Renze Kolster

Excellence in higher education: educational preferences of honours students in the Netherlands

This paper researches excellence in higher education by looking into honours programmes (HPs) in Dutch higher education. HPs are selective and aimed at the brightest students, offering them a more challenging – often extra-curricular – study experience. Based on a survey (n=259) at Dutch universities, our study identifies three types of honours students: task-committed, above-average ability, and creative. We asked each group how their ideal HP looks like. Task-committed students are interested in disciplinary HPs that have a student-centred approach. The above-average ability students demand a highly selective and small-scale HP that admits only the brightest students. Moreover, they prefer a HP that is isolated from regular study programmes. Creative students are interested in a variety of disciplinary subjects, not offered in regular curricula, often requiring substantial amounts of extra time and effort. The differences in preferred configurations of HPs have policy implications for universities interested in introducing excellence education

Study success in higher education: mind the gender gap

Improving study success has become an important topic in most Western higher education systems. Societies require more and better educated people as the basic driving force for the further sustainable development of their knowledge economies. However, after the rise of participation rates throughout Europe, we are now presumably on a level that makes it difficult to raise the rates substantially further. This can be seen as a reason for higher education policymakers to shift their focus to increasing the success of those in the system.

Study success in higher education: male versus female students

Study success is an important topic for countries concerned with the effectiveness of their higher education system. A closer look at study success outcomes suggests there are noticeable differences between male and female students: in terms of enrolment, study choices, drop‐out rates, retention rates and completion rates. On study success indicators female students are outperforming male students. Through a literature review, insights from European experts, and case studies at seven Dutch higher education institutions, this paper looks into the extent of the problem experience, the by the literature suggested explanations, and the policy instruments implemented to bridge the gender gap in study success. The problem experience differs by country, yet most European experts see aspects where female students are performing better. On the institutional level, it are mainly specific study programmes (e.g. primary teacher education) that experience study success differences and where gender‐specific policies have been introduced, such as curricula made more in line with characteristics of male students. However, the effectiveness of the implemented instruments is largely unknown. The same outcome is found in the literature review: policies can address, for example, learning environments, but the effect is unknown. More recent insights into differences in brain development between males and females, suggest that alternative learning environments might be more in line with female non‐ cogitative skill, which they developed earlier. This is seen as a strong reason for further research and continues consideration of possible effects on the gender gap in higher education policy reforms.