Talent Development

TALENT DEVELOPMENTANNUAL REPORT 2010

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Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) wants to recruit motivated students

who are prepared to develop their full potential in a research rich learning

environment and achieve a high level of excellence in teaching for (inter)

national students. We aim to deliver confident, skilled and inquisitive

graduates ready to embark on inspiring careers, who make a significant

contribution to society and who bring out the very best in themselves.

www.ese.eur.nl/annual_report

http://www.ese.eur.nl/annual_report

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Continually we strive to elevate the quality of our education, providing our

students with enriched and challenging educational experiences, including

the benefits that derive from ESE’s research reputation and capacity, its

international links and our strong links with business and government. We

will continue to encourage innovative practices in education.



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STUDENT RECRUITMENTChanges in the competitive environment, largely spurred by restrictions in government funding and an increase in educational service providers in the market, will force higher education institutions to become more proactive in terms of student recruitment. Our School sets a clear focus on the quality of both national and international student recruitment. We aim to recruit academically qualified students and retain them for our educational programmes. In our communications, we primarily target (prospective) students; however our recruitment activities also have an impact on parents and secondary school teachers.

Recruitment of academically qualified students

In order to recruit and retain academically qualified students, ESE annually

organises several events in order to help prospective students in their future study

choice. In-person-events such as Open Days, visit days, interaction with enrolled

students and workshops make it easy for our prospective students to visit and

enrol at our School. During the Open Days, which usually take place in autumn

and spring, prospective students and their parents have an opportunity to explore

the campus, see the accommodation and talk to our staff. At last autumn’s event,

the number of visitors was close to 1,600. This year, for the first time, the Master’s

Open Day was held twice a year, in autumn and spring instead of only once a year.

The first of the new-style Master’s Open Days was already a great success with

approximately 400 visitors. We are looking forward to holding the next one in

spring 2011. Apart from the Open Days, more in-depth events are organised for

those students who want a closer look at a particular course. Prospective students

are able to spend a day on campus with a current student. Moreover, they can

spend two days as an actual student with in-depth cases and problems introduced

in lectures by various professors. The aim of these events is to make the (first)

university experience of our prospective students a satisfying personal adventure

from the very beginning.



Training sessions for secondary school teachers

Secondary school teachers play an important part in the decision-making process

of their students, but they play an even more important role in the process

of educating them properly towards their enrolment at a university. A highly

qualified teacher in the classroom is a significant educational factor in improving

student achievements. In order to retain high-quality teachers, ESE offers training

sessions for secondary school teachers 4 times a year to provide them with

important (renewed/improved) economic knowledge that can be incorporated in

their own teaching sessions. The subjects of these training sessions vary each time

and are related to topical (economic) issues. Moreover, in future training sessions

there will be more focus on didactical skills, which is essential for the way in which

students learn or retain knowledge.

ESE’s experience with parents

Parents from as far away as Maastricht and Groningen joined 235 others (plus

115 students) on Saturday 9 October in the central hall of the Erasmus University

Rotterdam for the first of our ESE Parents Days. The gathering was developed

in cooperation with the Economic Students Association Rotterdam (EFR). A

word of welcome by the Vice Dean, Professor Ivo Arnold, kicked off the day

and was followed by presentations by a study advisor, the president of the EFR

and academic staff members Professor Bauke Visser and Luit Kloosterman MSc.

During these presentations, parents were provided with specific information on

key topics including the Binding Study Advice, effective studying and valuable

information about first-year courses. The day was concluded with optional

activities for parents, such as visiting the Erasmus University Campus and its

student facilities. It was a rewarding experience to share the ESE experience with

parents. The parents enjoyed the information and the opportunity to network

with other parents. ESE will continue to improve and enhance the day and

services for parents along with those for students. We will be proud to organise

Parents Day 2011!

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INTERNATIONALISATION For ESE and its students, internationalisation is more than personal enrichment. In a global economy, there must be an international dimension in the modern curriculum of an economist. Nowadays, graduates need to be able to communicate their field of expertise beyond the constraints of language, country and cultural boundaries. Moreover, external assessors and rankings increasingly emphasise the international aspects of a student’s curriculum.

International enrichment

By studying abroad, our students can enrich their education with an international

perspective. They will learn new skills and grow personally. Studying abroad will

help them to make contacts all around the world and to invest in a career abroad.

