Wittenborg Welcomes New Group of Students from around World

Uptick in Number of Students Attending Orientation Week

While student numbers have taken a dive worldwide, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences saw a promising uptick in its second intake for the academic year with more new students attending Introduction Week activities this week than in September. Wittenborg has six entry dates per year.  

New students came from Germany, Nigeria, Vietnam, Iran, Rwanda, Russia, the Netherlands, China, India, the US, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mozambique, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Libya, Ukraine and Indonesia. While many students attend the orientation activities in person, others followed online – whether they are in the Netherlands or outside the country, according to Wittenborg's Head of Operations, Lasantha de Silva.  

Wittenborg continues to observe government regulations in trying to curb the spread of COVID-19 – including promoting the wearing of face masks, keeping social distancing, encouraging students and staff to wash their hands and limiting the number of students in classes.  

While the COVID-19 situation remains uncertain, many countries – like those in Africa – have opened up international travel. De Silva said it is hard to determine students' thinking in weighing up whether they want to pause their studies despite the pandemic or not. "It could be that students are adapting to the situation and navigating life around the pandemic in a safe way – a shift in mindset perhaps."

The first intake was in September and De Silva said Wittenborg will soon review whether its adoption of the hybrid learning model – in-person teaching combined with online teaching – has proven effective.

About 45% of new students are Master's or Pre-Master's students and the rest either Bachelor's or Foundation Phase students.  

Introduction Week started on Tuesday and was conducted over four days. All aspects of their forthcoming academic journey at Wittenborg were covered – from doing academic papers, research, ICT and online studies. They also got information on living in the Netherlands, registering themselves with the local authorities, looking for a part-time job or eventually working in the Netherlands after completing their studies, should they so wish. Non-EU students are granted a 12-month stay in the Netherlands after graduating in order to look for a job.  

WUP 18/10/2020
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences joins an online celebration of the UN's 75th Birthday

Maggie Feng, CEO of Wittenborg will join the online celebration of “75 Years Of United Nations, 75 Years Of Peace & Freedom” , organised to mark 75 years of the United Nations, taking place at 3 p.m. this coming Saturday afternoon. The event highlights 75 years of peace & freedom and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN, Agenda 2030.

17 SDGs incorporate an action plan for people, planet and prosperity, peace and freedom, the eradication of poverty and hunger, and the conditions for sustainable development. In today's uncertain circumstances, with populations worldwide facing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SDGs are more important and relevant than ever.

Maggie Feng will showcase the actions that Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has taken in the past few years to make the world more connected via the international classroom.

Feel free to JOIN  LIVESTREAM via: https://medialive.nl/vn/20201017/ on SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER, 3 P.M - 4:15 P.M.

'75 Years Of United Nations, 75 Years Of Peace & Freedom'

Other guest speakers who will be also present during the online meeting:
    • Mr A.J.M. (Ton) Heerts, Mayor of Apeldoorn
    • Drs. G. (Gerard) Steeghs, Director International Organizations and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    • Drs. M.J.M. (Marcel) Beukeboom, Climate Envoy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate

More information can be found (in Dutch) at: https://www.worldproef.nl/gelreassociationinternational/
 
Feel free to JOIN  LIVESTREAM via: https://medialive.nl/vn/20201017/ on SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER, 3 P.M - 4:15 P.M.

WUP 16/10/2020
by James Wittenborg
© Wittenborg University Press

COVID-19: Wittenborg Renews Call for Students and Staff to Wear Face Masks Inside Buildings

No Additional COVID-19 Restrictions for Dutch Education Sector

The Dutch education sector has been spared any additional COVID-19 regulations with prime minister Mark Rutte saying that "education is too important" to impose more restrictions. However, other sectors – like restaurants, bars and cafés – were not able to escape as the government announced a partial lockdown for at least a month as of Wednesday 10 p.m. with a series of new regulations.   

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has renewed its call on students and staff to wear face masks inside buildings and to observe other safety precautions, like keeping a social distance of 1.5 m, regularly washing hands and limiting the number of people in classrooms.

