodies approached with a highly specific question, reasonably complete information was received 2 weeks later from three bodies, and extremely incomplete information from two others.

4. From the PAO bodies themselves, the following bottlenecks are mentioned:

. pressure of time which the entire process labours under, amongst other things related to the availability of teaching staff.

. The same fragmentation is also encountered within individual sectors. For this reason, within the PAOT for example, the initiative has been taken to create an umbrella organisation which analyses nationwide supply and demand, publishes a single bulletin, registers participants and certifies all PAOTs.

5. For the possibly less relevant university refresher course areas in terms of the present report (PAO for teaching staff) the following are the bottlenecks and obstacles:

. Since the transfer of funds for refresher courses to the individual colleges, the university refresher course institutions have maintained their potential, high-grade calibre range of programmes, but the presentation of training and support have become strongly dependent on demand.

. Staff are kept down to a minimum, with the initial-degree programmes having first call on them, with the result that the theoretically potentially satisfactory situation cannot always be converted into teaching and tutoring carried out in actual practice. Competition from partners which have partially retained their subsidy makes the future position on the market uncertain.

. The laborious transition to a national collaboration by one single association of interested parties and the lack of a jointly agreed spearhead action form additional obstacles.

7. It is notable that in all the information - except in the case of the Open University and PAO Veterinary Medicine's page on the Internet - no mention is made of distance learning and of the students' use of Computer Science and Communication Technology in general.

8. Lifelong studying, lifelong paying: is this feasible and affordable?

The Volkskrant newspaper of Wednesday 16 April 1997 contained the supplement: Leergeld, leren en werken [Tuition fees, studying and working]. The following are some quotations from the first page of the supplement:
 

. "Studying and working would seem to be a fine ideal, but education is still neatly divided into two separate systems: daytime classes for young people still entitled to government grants, and part-time study courses and the private circuit for people wishing to follow a course of education alongside their work."

. "In the trend towards greater flexibility of the curricula, modern technology could well be of benefit to the 'hogeschool'. The bulletin board displays a diagram showing how, via the local cable, the 'hogeschool' and by way of the library, a link with the Internet is finally effected, enabling every student to log on to pick up his assignments whenever it suits him."

. "Students are doing more extra-curricula work, and those in work are going on courses more often. Studying and working are increasingly overlapping each other, exactly as predicted by the modern-time prophets. For example, since 1986 numbers of business courses and evening classes for employees have almost doubled. Whereas a master of business administration was in those days a degree that could virtually only be obtained abroad, nowadays tens of 'mba universities' are jostling each other for a place in the market for part-time courses. Work experience is often a prerequisite. Short courses are popular."

. "Employees must continually work at their employability, predicts a professor of business studies at Leiden University. Or in other words: anyone wishing to keep his employer's interest, will have no choice but to engage in further training. Lifelong studying would therefore seem to mean lifelong paying".

. "If the combination of studying and working is ever to get properly off the ground, education will need to be set up in a completely different manner, states a top civil servant from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science." 'Students should not be required to pay their entire tuition fees in one go but must be allowed to purchase each segment of tuition separately. In this way, studying and working will be combined and higher education will continue to be affordable.' This puts an entirely different complexion on the concern of his own superior, Minister Ritzen, about the student work activities to supplement their allowances. To make the combination of working and studying possible, higher education, and maybe also a substantial proportion of secondary professional education, will have to be drastically reorganised. Anyone taking on extra work will have temporarily to cut down on his studying and if studying and working is to be become the lifestyle of the future, the minister must not kick up such a fuss about it but move with the times."

9. SUMMARY

From THENUCE, Thematic Network Project in European University Continuing Education, a country-by-country report on the present-day situation regarding "University Continuing Education" is being prepared. The present report is an initial draft on the situation in the Netherlands and is based on information obtained from the VSNU on inventory research compiled by the B & A Groep in The Hague, from information received from five of the twelve national PAO bodies (by the deadline, no information had arrived from the other bodies), from the university refresher course institutes and from the HOVO field of education and the Open University (Chapter 1).