As a School with a strong international focus, ESE encourages its students to

study abroad during the third year of their bachelor’s programme. To enable

students to do so, ESE has made contracts with partner universities in a large

number of countries, both within and outside Europe. In the academic year 2009-

2010, a number of destinations were particularly popular among our students for

an exchange programme. The preferred destinations outside Europe were the

United States of America, Hong Kong and Australia. Within Europe, Italy, Spain

and the United Kingdom were very popular.

On the other hand, we offer a wide range of courses for exchange students who

want to study at ESE. These courses are mostly at undergraduate level for students

who are in their final year of their bachelor’s programme, but also sometimes

even for students who are taking a master’s degree. Most exchange students

stay for a period of 4 months (2 blocks) but may stay for a longer period of time

if they wish.

36 different nationalities in our IBEB programme

The start of this academic year showed that the International Bachelor programme

in Economics and Business economics (IBEB) has grown compared with last year.

This year approximately 55% of IBEB students are from abroad, originating from

at least 36 different countries. Besides the usual groups of students from the

Netherlands, China and Germany, IBEB boasts students from countries including

Iran, Israel, Jordan, Russia, New Zealand, Indonesia, South Korea, Poland, Canada,

the USA and Australia. In short, it’s quite a mixed group.

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Buddy programme makes the first days easier for internationals

In cooperation with the Economic Student Association Rotterdam (EFR), ESE

has introduced a buddy programme for all new international students. The

goal of this programme is to make the first days easier for the internationals by

providing them with relevant practical information, introducing them to student

life in Rotterdam and enabling them to establish new international contacts and

friendships. This year’s programme has been a success according to the responses

of both the buddies and the international students. The IBEB introduction

weekend was well attended by the internationals, and it seems clear that the

programme will be continued in the years to come.

International partnerships

Fostering and developing international relations has always been important,

and nowadays plays a key role in our School’s institutional strategy. In view

of global change, internationalisation is a joint challenge to be met on equal

terms with our partners in exchange programmes. At the moment, ESE has

about 70 international partner contracts. So far, this number has proved to be

large enough to accommodate all the candidates for exchange. From January

2011 onwards, we are going to concentrate on and raise the profile of existing

international relations and we aim to broaden the base of existing contracts. In

addition, we will concentrate on specific regions that already maintain close ties

with our School, or can be seen as future markets. Target countries are Germany,

Italy, Great Britain, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, and the region of

Southern America.

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STUDY SUCCESS IN BACHELOR 1In 2007 Erasmus School of Economics introduced a new educational system. The objective of this major innovation was to improve educational efficiency. Implementing this new education system will take years, during which the design will continue to be tested and adjusted. What started as rather technical adjustments is gradually growing into a new educational culture. This year ESE has made additional steps to guide and retain its first-year students.

Summer course mathematics

This summer ESE started to enable its prospective students to enrol in a

mathematics course in order to facilitate the switch from secondary school to

university. Students can increase their mathematical skills with an online adaptive

course application. This tool is intended to increase the level of those skills,

giving students a sound basis to build on as they pursue their studies. This online

application runs through the various subject areas in the field of mathematics,

determines the level of skills in each area and uses the results to personalise

the content of the course to suit the student’s knowledge and understanding.

This makes the course more personal, unique and, above all, efficient. Over 80

prospective students attended the summer course. In view of their enthusiasm,

the time they spent on the course and the positive feedback we received from

them, we can call this project a great success.

Help with study choices for students transferring to ESE

First-year students who transfer to ESE due to a negative Binding Study Advice

(BSA) have proven to be less successful in following our programmes than students

who start their studies with us immediately after leaving secondary school. This

applies to an even larger extent to students from related programmes such as

business administration. ESE wants students to make a conscious, well considered

choice when they decide which programme to follow. That is why ESE started to

have intake interviews in 2010, during which explicit consideration is given to a

student's reason for transferring to ESE and to the content of the programme.

The project will be evaluated in 2011.

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Interview

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"The Allianz Class is an example for other companies!"

Rein Welschen


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"Reaching our target audience in the war for talent"

Katja Verdoorn



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Interview

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I initially signed up for this master

class because I really liked the

brochure. The programme offered

was extremely varied: it included

lectures by Allianz actuaries as well

as external consultants. Allianz also

struck me as a world-class company

that provides lots of opportunities for

econometrists. I was actually surprised

that an insurance company would

have so much to offer. So, really, there

were plenty of reasons to sign up.

