The Feynman Technique Will Help you Learn Faster and Improve your Results

https://www.wittenborg.eu/want-better-grades-change-your-study-technique.htm

Exams are finally over, at least for this block.  There are dozens more exams to come if you are at the start of your bachelor's or master’s degree.  It sounds so daunting, but that’s how it has been and will continue to be.  We often grumble when it comes to revising for tests or exams.  Studying is indeed tough, stressful and frustrating, or even traumatic for some.  It all boils down to the same thing - reading thick books and poring over lengthy academic papers and case studies.  And the process seems endless because there are countless theories or concepts that we need to remember, memorise and apply.  

What is Your Study Technique?

Each one of us has our own study technique, which may have worked well for the past number of years (and that’s why you’re still in university and not a school drop-out).  But is it really the most efficient and effective study technique there is for you?  (Marketing management guru Peter Drucker wrote: “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things”).  Does your study technique require a lot of self-discipline and independent work and cut down your other activities to zero?  And after all that hard work, at the end of the day, do you feel satisfied and confident that you can answer the questions in the exams? Or are you back to square one where you realise you cannot remember anything at all or your understanding is patchy, causing you to start panicking?  Are you bored with the same old method of reading chapter after chapter of theories, concepts and explanations, be it science, maths or economics?

An international group of students ready to learn abroad in the Netherlands.

https://www.wittenborg.eu/warm-welcome-wittenborgs-new-students-during-introduction-week.htm

Wittenborg is known for the multiple entry dates that they offer for both bachelor's and master's degree students. As the fourth intake of the academic year is upon us, a total of 41 new students joined Wittenborg: 38 in Apeldoorn and 3 in Amsterdam. Amongst these 41 students there are 17 different countries represented by Wittenborg’s new-comers. Specifically, there are eight Iranians, seven Nigerians, six Indians, three from China, two from Vietnam, two Russians, two from Cameroon, two from Pakistan, one Australian, one from Ghana, one from Nepal, one from Zimbabwe, one from Syria, one Sri Lankan, one from Kazakhstan, one Italian and one Angolan.

Two of Wittenborg’s new students from India, Dev Deshmukh and Kevin Coelho, are anxious to start their bachelor’s degree programs in Sports Business Management. In terms of life in the Netherlands, Kevin enjoys the peacefulness Apeldoorn offers and Dev enjoys the open-culture that the Netherlands portray. It makes it a lot easier for them to adapt to a new environment. Both Dev and Kevin are football enthusiasts and plan to use the knowledge they will gain over the course of the next few years to enhance their understanding regarding the sports industry through a business perspective. Dev & Kevin also plan to play football in Apeldoorn in the near future.

Foreign Students in UK Do Not "Steal" Jobs from Locals

https://www.wittenborg.eu/study-shows-foreign-students-hugely-benefit-uk-economy.htm

A new study has shown that international students who stay in the UK contribute £3.2 billion to the British treasury in extra tax revenue over a period of 10 years. It also put paid to the misconception that non-British graduates take away jobs from local residents.

"Government's Biggest Mistake in HE Was to Discourage Foreign Students from Coming Here"

The research was done by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) and the consultancy London Economics. The director of HEPI, Nick Hillman, said: "Universities firmly believe the government’s biggest mistake in higher education has been to discourage international students from coming here. A hostile environment has been in place for nearly a decade. It is a testament to the strengths of our higher education sector that the number of international students has not fallen, but it is an absolute tragedy that we have been unable to keep up with the pace of growth in other countries."

The analysis shows international graduates who find employment in the UK typically do so in sectors that suffer from acute skills shortages. Rather than displacing domestic graduates, international graduates are plugging skills shortages.

The study also measures the impact of the Home Office limiting post-study work rights in 2012. This costs the Treasury £150 million each year in foregone receipts – that is, £750 million every five years or just over £1 billion since post-study work was first restricted in this way in 2012.

