Policy development in consultation

Education policy decisions must be supported by all sections of the university. That is why we want a balanced composition of all working groups that prepare new policy with representation of faculty staff, lecturers, assistants and students. It is crucial, however, to limit the number of working groups to what is strictly necessary.  When working groups are created, they must have a clear goal, a clear mandate, and a lean, efficient way of operating. WE must avoid the risk of turning them into endless talking shops. Focused collaboration, not bureaucracy, should drive our progress. Supported participation is essential for the legitimacy and effectiveness of education policy. Shared governance enhances the quality of decision-making because diverse perspectives are brought into all phases of policy-making. Regular intervision moments with all faculties allow early feedback to be gathered before final decisions are made. This kind of iterative participation and shared decision-making strengthens both the feasibility of decisions and support towards them. When colleagues and students feel genuinely heard, their involvement in policy implementation increases, which is essential for successful educational innovation. Participation also fosters a sense of ownership, which in turn makes reforms more sustainable and more widely accepted.

Growth through cooperation

To reduce administrative pressure and better align support with programme needs, we aim to strengthen cooperation between university-wide and faculty teaching services. Coordinated cooperation between central support services and local teams leads to higher efficiency, reduced redundancy and more effective support for educational innovation. Educational innovation often requires interdisciplinary cooperation, technical expertise, as well as knowledge of the local context. This is done through integrated thematic teams, joint advisory sessions and shared support pathways. This approach directly benefits teachers by providing coherent and tailored advice on digital tools, educational design and quality assurance. By avoiding fragmentation and redundancy, we aim to increase efficiency and satisfaction among teachers. At the same time, administrative processes such as lesson planning, assessment management and curriculum development also become more transparent and manageable. 

Educational development with the right support

We want to strengthen the role of KU Leuven Learning Lab and faculty support staff in guiding educational innovation. Less generic “good practice”, more guidance on concrete questions, that is the starting point. 

Every two years, every lecturer will be offered the opportunity to redesign aspects of their own teaching assignment with the help of a teaching assistant from the Education Department in collaboration with faculty support services. In consultation with programme managers the lecturer can determine where the focus lies. This offer is entirely voluntary-lecturers who do not wish to make use of it can simply opt out without any consequence. 

We are also reintroducing calls for education innovation projects. To avoid workload, we will work with a nimble two-step evaluation, with a low-threshold pitch round followed by further elaboration for selected ideas. The importance of accessible, small-scale interventions and structural support is evidenced by several studies showing that successful innovation does not only come from technology, but mainly from human capital and institutional support (Krijgsman et al. 2022). Indeed, bottom-up innovation is fostered by space for experimentation and teacher ownership. We will provide resources- such as project officer for 18 months, job students, and other support for bottom-up projects instead of the current university-wide projects. This allows ideas to be realised more quickly, with the maximum impact. From the outset, each project should consider how its innovation will persist after it is finished- for example, by embedding it in a training component or by structurally allocating time within the team. 

Summer period free of teaching and exams

We want to structurally anchor a summer period of at least six weeks without teaching or exams in the academic calendar. Periods free of classes and exams contribute to a better distribution of workload and supports students’ well-being. It offers students the opportunity to reflect on their academic journey, consider reorientation, catch up on coursework, pursue internships, gain international experience, - or simply take a break from academic pressure and engage socially, for instance. Such breaks increase students’ motivation and provide structural space for personal development.

For educational administration, a clear break between academic years enables better planning of administrative tasks and helps avoid peak periods. At the same time, this period gives lecturers the opportunity to thoroughly prepare lessons, take holidays, engage in professional development, or focus on research. This reorganisation will involve adjustments and optimisations to assessment processes, exam periods, student project deadlines, and deliberations. Through this reform, we create breathing space at all levels of the university. Thus, the summer break is not merely a moment of rest, it also creates time for critical reflection on teaching practices and their structural improvement.

Bringing resit exams forward and restructuring semesters

We aim to schedule resits closer to the first exam opportunity, both for the first and second semesters. This avoids students having to wait months to improve their results. Moreover, a shorter interval between consecutive exams will enhance the continuity of learning and prevent performance decline due to long interruptions. This approach reinforces the widely supported concept – also affirmed by the Education Council – that a resit is truly a second chance, not a new opportunity. It is evident that resits can improve academic success, provided they are well-planned and properly supported. There must be sufficient preparation time between the first and second attempt and resits should not overlap with other learning activities. A balanced exam schedule is essential to prevent student fatigue, which can significantly impact performance. 

Coordinated deadlines within the academic calendar

Currently, peak moments often occur during the semester when assignments from various course units coincide. This leads to overload for both students and lecturers, with negative effects on learning quality, motivation, and feedback. Uncoordinated planning and overlapping deadlines are a major source of increased stress, decreased performance, and lower student satisfaction.

That’s why we want to promote the harmonisation of deadlines across the university, so that assignments are distributed in alignment with the overall academic calendar. Faculty education committees will be supported with guidelines and digital tools to visualise the distribution of assignments. This applies to both bachelor's and master's programmes. For advanced programmes with complex curricula, this presents a particular challenge. We will ensure central monitoring and encourage programmes to hold joint planning sessions to create their annual schedules.

