University body defends growth of English courses

The Netherlands’ university association has defended the growth of English-language courses at Dutch institutions, arguing that it will “enhance the quality of education”, boost the country’s “innovative strength and competitiveness” and attract international students, writes Ellie Bothwell for Times Higher Education.

Figures revealed by Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant last month found that 60% of courses at Dutch universities are taught in English, and this increases to 70% when only masters degrees are counted. The analysis was based on 1,632 degree courses at 13 of the country’s research-intensive universities.

Bastiaan Verweij, a spokesman at the Netherlands’ Association of Universities or VSNU, which represents the interests of the country’s 14 research universities, told Times Higher Education that the elements that make up an international classroom include “a good mix of students from home and abroad and an approach to content that integrates the students’ cultural backgrounds into the teaching”.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site