The government is currently drafting legislation which would allow them to make the wearing of masks indoors compulsory. In the meantime, people are urgently advised to do so when going into supermarkets, shops, libraries and other buildings. If passed, this will also apply to the entire higher education sector. 

New regulations include:

• No more than three visitors to your home in a 24-hour period, excluding children under the age of 13.
• Group sizes in public places and spaces should be no more than four people from different households. 
• You should travel as little as possible.
• If you arrive in the Netherlands back from an orange country, you should go into quarantine for 10 days.
• For travel abroad, see advice issued by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Most European countries are now at least orange, which means all but essential travel should be avoided.
• Working from home is to become the norm again, and officials are talking to unions and employers to make sure this is made possible.
• Cafés, bars and restaurants in the Netherlands are to be shut for at least four weeks, but they may open for takeaways.
• Hotels may continue to serve food to their guests and cafés may remain open past airport security gates. 
• Coffee shops will also be closed, but open for takeaway up to 8 p.m. It will be an offence to use or carry alcohol or drugs in public places between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m.
• Gyms and swimming pools remain open. 
• Team sports for adults in groups of more than four are being halted and junior sports competitions are also being paused to stop people having to travel to away matches. 
• Training will continue for youth players, but canteens and changing rooms remain closed.
• Professional football competitions will continue, but without supporters.
• All events for over 30 people have been cancelled. 
• Cinemas and theatres, and all indoor seating areas regardless of size will be restricted to 30 ticketholders. 
• Visits to museums are unchanged. Tickets must be bought in advance to ensure a spread of visitor numbers. 
• The wearing of face masks is strongly recommended, and will become compulsory once the legalities have been sorted out.
   

WUP 15/10/2020
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Wittenborg Student Now Intern at European Association of Urology after Making Cold Call

As Corona Economy Makes it Harder for Students to Find Internships, One Wittenborg Student Goes Old-School

Faced with the dilemma of finding an internship in the trying times of COVID-19, Wittenborg student Busola Awosika resorted to an unusual approach to find a work placement. Instead of applying online, which is how most vacancies are filled these days, she decided to go old-school and make a cold call to the company's headquarters in Arnhem. And it worked. This week she started as a marketing intern at the European Association of Urology, which represents urology professionals from around the world.

Busola is in her final year of doing an IBA in Marketing Communication & Information at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. Originally from Nigeria, but living in the Netherlands for the past 3 years, she hopes to graduate early next year.

Facing many rejection letters for internships, Busola decided to change her approach to finding an internship. "I live close to the offices of the European Association of Urology in Arnhem and walked there one day. While at the reception I saw a lady, told her my background and about my search for an internship. It turned out she is the head of the association's Guidelines Office.

"After sending in my CV and application letter, I got a call from the human resources manager. Initially they were trying to find me a position in the marketing office, but there weren't any, so now I am the first marketing intern for the Guidelines Office.

"This is only my first week, but I have been overwhelmed by the kindness and goodwill of my colleagues. Everyone is willing to help and show me the ropes. There is a lot to learn – starting with an affinity for medical terms! The idea is for me to help with the reviewing of guidelines and making recommendations in communication."

A direct-entry student, Busola started her studies at Wittenborg in January, not imagining the wild ride that 2020 would turn out to be.  "Yes, it has been difficult to be a student – especially at the beginning, but I am glad that I persisted in my studies." Her internship will be for a duration of 4 months before she enters the last lap of her studies.

WUP 13/10/2020
by Anesca Smith
©Wittenborg University Press

Teachers who Master Hybrid Learning will Rule Online Training World

What Higher Education can Learn from Corporate Training Practices in Time of Corona

As many universities continue to adapt to hybrid education a month into the new academic year, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences tapped into the expertise of professional corporate trainer Tim Birdsall to learn how companies have dealt with workplace learning in a time of corona to keep developing employees’ skillsets.

