I’m an ITESS student and, as my programme is relatively new, it is still a work in progress in terms of organisation and content. I chose NHL Stenden and ITESS in particular because it gives students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in countless different countries, thanks to the yearly internships and the semester abroad that are part of the programmes. Unfortunately, after graduating, NHL Stenden does not support students in finding a job, even for those who would like to apply for a Master’s degree that requires one. Moreover, some subjects -I have to be honest- could be removed from the programme or completely revisited, while others, such as Dutch and other languages, could be implemented. Furthermore, peer-learning is overly utilised at the expense of instruction by lecturers, who actually know the topic, and this often makes students perceive classes as useless. What I really appreciated this year was the increased commitment to invite inspiring experts for seminars and workshops, such as the National Geographic educator and the drama workshop related to teacher presence. Overall I am satisfied with my journey at ITESS, but there is surely room for improvement.

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend NHL Stenden. The communication is abysmal, assessments seem arbitrary, and teachers are nowhere to be found – students end up teaching themselves without any feedback. Waiting months for portfolio feedback is common, and when you finally receive it, it’s so vague that it’s useless. Asking for help is pointless as you’re left to figure everything out on your own. There’s no communication between teachers, leaving students to fend for themselves without support. Course material is scarcely provided, and the full-time program is crammed into a part-time schedule without any consideration for students with jobs or families. It appears that teachers are only there for the paycheck. My advice: steer clear of this school and opt for an institution where your efforts and energy are truly valued.

NHL Stenden Emmen has the PABO with uninspiring teachers that are supposed to be teaching students how to teach. Teachers gossip to students about other students, and sometimes refuse to provide feedback on assignments (instead of rubrics with information on where you could improve, you will just receive a grade without any information as to why that grade was given). Assignments are unclear, the online environment is a HUGE mess. Internships have to be provided by the school, although they regularly fail to do so. A lot of internship schools complain about the organization as well. The assignments are sometimes like you are back at primary school (who gets EC for claying a shoe-figure, writing in cursive or doing PE-sessions for toddlers?) Along with that, while the teachers all claim we should be mindful of children who have different educational needs, Stenden will do no such thing with their own students. Those who require more clarity are basically told they are out of luck as the ‘old program’ was just designed that way.

If at any point you are thinking, wow. It can’t actually be that bad as they score quite high in the ‘national student survey’. Keep in mind that Stenden teachers actively tell students they HAVE to fill this in positively, and negative feedback should only be given in internal feedback forms. As they claim it looks bad to have a degree from a college that was rated negatively. So if you want to do the PABO, you’re way better off at KPZ in Zwolle.