About Iselinge Hogeschool

Iselinge Hogeschool is an ambitious university of applied sciences in the east of the Netherlands. Even though it is a relatively small HEI, it is one of the three best-rated primary teacher training colleges in the Netherlands, according to the HBO Keuzegids 2018-2019-2020. Quality and innovation of education are greatly valued within the institution, just as personal attention for each student and collaboration with various partners involved in education (e.g. research institutes and primary schools). Iselinge Hogeschool has always been strongly anchored in the region, but for the last few years it has also aimed to look beyond the Dutch borders when it comes to good practices in education. The attention for internationalisation (both abroad and @home) has grown, not in the least because this is expected to have a positive effect on students’ overall satisfaction with the study programme as well as on their social involvement and employability, as has been stipulated in the institution’s policy plan for internationalisation (2016-2020). 

 

Information for incoming students

We would like to welcome you on our site and are pleased that you would like to take your time to get to know Iselinge Hogeschool, and our internationalisation program, more in detail. Please do not hesitate to contact us in case of any questions. 

International mobility of students and staff falls under the responsibility of the International Office. The internationalisation coordinator heads the office and supervises all mobility. The members of the Iternational Office (one coordinator and six teacher trainers with various tasks in the field of internationalisation (e.g.: workshops on internationalisation, accompanying students on excursions to Germany, preparing the outbound students)) convence twice a year and save all documentation in a shared online drive. At the moment, Iselinge Hogeschool knows only outbound mobility are overseen by one of the members of the International Office as well as the coordinator. The coordinator is a member of ETEN, and as such keeps in contact with the institution's foreign and domestic partners. More outbound and incoming mobility will necessitate an expension of the International Office. Additionally, Iselinge Hogeschool will start an international minor for both domestic and foreign students, in collaboration with other smaller primary teacher training colleges (Radiant Lerarenopleidingen). Iselinge Hogeschool's International Office will share responsibility for preparing, 'manning', executing, and evaluating this minor. 

Iselinge Hogeschool adheres to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System. This means that each study year has a study load of sixty credits, which equals sixty times twenty-eight hours. A study year is divided into four periods, which each comprise fifteen credits. Credits are allocated to a course based on the following considerations:

1.            time students will (on average) spend on preparing for and attending lectures, seminars, workshops, and excursions;

2.            time students will (on average) spend on preparing for and attending examination.

The exam committee oversees the process of allocating and converting credits. A separate committee (the EVC Bureau) is responsible for recognition of earlier acquired competencies and awarding credits in this context.

All courses taught at Iselinge Hogeschool are described in the course catalogue on the institution's website. The course catalogue contains the title of each course for the fulltime regular and academic varieties, its level (Bachelor 1, Bachelor 2, Bachelor 3, Bachelor 4),  the language in which it is taught (Dutch or English) and the number of credits to be obtained by finishing it successfully. Most courses are taught in Dutch. The Bachelor 2 English course is taught in English, just as (part of) the Bachelor 3 (academic variety) course in experiential education.

Additionally, Iselinge Hogeschool offers two intensive weeks in English. The first will take place March 26 up til March 31 2018 and adresses bi-lingual education (German/Dutch) in the EUregion. Pre-service teachers teach mixed Dutch/German pupils between 4 and 12 years old in pairs. The second intensive week will take place May 6 up till May 13 2018. You will 'Explore and move in the region, learn about the world'. We will walk four days in the eastern region of the Netherlands (each day 20, 30 or 40 km). Inquiry based research will be conducted on geography, history and nature with students of primary teacher training and Physical education from different countries.

See also: http://www.aw4d.nl

Here you will find the several possibilities offered by Iselinge Hogeschool and our ETEN partners. 

Outgoing students/uitgaande studenten

Iselinge Hogeschool encourages staff and students to partake in long-term internship, studies, or other forms of knowledge exchange in countries where the instruction language is either English, Dutch, or a language which is the  second or third language of the participant in question. Dutch and English are provided in the curriculum each semester through blended learning: lessons, online modules in 'Hogeschooltaal', and practical experience during internships. Language proficiency is evaluated by both institutional as well as national test (see course catalogue) and conditional for continuation of the degree programme. The minimum level of English is 4F/C1, while Dutch is tested on 3F/B2 in the first year and on 4F/C1 level in the second year. Moreover, staff and students can use the facilities of Radiant partner Katholieke Pabo Zwolle, to obtain a Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) through attending a tailored Cambridge English course.

Six months before departure, each participant is interviewed by our senior lecturer and researcher of English, a Phd holder. She advises the participant as to which aspects of Subject Matter Knowledge as well as Pedagogical Content Knowledge need improvement and which extra courses should be taken (e.g. language proficiency in Volksuniversiteit, Cambridge course, weekly communication with a native speaker, etc). In case of short time programmes (shorter than a month), staff and students are also stimulated to go to non-English speaking countries. In those cases they are paired with a peer: a colleague researching or lecturing the same topic or a student in the same level of studies.

Most of our courses are taught in Dutch. Incoming students have to prove through a statement of their home institution's international office, that they master the language in which the courses they plan to take are taught (this entails sufficient proficiency in writing, reading, speaking and listening) on at least B2 level. Staff lecturing or exchanging curricula with local colleagues should master at least C1 level. Dutch and/or English language proficiency is stimulated by an intensive two-week language course, prior to attending courses, taught by fourth-year students (selected by the lecturer of Dutch or the lecturer of English) or arranged by the candidate him-/herself. Two months before arrival, exchange staff and students meet their peer mentor at least weekly on Skype to improve their spoken Dutch. From the moment of arrival, students and staff meet at least weekly with a peer, to improve language proficiency (speaking, listening, writing and reading) in Dutch. 

In the context of the European Teacher Education Network (ETEN) it has been agreed that each partner provides a contact person, in most cases a colleague from the International Office. The contact person provides information about enrollment procedures, accommodation, insurance, travel opportunities on the day of arrival and afterwards, advisable professional development activities and a peer tutor or mentor. Peer tutors or mentors are responsible for a weekly meeting, to help improve the language proficiency of the incoming participant and social integration. Furthermore, a week after arrival, all incoming participants meet with their peer tutors on a welcoming activity (sports activity, introduction to the educational system and local environment, and/or a social event).

Outbound students who study and/or do internships in (commercial) organisations are required to send a detailed request to the exam committee, the legal body which controls the execution of the Education and Exam regulations (OER), six months prior to departure. Students should mention their level of studies (third or fourth year), which competences they will work on, which activities they will undertake to achieve that, and the organisation where they will do their internship. A representative of the organisation has to officially state that the company will provide at least a weekly evaluation. The exam committee will evaluate the quality and quantity of the proposal (activities, goals, modes of evaluation) and inform the student officially about the outcome of the evaluation. At least one lecturer of Iselinge Hogeschool will be appointed by the exam committee to support and examine the student.