There is a great variety of education that can be covered by the concept of continuing education; there are several definitions, the principal one being post-'doctoraal' professional programmes, post-'doctoraal' courses and postgraduate education (Chapter 2).

The educational activities which the national report is presumably referring to in particular are post-'doctoraal' professional education and postgraduate education. The other forms of education have been included largely for the sake of completeness, although it must be added that education provided by the university refresher course institutions is regarded by the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) most emphatically as postgraduate education for teaching staff in secondary education.

Post-'doctoraal' professional education (Chapter 3) has two main variants:

. short professional courses lasting from two to five days;

. longer post-initial education programmes of thirty days or longer.

The short-term professionally oriented courses mainly involve the PAO bodies and the thirteen large universities. In the first year of the inventory (1990) there were over 400 courses of this type: almost 200 run by PAO bodies, over 50 by educational institutions, approximately 70 by faculties, approximately 60 by departments and the remainder by 'others'. 13,000 to 14,000 participants are involved here, paying around NLG 400.- per course day. In the case of the longer post-initial education programmes, the number of longer courses was found in the 1995 inventory year to be approximately the same as in the first inventory. There has, however, been a great deal of changing around in providers: a quarter of the original providers have disappeared from the market, but so many new providers have appeared that the total (=44) has risen by 20%. The researchers estimate the increase in participants at 50 to 75%.

Economics / management, at 40 to 50%, have continued to be dominant; technology has gone down from 22 to 12%, health care has risen from 5 to 15%. Other sectors (fluctuating between 2 and 6%) have remained more-or-less the same.

Postgraduate education (PAO, Chapter 4) is primarily run by twelve Foundations not formally related to the universities though mainly using the services of university teaching staff. There is also education provided by academic associations, and by commercial and non-commercial, 'other', associations. The PAO Foundations are entirely independent, non-profit making and costs are kept as low as possible for participants (approx NLG 200.- per course day). They work alongside many national and international universities, but have their own organisation, board/board of governors, course policy, etc. The number of students a year varies from a few hundred (PAO Computer Science 600 a year) to a thousand or two (2,500 PAO Veterinary Medicine) to several thousands at PAO business administration and public administration studies.

Bottlenecks

. There is a great variety in total programmes on offer, but few possibilities to arrive at a selection on a basis of quality.

. There are many different definitions and/or descriptions of the programmes on offer.

. The information provision is no more than moderate across the board; as an outsider you have to have a reasonably good idea of what to ask and where to ask it.

. There is considerable fragmentation of providers, sector-wise as well.

. There are extremely few opportunities for distance learning and/or via modern information technology and communication technology.
 

1 Association of Universities in the Netherlands VSNU; information obtained verbally from Mr J. Houben, PAO officer

2 Policy Research and Advice BV; education after the 'doctoraal', an inventory: The Hague, 26 June 1992 (date

3 Policy Research and Advice BV; longer post-initial education programmes, The Hague 1993 26 June 1992

4 PAO Business Administration and Public Administration Studies and de Baak Management Centre VNO-NCW; programme overview 1997-1998

5 Behavioural Sciences, Communication, Personnel and Organisation

. PAO indicator 1996-1997

. 'tailor-made PAO' 1996-1997

7 Postgraduate Education in Veterinary Medicine; letter with information; course programme PAO Veterinary Medicine spring 1997

8 Postgraduate Education in Dentistry; letter with information and: a system of quality control in further training and refresher courses in dentistry

9 VSNU; Quality Evaluation Education and Research; University Teacher-Training Programmes, April 1997

10 HOVO-Nederland, National Association of Higher Education in the Netherlands; Newsletter nos. 11, 12 and 13, 1996-1997

11 Studying at the Open University; information brochure

12 The Volkskrant newspaper, Wednesday 16 April 1997; supplement: Leergeld, leren en werken