Through this master class, ESE shows

that it’s committed to maintaining its

relationships with the private sector.

That’s very positive, because these

types of programmes make it much

more appealing to pursue a Master’s

degree in Rotterdam. And I’m very

glad I did, all the more since I ended

up joining the Risk Management

department after working there while

writing my thesis.

The Allianz Master Class is an example

for other companies - it offers them

the opportunity to both promote

their name among graduates and

connect with potential future

employees.

ESE AlumnusRisk Management Officer at Allianz Nederland Groep



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The partnership with ESE was an

interesting step for us. In the war for

talent, we’re always looking for ways

to recruit the best people in today’s -

and tomorrow’s - job market. One of

those avenues is the Allianz Master

Class: it gives us the opportunity to

monitor a group of students closely

over an extended period of time,

which is an excellent way to spot

talent. The students, on their part, are

given the opportunity to really get

to know our company. They can find

out if Allianz is a good fit for them,

either as a place to do their internship

or as an employer. In other words, the

master class benefits both sides.

Allianz Nederland Groep has selected

Rotterdam as the location for its

Dutch headquarters. We are located

on Coolsingel, in the heart of the city,

and want to position ourselves as a

Rotterdam company. Our relationship

with Erasmus University Rotterdam

plays a key role in that objective, so

we’re very pleased with the results

of our partnership so far. The Allianz

Master Class was a major success: the

number of participants exceeded

expectations and the feedback we’ve

received has been very positive.

Talent Manager, Allianz Nederland Groep


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Interview

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"Building a bridge between academe and practice"

Karen Maas


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"I've been exposed to a whole new world of knowledge"

Suzanne Bijkerk



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Interview

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I’m the kind of academic who likes to maintain a practical focus - my goal is to build a bridge between universities and companies. I worked as a consultant for twelve years, and since then I’ve become increasingly committed to that goal. That’s one of the reasons I decided to accept a teaching position at Erasmus School of Economics for one day a week.

After getting a taste of academic life again, I suddenly realised I wanted to write a PhD thesis. My challenges were that I wanted to do a short-track programme, since I felt four years was too long, and I didn’t want to perform a lot of support duties. When I saw the ad for the Mature Talent programme, it seemed almost too good to be true - like it was written especially for me!

I loved working on my PhD thesis: taking the time to read and write extensively is a real luxury. My supervisor had a lot of confidence in me and gave me the freedom to focus on my subject and do the research. I was extremely lucky in that respect.

I have since earned my PhD, and am now working at the ECSP (Erasmus

Centre for Strategic Philanthropy) and the ESAA (Erasmus School of Accounting & Assurance). As part of my work, I focus on measuring the results of corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, which is a very complex and challenging issue for companies. As an academic, I would like to contribute to resolving that social issue.

Assistant Professor at ESE and Academic Director of the postgraduate

Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.



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Transferring from a corporate job to the Mature Talent programme was something I considered very carefully. Although my ten years of experience in the private sector have given me a broad range of skills, I couldn’t consider myself a specialist. I used the knowledge I gained mainly to limit losses and increase profit, which was all very pragmatic. I would often be

surprised by phenomena that my co-workers and I could not explain, and the Mature Talent programme gave me the opportunity to find explanations and to expand my knowledge. Instead of helping to increase shareholder value, the research allowed me to increase the knowledge of a new generation.

The programme was also challenging in that it allowed me to test my knowledge and perseverance to the limit. It absolutely exceeded my expectations.

Looking back on everything that I’ve learned since I started the programme in October 2009, I can say that I’ve been exposed to a

whole new world of knowledge. The opportunities are unlimited, which is more than you can say about most corporate jobs.

Trainee Assistant Professor at ESE


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"We are extremely pleased with our partnership so far"

Wim Fabries


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"The partnership between NS and ESE is a model of cooperation"

Dennis Huisman



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Interview

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NS (Dutch Railways) has several

reasons to partner with Erasmus

University Rotterdam:

• First, it provides us with access to

international scientific research

related to railways, which we can

incorporate successfully into

day-to-day operations.

• Second, this partnership enables

us to invest in future employees,

including hiring PhD students.

• Third, it gives us the opportunity to

promote scientific research in the

Netherlands.