Partnership discussions in Moscow with Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation

https://www.wittenborg.eu/partnership-discussions-financial-university-moscow.htm

Wittenborg University last week held discussions in Moscow with the Financial University under the government of the Russian Federation. The aim of the discussions was to find areas of mutual collaboration, in the area of student and faculty exchange, however especially in the area of developing a joint master of business administration (MBA) programme.

The Financial University, established in 1919, as the Moscow Institute of Economics & Finance, is a large Russian university with around fifty thousand students, and is developing life-long learning programmes such as MBA across Russia.

Wittenborg's President Peter Birdsall was joined at the meeting by Dr Alexander Khoroshilov, who is representing Wittenborg in its projects in Russia. Dr Khoroshilov was formally National Programme Officer for UNESCO Institute for Information Technology in Education, and has also held many functions in academia and has strong ties with universities in the Netherlands.

"Quality Education Determines a Country's Innovative Capacity to Help it Move Forward"

If you want to have a bigger voice in the national discourse on education, a master's degree in Education is one way to empower yourself.

This was one of the messages at Wittenborg’s recently held Symposium on its new MA in Education. The event featured an impressive list of speakers from both the UK and the Netherlands who are all experts in the area of higher education.

It is estimated that the Netherlands will have a shortage of 3,000 – 5,000 teachers and other educational professionals per year from 2019 – 2022, according to Wittenborg’s Vice President: Academic Affairs, Prof. Ron Tuninga, who was the keynote speaker at the event.

The symposium served as a prelude to the start of Wittenborg’s MA in Education in October 2019, which will be its first non-business related programme. It will be offered jointly by Wittenborg and the University of Brighton in the UK. The School of Education will be headed by senior lecturer Bert Meeuwsen, who hosted the event on Thursday.

Tuninga kicked off the symposium with a lecture on quality development by way of further education. He said quality education increases not only the human capital of a country’s labour market but will also determine its “innovative capacity”, which is very important for a country to move forward. “Our MA in Education can be one step forward on this development journey.”

Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, a prominent academic from the UK who teaches Education Studies at Brighton’s School of Education, gripped attendees with the story of his own journey from being a primary school teacher to eventually attaining his PhD at the University of Reading. His lecture focused on cross-cultural education and critical perspectives.

Permanent Beta Share Vision on Innovation with Wittenborg Knowledge Hub

https://www.wittenborg.eu/head-research-gives-workshop-interactive-micro-learning.htm

Wittenborg's Head of Research, Dr Nicolet Theunissen, recently participated in the Dutch symposium "Body, Mind & Machine!", organised by the innovation network Permanent Beta in Amersfoort.

The founders of Permanent Beta believe that the most exciting developments in today's society come about when art, technology and science meet. Hence, it aims to provide a platform where all three disciplines come together. Its slogan is: "Bridging Brains, Tech and Culture".

Theunissen gave a workshop entitled: "Microlearning, an exciting new way of learning that does not take place outside but during your daily life. Learn while you live your life. Discover a new tool that makes Interactive Micro-Learning (IML) possible." In the workshop she showed the IML she developed, using examples from different domains: personal development, support for digital low-literate people and safety exercises.

Theunissen said: "Their vision on innovation agrees with the vision of our research centre here at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, being a knowledge hub. The Wittenborg Knowledge Hub is a dynamic environment where international lecturers, researchers and students bring in their knowledge, experience, skills and cultural background and gain new knowledge, skills and understanding."

She added: "All in all it was an inspiring symposium in which participants shared visions and ideas for our society."

Particularly Important for Young Women to Own their Space

https://www.wittenborg.eu/want-exude-power-strike-pose.htm

Students at Wittenborg Amsterdam recently got a lesson on how owning their personal space by simply taking on a more powerful stand, can boost their confidence in business.

The Phase One students followed a Training in Interpersonal Skills (TIPS)  workshop on “Peak Performance”, which focused on power posing and how it affects one's body chemistry.

The concept of power posing is based on the work of Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist at Harvard Business School. Dr. Cuddy's work on brain chemistry and bodily posture demonstrates how we can change our attitude by assuming a more powerful pose.

