Despite the fact that the majority of the students disapproves evening lectures, the WUR is likely to push through evening education next year already. An independent research of Panteia confirms that evening lectures are not a suitable solution according to teachers and students.
The spokesperson of the WUR (Simon Vink) informed Omroep Gelderland and Resource that “it isn’t only about approval rate” and that “the study efficiency (read: pass rate instead of high-quality education) is the most important thing”. If three-quarters of the students and two-third of the professors don’t want to have evening lectures and the quality of education goes down, you could ask yourself for whom the university is making the decision.
Evening lectures are bad for students, teachers and also the WUR.
The results of the report of Panteia confirms the outcomes of our SAW report that evening lectures will hinder the development of students drastically
- It lowers the quality of education. A staggering 80% of the students says their concentration is worse during the evening and that they have to invest more time to get the same study result. Teachers confirm that their students are less focused (17 out of 39). The university shelter behind the argument that the study efficiency for them keeps being on the same level, but for students and teachers it will be lower. Students (62%) and teachers (20 out of 39) say they have to invest more time and energy to get the same study results.
- It diminishes the options for extra-curricular activities outside the studies. It becomes impossible to sport with a complete team, Studium Generale and lectures from your study association will interfere with evening education and organising activities for your organisation won’t succeed with incomplete committees. Wageningen has a large and diverse association culture of which we should be proud. This culture is only possible by the teamwork of passionate students and exactly evening lectures lead that these teams cannot come together regularly.
- It gives a lot of stress to everybody. 80% of the students says their planning and rhythm is completely mixed up regarding dinner and evening activities. The University supposes that students are flexible and can handle it, but 40% of the students tell that their evening activities are not displaceable to another (part of the) day.
The university has too high aspirations to be ‘open and accessible’ and ‘not to invest in stones, but in people’. Of course, the SAW agrees that everybody should have the possibility to study and that no money should be wasted on building unnecessary luxurious buildings. However, what is the benefit of an overcrowded university, in which a broad development is impeded for current and future students, in which the teachers work too long and where the quality of education is pressured more to dwindle? Nobody would be satisfied, and you could foresee that the WUR won’t be on the top of the rankings. With its policy, the university underestimates the side-effects of this rapid growth and prioritises their growth numbers above the broad development of students.