Birdsall said organisational tiredness is currently one of the biggest challenges for companies. “Many of my customers are complaining they are simply drained from months of constantly being in front of the computer, fielding zoom calls, etc.,” Birdsall said in an online interview with Wittenborg President, Peter Birdsall.

Tim trains soft skills development in corporate environments, such as team building, sales training, leadership training, change management, conflict management, coaching and negotiation skills.

Peter: “From September, every student at Wittenborg must have a laptop. It makes it easier to share screens and PowerPoints rather than pointing a camera at a PowerPoint.”

Tim:  “In the corporate world we have a similar kind of setup where participants are expected to open laptops and use some of these whiteboarding, flipcharting techniques. What we found is that if you have a group of participants looking at their laptops, that's fine, but the participants expect you to get them standing up and moving in communication situations where they are freed from their laptops. It is a participant expectation that you, the trainer, will give them breaks from the laptop, because they won't take them from their own motivation.  This is replicating the small group work activity that can happen in a break-out room online - with a little bit of humour, a little bit of small talk and a little bit of breaking the flow of the lesson to increase the learning curve and get people to concentrate in a more focused way."

Peter: "How do you deal with passive participants? You obviously have vocal students and others who are naturally more passive and online experience makes them more so. This leaves teachers looking for ways to make them break out."

Tim: "There is no such thing as a bad participant. It is the trainer who cannot deal with the situation. Participants will do what they're instructed to do. Some people learn by listening more – that’s their learning style – and that’s absolutely fine. But if you want to bring them into the process, you do this by breaking a larger group into a smaller group and forcing them to speak up. Even then, the really passive participant will allow others to speak first. In my understanding, there are a couple of imperative things as well. Teachers need to be able to say at the beginning of the lesson that students must remove all distractions – switch off your phone, close your browser. Multitasking is a myth. "

Peter: "That's a real clear pointer. I notice we do it too. Everyone is multitasking – being in important meetings but at the same time writing an email or a document. For me, this lowers the value of a meeting."

Tim: "If I was giving advice to a lecturer I would say, if you're doing a lecture tomorrow or the day after, take a blank piece of paper and just write down 5 things you would love the students to be able to do during that webinar or hybrid session – for example, explain a balance sheet successfully, or describe the swat analysis according to the project, or how we are going to write a marketing plan for this product. The teachers who master hybrid teaching will be masters of the online training world. "

Peter: "I think we agree that students in classrooms as well as those logging in online should get their money’s worth."

Tim: "I think using breakout rooms is fundamental – it gives participants the chance to interact in small groups for a few minutes and gives the lecturer space to assess where the lesson stands and is going. For longer group work – the lessons have to be extremely well-designed, breaking down the tasks of different people in the group."

WUP 11/10/2020
by  James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

Minister to Answer Questions on Dubious Recruitment Practices at Public Universities

A letter sent by Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences to the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science on the dubious methods some agencies employ to recruit international students for public universities, was raised in parliament by MPs last week via written questions. A reply by the Minister, Ingrid van Engelshoven, is expected in the next two weeks as part of the department of education's budget vote for the next finance year.

Last year, Wittenborg called on Dutch education authorities to look into allegations that recruitment agencies are fast-tracking international students into research universities despite not having a qualification that is equivalent to the national requirement.

Agencies are allegedly recruiting international students who do not qualify for admission to Dutch universities, offering them a costly “transition-year programme”, which is then taken care of by the agencies themselves. However, to comply with the requirements of a study permit, students are registered at partnering universities. Among them are students who do not have the equivalent of a VWO diploma – the general criteria for admission to a research university in the Netherlands. The high school diplomas in many countries like China, Indonesia and Russia only meet the Dutch HAVO level, which is not eligible for entry into a research university. That means Dutch HAVO school leavers are effectively discriminated against as they do meet the criteria.

These dubious practices were also exposed in publications like Onderwijsblad, a publication of the AOb, the Netherlands’ biggest teachers' union, that reported on it. Earlier this year, the National Commission for the Code of Conduct for International Students in Dutch Higher Education issued a report after investigating the matter.