ESE has conducted a large number

of research studies and translated

them into specific methods and/

or products. We have since very

successfully implemented these in our

organisation, so we are extremely

pleased with the NS partnership so

far. Both sides have the freedom to

use their creativity in promoting the

interests of both parties.

Since both partners are pleased with

the results achieved so far, we intend

to continue the partnership, and

signed a contract that provides for

even closer cooperation between NS

and Erasmus University Rotterdam,

underlining that objective.

Transport Director at Dutch Railways (NS Reizigers)



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For more than a decade, NS (Dutch

Railways) and Erasmus University

Rotterdam have been researching

complex logistic issues in the

railway industry. In recent years,

our research has focused primarily

on managing rail services in the

event of disasters and emergencies,

which includes rescheduling staff

schedules in the event of technical

failure.

Since 2004, I have been working

part-time at both ESE and NS,

which allows me to both undertake

scientific research and directly apply

and incorporate the results of that

research in my work. It’s fun to see

how quickly you can apply scientific

research, especially when it also helps

resolve a major social problem in a

short period of time.

My teaching work also helps me spot

talented students. Several of them

joined NS after completing their

studies.

I feel the partnership between NS

and ESE is a perfect example of

how the corporate sector and the

academic world can work together

in ways that benefit both parties,

without any red tape.

Associate Professor in Econometrics, ESE


The use of ICT in education

ICT can improve the quality and productivity of education. It enriches the learning

environment for students and enables them to absorb the compulsory material

in their own time and at a speed that suits them. ICT can also make teaching

a more appealing prospect for lecturers, enabling them to explore subjects in

greater depth during classes. The objective of the ICT project "ESE Challenging

tutorials" is to make maximum use of the small-scale computer lab sessions in the

bachelor programmes. Webcasts began to be used for a few courses in 2009 and

subsequently the project was rolled out to a greater variety of courses, while the

range of tools used was also expanded. For many courses in the bachelor phase

there is now an ICT mix available to students, specifically tailored to the subject

in question, offering weekly online tests, personal feedback and video classes.

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QUALITY ASSURANCE Educational institutions are increasingly required to demonstrate convincingly that their quality is adequate. In order to do so, ESE has set itself goals and ambitions to achieve the required excellence. In addition to these internal goals, there are several goals that come partly from the outside world in the form of governmental institutions, the international scientific community, civil society and the business world. The demand for continuous improvement requires systematic measurement tools that map all weak spots and determine whether measures actually contribute to these goals. Achieving these ambitions (nationally and internationally) calls for a working system of continuous improvement.

Quality Assurance website

ESE has launched a "Quality Assurance" website to inform students and staff

about its quality assurance system. This system will systematically map how ESE's

goals can be met qualitatively and quantitatively. Moreover, the system can

deploy improvement actions to remedy weaknesses.

The website describes the most important processes in the educational

organisation of ESE and contains a lot of information about the evaluation of the

educational organisation.

Introduction of a successful Exam Tracking System

From September 2010 onwards the marking term for lecturers has been increased

from two to three weeks. This is accompanied by more emphasis on complying

with the time limit. The Department for Exam Administration monitors the

progress of each examination by means of the Exam Tracking System. Lecturers will

receive automatic daily e-mails reminding them that they are at risk of exceeding

the marking term. Almost all lecturers were able to deliver the results within the

agreed time limit of 19 days. Since the introduction of the Exam Tracking System,

only five cases have been registered in which the marking term was exceeded

(all due to extenuating circumstances). This is only 9% of all examinations. This is

an impressive result compared to last year’s results, in which 32% exceeded the

marking term of 21 days (while 87% exceeded the old marking term of 14 days).

So far, this is a promising start!

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Ensuring first-year students to start on the right track

All bachelors programmes at Erasmus University Rotterdam are subject to the

Binding Study Advice (BSA). This advice is given at the end of the first academic

year. A student receives a negative BSA if he or she fails to comply with the

BSA requirements. Students who receive negative Binding Study Advice are

not allowed to register for the respective programme at Erasmus University

Rotterdam for three years. A rejection for Economics and Business Economics also

applies to Economics and Taxation, the IBEB programme, and vice versa. For the

academic year 2009-2010, a total of 1,026 BSA's were given. The outcomes of the

BSA for first-year students vary largely between positive advice for 81% of the

students on the IBEB programme and 61% for those on the programme Economics

and Taxation. On average, 73% of the ESE students received positive advice, which is

a decline compared with last year’s figure of 77%. However, the largest programme,

Economics and Business Economics, has almost identical results to last year.