To illustrate this phenomenon, Wittenborg students were asked to do sing-alongs, karaoke-style, to a couple of rock anthems and power pose to the music while practicing poses like "the wonder woman" and "the warrior." 

Wittenborg lecturer Amy Abdou says: "This workshop is particularly important for young women in business studies. Teaching them to own space and feel powerful can impact their participation in the classroom and their confidence for future endeavors."

Wittenborg Amsterdam’s Marketing and Admissions officer, Iryna Bernatska, said: “The students love this workshop with Amy and every year they are excited to perform and to leave their comfort zone.”

WUP 29/3/2019
by James Wittenborg
©Wittenborg University Press

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The Dutch National Student Survey (NSE) collapses after the association of university of applied sciences withdraws with immediate affect.

The Association of University of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen - VH) has announced that it distances itself from all rankings and results from the 2019 NSE. It is unclear if the results will be published.

The VH represents all state funded Universities of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, such as Saxion, Stenden, Fontys and Avans.

'The Dutch National Student Survey (NSE) collapses after the association of university of applied sciences withdraws with immediate affect.'

It seems that the VH has taken the decision based on problems their members have experienced with the technology, but also questions surrounding the privacy security of this year’s online questionnaire. However, according to Science Guide, there are rumours of other reasons that have caused such an immediate and rigorous decision to withdraw.

Earlier this year, the University Utrecht threatened to withdraw from the survey, which is taken on behalf of the Ministry of Education, the company Studiekeuze123.nl.

The National Student Survey in the Netherlands has enormous influence on the decision making of further students, and is used for publications like the Keuzegids (Study Choice Guide), a private organisation that ‘ranks’ universities and programmes.

The Association of Research Universities (VSNU) and Association for Private Universities (NRTO) have both been given a two-week extension for their students to continue filling in the National Student Survey. It is not clear what relationship this decision has with the withdrawal of the state-funded universities of applied sciences (from the survey).

BGA to Focus on Responsible Management, Positive Impact and Lifelong Learning

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-now-member-new-business-graduates-association-bga.htm

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has become a member of the newly launched Business Graduates Association (BGA), an accreditation organisation that will expect its members to prove their commitments to social responsibility, diversity, equality and lifelong learning.

BGA is a sister brand of the British accreditation giant AMBA (the Association of MBAs), of which Wittenborg became a member last year and is on track to gain accreditation for its MBA programmes.

Unlike AMBA though, BGA will credit business schools as a whole and not only MBA programmes. Thus, membership is open to schools offering business programmes from undergraduate courses upwards whether they are AMBA-accredited or non-AMBA schools.

Wittenborg's chair of the executive board, Peter Birdsall, said: "A network of international business schools will enable individual schools to tap into a wealth of experience, knowledge and prospective manpower that will benefit the wider community.

"The services offered to members are focused on networking, collaborative sharing of data, and 'best practice'. BGA will offer us a platform that will assist us in continuing our development as a steadily growing international institute."

"Let's Update Each Other about Activities in and around Apeldoorn"

https://www.wittenborg.eu/student-column-what-do-apeldoorn.htm

"I don't know what to do or where to go in Apeldoorn."
This is one of the complaints that I’ve heard from my friends.  We just don’t know what to do in Apeldoorn, when we have some spare time or when we are bored and need to do something to perk us up.  

Travelling to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, or Germany is sometimes out of the question as it takes too much time, effort and money.  Most shops and entertainment centres here are closed by 8 or 9 pm.  There seems to be nothing much to do in Apeldoorn - or so we thought.

For international students who speak little or no Dutch, it can be difficult to find information about the activities that are happening in and around the town.  Though the I AM EXPAT website is really useful and full of information in English, when you want to know more about a place or event,  you are often re-directed to websites that are only in Dutch with no alternative language or with French or German translations.  It is really frustrating to use the “translator” tab at the top of the browser to translate the whole webpage, as most of the times the links do not work from the translated page or the whole page just freezes. Copying and pasting and toggling between the page and the Google Translate webpage is a challenging, time-consuming and irritating process.