The Commission concluded that universities should make a closer evaluation in estimating whether a student who enters the transition-year programme will actually pass and start with the programme he or she intended. "Our investigation has revealed that 24% of these students don't make it. The commission is of the opinion that, based on the definition in the Code of Conduct, some of these private transition programme providers do in fact act as agents judging by some of their activities. We are asking ourselves if this is a desirable situation."

The commission limited its investigating to three private providers who act on behalf of eight Dutch institutions in taking care of their transition-year programmes. These are OnCampus (on behalf of the University of Amsterdam and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences), Navitas (on behalf of the University of Twente and the Hague University of Applied Sciences), and Study Group (on behalf of the University of Tilburg, Erasmus University and the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen). Navitas is Australian. OnCampus and Study Group are UK based.

The written parliamentary questions were tabled by two CDA-MPs, Harry van der Molen and Madeleine van Toorenburg. The CDA is part of the Dutch coalition government. The questions are posed to Van Engelshoven and the state secretary for justice and security, Ankie Broekers-Knol.

21 Questions

One of the questions is why the minister did not feel the necessity to respond to the letter from Wittenborg and when she expects universities involved to respond to the allegations by giving account to parliament. They also want to know if the minister is going to act against the institutions involved. A full list of the 21 questions posed to the minister can be found here. 

WUP 9/10/2020
by Anesca Smith
©Wittenborg University Press

CV & Cover Letter Webinar with Olfertjan Niemeijer

Career Webinar by Olfertjan Niemeijer, founder of Independent Recruiters

Crafting a good and effective Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter is not easy, as some Wittenborg students realised during a Career Workshop held on 23rd September, 2020. The webinar, organised by Wittenborg’s External Relations Department, was conducted by Olfertjan Niemeijer, founder of Independent Recruiters Group.

Niemeijer, who has 28 years’ experience in the recruiting business, demonstrated to students what matters in a CV and cover letter in the context of the Netherlands. He also discussed what influences applicants' opportunities and how to market themselves to potential employers.

According to Niemeijer, the most important element in the eyes of the Dutch employers, that will help raise students’ chances of securing an internship or a permanent job, is work experience, especially in Dutch companies.

He advised students not just to list their job experience, but also to highlight those experiences that are most relevant to the vacancy they are applying for. For bachelor’s students who may not have been previously employed, Niemeijer said they should write down any activities (social, sports or educational) or voluntary work they have done before. They could also include the different project works they have completed in college or university, bringing attention to any parts which are relevant to the application.

IT, Engineering and Finance 'Hot' Industries for International Students

When asked which industries are most likely to take in international students, Niemeijer said that IT, Engineering and Finance are industries that prefer international workers, whereas Sales and Marketing industries opt more for Dutch residents or Dutch-speaking applicants. The reason being that these lines of career require a lot of communication with local businesses and residents.

Niemeijer also said students who already have work permits or graduates with the orientation year visa (zoekjaar) should highlight this at the beginning of their CVs, as most employers are put off whenever they see international names on the CV.

He stressed that it is not because Dutch people are discriminatory, but because for them it can be more complicated to employ an international worker.

A CV Is a Living Organism, Just like a Chameleon

During the session, Niemeijer showcased a few CVs and cover letters submitted by students a few days before the session. He pointed out their strong points, mistakes and areas which need improvement. He said that students should treat a CV as a living organism (just like a chameleon) which needs to adapt to different job opportunities.

Students need to adjust their CVs according to the job/internship they are applying for. He reminded them that there is no such thing as a perfect CV and its beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

Thus, students should tweak their CVs/cover letters according to the job requirements/companies and using the lingo/words in the advertisement itself. A CV or cover letter should not be lengthy and not a summary of the past, but rather a complete profile of applicants who are looking to the future.