Education assessment panel reviews ESE’s degree programmes ESE positively

The Dutch and Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO) has reviewed all of

ESE’s initial bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes positively, based upon the

assessment of these programmes in 2009. The assessment panel was very positive

about the guidance of first-year students, the binding study advice and the early

preliminary recommendations in the bachelor’s degree courses. Special attention and

compliments were given to ESE’s well thought-out educational system. According

to the assessment panel, the seminar is an exceptionally strong teaching method

that is extremely suitable for incorporating research developments into educational

programmes. Because of this positive review, the NVAO has renewed the accreditation

for all ESE’s initial bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes until February 2017.

Best practices seminars

ESE’s seminars in the Bachelor-3 and master’s programmes are exceptional teaching

methods in which students can intensify their knowledge in small groups. The

National Economics Assessment Panel praised the seminar teaching method during

their visit in 2009. The contents of the various seminars vary considerably between

the departments and their programmes, which makes it difficult to distinguish

which seminars are more special and successful than others. Last autumn, ESE’s

Quality Assurance Group started to investigate the characteristics of successful

seminars in the Bachelor-3 and master’s phase. The successful findings of the

seminars will be described as "best practices", which can also serve as a format

for seminars that are regarded less successful. Apart from identifying these best

practices, the Quality Assurance Group will make recommendations for possible

improvements to seminars and will continue to do so in 2011.



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CURRICULUM RENEWALIn 2007 ESE implemented a renewed educational programme of which the curriculum was based on sound educational principles to provide an integrated, economic-centred educational programme. To meet the needs of our students in a changing environment, some adjustments in the education programme have been made in 2010.

The psychology behind financial decisions

Finance is typically seen as an exact science focusing on cold, hard numbers.

What is forgotten, though, is that financial decisions in companies and the stock

exchange are always made by human beings. As people are not just cold, hard

calculators, there are both psychological and sociological aspects affecting our

decisions. This year, ESE introduced the minor in behavioural finance, which

combines finance with the psychology behind human decision-making. The first

minor in Behavioural Finance has been a vast success. Many students from both

ESE and the other Schools of Erasmus University Rotterdam applied for this minor

to deepen and broaden their knowledge of economics. The minor combines

academic work with guest lectures from practitioners and tries to shed light on

the complex financial jungle and the influence it has on everyday life.

Studying economics and teacher training

This year ESE started offering students the option to train as economics teachers

for the secondary education sector. Students who successfully complete this

minor will be entitled to teach economics in the Netherlands at VMBO-TL level

(preparatory secondary vocational education, and at basic level in the Dutch

HAVO (senior general secondary education) and VWO (pre-university education)

sectors. The entitlement to teach will apply to the secondary education sector.

The educational minor covers a well balanced combination of theory and

practice. Bachelor students who take part in this minor will develop all the

important competences required by teachers, such as didactic, communication

and leadership skills. For students from ESE 10 places were available. Eventually 8

students participated in the educational minor.



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Independent MSc in Accounting, Auditing and Control

In 2010, the Dutch and Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO) granted ESE

permission to start an independent MSc programme in Accounting, Auditing

and Control. This MSc is intended for students aiming at academic employment

in the auditing and/or controlling branch of organisations primarily operating

internationally. The programme constantly evolves to meet the demands and

wishes of society, the business community and professional organisations. This

programme will therefore meet the needs of the national and international

job market. The purpose is to deliver financial economic experts of the

highest quality. This is achieved by building a programme of high academic

standards that is recognised both nationally and internationally. The MSc in

Accounting, Auditing and Control offers an education that facilitates students’

full admittance to the post-initial course for Certified Public Accountant

(CPA; in Dutch: registeraccountant [RA]) or Certified Controller (in Dutch:

registercontroller [RC]).



The digital version of our annual report can be found

on our website: www.ese.eur.nl/annual_report. Here

you can find more information on several subjects as

well as photo impressions and film clips. Additional

information, photo impressions and film clips are

indicated by

Talent DevelopmentCreation of Knowledge

Involvement in Society

Road to 2013

ESE Today

P.O. Box 1738 | NL-3000 DR Rotterdam | T +31 (010) 408 13 70 | F +31 (010) 408 91 45 | E [email protected]

Annual report 2010

Talent Development

Documents

Transcript of Talent Development