Higher education: what and how?

In a lecture, the lecturer provides an oral explanation of the subject matter. So he or she communicates information to a large group of students. At the lecture you listen quietly to the lecturer’s explanation and take notes. Your attendance at a lecture is not generally compulsory, and it is difficult to check.  

Lectures are mostly given in large auditoriums or smaller classrooms. You can also sometimes follow lectures online, which means that you don’t have to travel to the campus.  

In a seminar you work on assignments in small groups, under the guidance of a lecturer or assistant. Another name for a seminar is an exercise session. You work on the subject matter in the lecture, make adaptations and do exercises. Attendance is often compulsory.  

Examples are: reading and interpreting texts, elaborating on a lesson subject, practising research techniques, doing maths exercises, etc. 

Practicals are practical exercises, usually under the guidance of an assistant or a member of the didactic team. For most course components, attendance of practicals is compulsory.  

If the sessions are in the lab, we use the term lab sessions. If the exercises in a practical take place outside the classroom location, we use the term field work.  

If you take part in group work, you work with other students on a joint end product: an assignment, a paper, a report, a presentation, etc. Group work can take place using various lesson formats. Working in a group is enjoyable, but not always easy as you have to divide the tasks fairly and always seek suitable moments for consultation.   

You can sample your subject in practice via an internship. In other words, as an intern you enjoy an introduction to your future work situation. You can observe how it all works in a real company and translate the theory from your lessons into specific work situations. Not every course has an internship option on the programme. The duration can also vary from course to course. Some students do an internship as early as their second bachelor year, others wait until the final year and others still wait until their master’s year. 

With guided independent study, the assumption is that you learn the subject matter on an independent basis. Naturally, you will be guided in this by means of synthesis or question and answer sessions, via email with the lecturer or assistant, with additional exercises, via an electronic learning environment, etc.  

You write your bachelor’s thesis at the end of your third bachelor year, as the final assignment on your course. Not every course involves a bachelor’s thesis. A master’s thesis is required at the end of a master’s course. As a student, you are required to independently design a qualitative or quantitative research study and to combine it with a study of the literature. On some programmes you work on this with a fellow student. The result of your master’s thesis is a written report, sometimes combined with an oral presentation or defence.  

The bachelor’s and master’s theses examine the extent to which you have developed a research outlook and critical mind. Naturally, you can count on support from a promoter or co-promoter in the process. In choosing your bachelor’s or master’s thesis, it’s best to find out about the possible subjects in advance, the available promoter and the type of research you will have to conduct. 

Blended learning is the combination of contact teaching and online learning activities. Through this, traditional classes are enriched with subject matter in a digital learning environment. As a student, you can use them to work on your own initiative. This approach gives you scope to learn more independently and interactively, and allows lecturers to reduce the number of lectures and to vary their lesson formats. We always seek the optimum mix of online lessons and physical contact lessons for each course. 

Students who feel a strong connection with the university and their fellow students are found to be twice as resilient to emotional stress. They also tend to do better in educational terms. So, connecting with your fellow students is key! But how?

• Build your social network. Connect with fellow students, motivate each other and agree to attend classes together or study together on campus.
• Come to our Welcome Days and go to ‘Kick-off the campus’. 
• Go to class a little earlier or stick around a little longer. You can do the same with online classes. Explore our VUB Campuses together. 
• Join a WhatsApp or Facebook group from your group or program.
• With our VUBuddy system, an experienced student will guide you through student life.
• Join a student association or knock on the doors of our student representatives.
• Not keen on associations? There is a wide range of cultural, sports and leisure activities through which to build your social network.

Are you still overwhelmed or finding it a challenge to make social contact? See our Study Guides or talk to one of our student psychologists or other social workers.

No, VUB deliberately chooses not to be a purely digital university. Precisely because we know that connected learning is more powerful and 'real life' interaction sharpens your critical mind. Thus lessons are not recorded by default. You will find a lot of material online, but actually coming to class offers you a lot of benefits. But how does this 'blended learning' work then? And how do you best use lesson recordings? Here are our top tips:

Do's

Go to class! Get to know your professors and assistants. They are experts in their field and your first point of contact for questions about the content of the course.

Take notes yourself, but try not to write down literally everything the professor says. Write in your notes what you missed or what you did not understand.

Dare to ask questions.

Watching lesson recordings is only effective if you use them to supplement physical lessons.

Don't fall behind: try to catch up on your lessons in time.

 

Don'ts

Don't 'binge-watch' lessons that are recorded a week before the exam. Repetition and spread throughout the semester is the best way to absorb the material.

Don't watch the entire lesson recording (unless you missed the lesson), but think specifically about which parts you want to (re)watch. Such reflection will help you while studying.