Learn about Dutch Culture, Grow your Networks and Be Active

Before concluding the session, Niemeijer gave 3 reminders to students:

• Learn the Dutch language because it will help you to blend into the company and be immersed in the social circle of the Dutch people. Students should not cling to their own nationalities and instead befriend Dutch people and learn the Dutch culture, especially the unwritten rules.
• Grow your networks while studying, especially through LinkedIn. He said that 99.9% of employers check applicants’ LinkedIn pages to know more about them and to have a sense of their personalities. Students are advised to increase their visibilities in Social Media and be pro-active by enquiring for job opportunities from companies, instead of waiting for advertisements or recruitment drives.
• Be involved in activities around you – whether joining a sports team, a social group, a voluntary organisation or doing a part-time job. Experience in these will add value to a CV, since employers do not just want workers, they also want sociable, quality people to join their organisations.

On a final note, it was a very educational and informative session, as agreed by External Relations Coordinator Yanti Setiawan and the students and alumni who were present. For those who missed the session, you can view the uploaded video from the link here: Microsoft Stream.

WUP 7/10/2020
by Hanna Abdelwahab
© Wittenborg University Press

Apeldoorn LONKT Project Status Update

Status Update on Apeldoorn LONKT Project

When embarking on a venture, doing project status updates is as important as carrying out the project itself. That was just what the LONKT Project team has done recently. To keep all stakeholders in the loop and aligned on how the project is progressing, an online meeting was conducted on 9th September, 2020. The LONKT (Lokaal Ondernemend Naar een Krachtige Toekomst - Locally Enterprising Towards a Powerful Future) is a project that aims to connect Apeldoorn's ZZPs (the Dutch acronym for self-employed professionals or freelancers) and SMEs, to widen their entrepreneurial networks and other collaboration. Check out our first report on the LONKT project via the link here: https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-joins-partnership-boost-local-businesses-apeldoorn-lonkt-project.htm

Online Meeting

The LONKT Project, funded by the province of Gelderland, was formally launched on March 28, 2018. The project is led by Apeldoorns Business Collectief (ABC) and supported by five other partners, namely Aventus, VNO-NCWMidden, MKB Midden, Owens Corning and Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. On 9 September, 2020, the team members met online for a run-down of the progress of the project by Wittenborg representatives, Senior Scientist Dr Nicolet Theunissen and CEO Maggie Feng.

The aims of the project were revisited, which include gaining insights into the current state of affairs when it comes to doing business between self-employed professionals and SMEs, to look at the regional labour market needs and to find out the effect of regional business and cooperation between SMEs and self-employed professionals on the economy. The design of the Work Packages was also reviewed, taking into account the COVID-19 situation, which unfortunately struck in the midst of the running of the project.

Let's Get the Ball Rolling Again

The next stage of the project is the administering of the second set of questionnaires in the coming autumn of 2020. This stage, which was originally planned to be in February/March, 2020, had to be postponed to September/October due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in early December, 2019. The onset of the pandemic has markedly affected our way of lives and businesses and many companies were struggling to stay vibrant.

After more than 6 months of the outbreak, the team feels that it is time to get the ball rolling again and continue the project from where they had paused. Through this second set of questionnaires, they hope to find out how the ongoing pandemic has affected local entrepreneurs and whether they would prefer to work with local businesses more now compared to before the pandemic.

Although the main aim of this project is not to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on local businesses, the team feels that including questions related to the pandemic will help them to assess the sentiments of business owners in the region. This will aid in their inventorying of the current state of affairs of the remaining work packages and modifying any intervention works that are already in place.

Expectations from this Survey

Dr Theunissen said that intervention works on local businesses started in 2019 and the project team now seeks an update on how the works have evolved, and whether there is any progress or improvement in the state of businesses in Apeldoorn.

When asked to clarify, Theunissen said that intervention works so far include organising meetings between the freelancers and SMEs, conducting Question & Answer sessions about jobs and projects, improving networking as well as working together to know more about each other’s businesses. The team is currently trying hard to recruit more respondents to participate in their second survey. In contrast to the first, which was qualitative, this time round it is a quantitative survey and, hence, more respondents are required to ensure the reliability and validity of the data collected.

PR efforts are being increased to recruit more respondents by using promotional texts, and it is hoped that more SMEs and self-employed professionals will come forward to partake in this survey. With the current pandemic not showing any signs of retreat, and instead threatening a comeback, all that local businesses have is each other. They have to depend on and work with each other now more than ever to ensure that they stay viable, weather the new wave of the disease and come out winners.

Calling for More Participants

The LONKT project team is calling on all local SMEs and freelancers to support the Apeldoorn LONKT project and join in the survey. They hope that we can work together and strengthen our bonds within our community to make this project a success. After all, Apeldoorn is our home.
 
If you would like to participate in the survey, please register at lonkt.nl or contact Trix Schipper-Hop, Chairman of Apeldoorns Business Collectief (ABC).

WUP 5/10/2020
by Hanna Abdelwahab
©Wittenborg University Press

Wittenborg to Assess Success of its Hybrid Teaching Policy as Dutch Government Announces New Covid-19 Rules

No New Corona Regulations for Higher Education in the Netherlands, however Wittenborg introduces compulsory facemasks in all public areas

The Dutch government introduced new measures this week to curb the spread of COVID-19, but nothing that directly impacts higher education for the time being. It is now strongly requested that all persons wear face masks in public indoor spaces throughout the Netherlands.

Facemasks become compulsory at Wittenborg

From Monday 5th October the wearing of facemasks is compulsory at all Wittenborg locations, unless sitting behind a desk, or in a classroom maintaining distance from others according to government guidelines (1.5 metres).

The new measures will be reassessed in three weeks and the government is hoping it will reduce the reproduction rate of the virus from 1.4 to below 1. The announcement was made by Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday evening at a broadcasted press conference. Masks will still have to be worn on public transport and at airports. Shops will be required to control the number of shoppers to ensure a safe social distance can be maintained inside.

Meanwhile, the President of Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, Peter Birdsall, said the situation will be closely followed as it develops, but for now the institution will continue with the measures it implemented at the start of the new academic year. "We certainly hope that we will not go back to a full intelligent lockdown like earlier this year."

Hybrid Teaching – Success or Not?

Like many institutions of higher education, Wittenborg is currently practising hybrid teaching –offering both online and in-person teaching for all its undergraduate and master's students, while observing government regulations, such as wearing face masks in common spaces, limiting numbers in physical classes and keeping the 1.5m social distancing. "So far it is going well. Our lecturers are teaching in class and it is mainly the admissions staff at the office, while other staff members work from home or come in once a week." One of the new regulations is that people are urged to work from home unless it is impossible.

Birdsall said Wittenborg will also review its hybrid education policy in a month to assess students' progress. "Reports so far indicate that the quality of assignments has actually gone up, but we will see after the next exam and assessment week, which we will monitor carefully."

New Regulations in a Nutshell

The main regulations are:

• Wear facemasks in all indoor public places, unless seated at a table, desk or in a classroom where social distancing is possible.
• People are urged to work from home unless it is impossible. Companies where a corona cluster occurs can be shut down for 14 days.
• Visitors at home must be limited to 3 guests – excluding members of the household and those under 13 years.
• A maximum of 4 people will be allowed as a group in, say, a restaurant or cinema.
• The number of people in an indoor space like a restaurant or cinema is limited to 30.
• Restaurants must close at 10 p.m. – entries are only allowed until 9 p.m.
• In restaurants, bars and other eateries guests will be asked to register, so that it is easier to trace positive corona cases.
• Spectators are banned from all sport events.
•  For outdoor gatherings, a maximum of 40 people is allowed.
• At walk-through spaces like monuments, libraries and museums people must reserve a time slot.
• In shops numbers will be controlled at the entrance.

Face Masks

It is now strongly requested that all persons wear face masks in public indoor spaces throughout the Netherlands.

WUP 3/10/2020
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press