Through these reforms, we aim to achieve a more balanced and supportive educational rhythm throughout the academic year. The concrete redesign of the academic calendar must be developed collaboratively and involve all stakeholders, policy-makers, faculties, administrative services, and students, while taking discipline-specific needs into account.

Learning-oriented feedback

Although continuous assessment can help spread out learning efforts, its current use in many programmes often results in constant testing pressure on students. This is particularly the case when continuous assessment is used summatively (i.e., contributing to the final grade), which can put academic success under strain. To address this, we aim to develop guidelines and support systems to promote balanced evaluation strategies that emphasise learning-oriented feedback used formatively (i.e., not counting toward the final grade).

Formative feedback moments help students monitor their progress and give them the opportunity to identify mistakes and make necessary adjustments. Digital tools, such as interactive learning materials and AI-driven systems, enable immediate and personalised feedback, even for large groups. That is why we encourage the use of digital feedback on exercises and the use of feedback rubrics in both group and individual assignments. We also emphasise feedback literacy: students must learn how to interpret feedback, reflect on it, and actively use it to improve their learning process. We therefore see feedback as a process, not as a final product. By structurally incorporating formative feedback moments, we prevent students from working merely “for the points” and strengthen their self-regulation skills (Carles & Boud 2018; Coppens et al. 2024).

In practical terms, this means we encourage programmes to use summative assessments during the semester selectively and to rely more often on formative evaluation. In this approach, feedback - including quantitative feedback from practice exams- plays a central role, and students are given the space to make mistakes and learn from them. Lecturers will receive support from educational experts, both from the central Education Service and from faculty-based support staff, who will share examples of feasible, motivating, and goal-oriented evaluation practices. This creates more room for deep learning and meaningful interaction between student and teacher. We aim for a culture of assessment where learning goals take the lead, and evaluation methods are aligned with the complexity of the subject matter and the phase of the programme. The result is a more effective and less stressful learning trajectory.

Variety in assessment methods

Tailored to the learning goals and student profiles, we aim to introduce greater diversity in assessment methods, such as portfolios, peer assessments, case studies, and integrated assignments that assess a combination of learning outcomes and competencies. Students differ in how they think and learn. Future-oriented assessment forms, such as digital presentations, interactive simulations, or practice-based scenarios, will also take on a more prominent role. These methods support deep learning and the realistic application of knowledge in real-life contexts. In this way, students have the opportunity to demonstrate skills, knowledge, and attitudes in various settings, individually or in groups. Innovative assessment forms based on new technologies (AI-assisted, XR, etc.) will increasingly be adopted.

Integrating AI into the learning process

The rise of generative AI and other intelligent systems offers enormous potential for personalised learning. We will use AI to provide students with more individualised support, for example through digital tutors, adaptive learning platforms, and automated progress analyses. This approach aligns with international trends where AI is used to personalise learning paths and enhance educational efficiency. Students can study at their own pace, receiving targeted suggestions for remediation or further exploration. AI systems, such as adaptive learning technologies, have proven effective in identifying learning needs and offering tailored support. For lecturers, this also means support in detecting learning needs and monitoring large groups of students. The structural embedding and application of learning analytics using AI makes it possible to analyse learning patterns and intervene in a personalised way. We will provide guidance in selecting and using reliable and transparent AI tools, while safeguarding pedagogical and ethical boundaries. AI is not meant to replace human interaction, but rather to serve as a reinforcing tool in the learning process, with the aim of achieving sustainable educational transformation.

On-campus education and judicious use of hybrid learning strategies

Although the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that fully online education can also yield good results, many lecturers and students still prefer on-campus education. Genuine contact between lecturer and student is essential for achieving learning outcomes. Moreover, the importance of social interaction between students during class sessions cannot be overstated. That’s why we remain committed to organising in-person contact moments.

On the other hand, education becomes more flexible and accessible when physical lectures are supplemented with digital components. Blended learning, the combination of online and on-campus education, allows students to learn at their own pace, while creating opportunities for interactive and in-depth learning moments on campus. That’s why we want to structurally anchor the judicious use of blended learning and hybrid formats in our educational offering. Think of interactive e-modules, recorded lectures, real-time collaborative spaces, and online practicals. This approach enhances educational accessibility, especially for students with caregiving responsibilities, international mobility, or part-time jobs. To this end, lecturers will be supported in redesigning their teaching with digital tools, with attention to feasibility and pedagogical added value. In this way, we build a learning culture that enables place- and time-independent learning, without overburdening teaching teams, and contribute to high-quality and inclusive education in the digital age.

Inclusive learning environment for a diverse student population

Students may have specific needs due to their life stage, for example, the transition from secondary to higher education, or due to personal circumstances, such as being an international student, a neurodivergent student, or a student from a diverse background. Our society is increasingly diverse: in ethnic-cultural backgrounds (approx. 30% with a migration background; Statbel, 2022), economic positions (approx. 18% living in poverty or risk of poverty), gender identities and sexual orientations (approx. 10% LGBTQIA+), religious beliefs (approx. 6% Muslim), political convictions (approx. 20% far-right), and more. A warm, inclusive university must ensure that the learning environment is made as accessible as possible for all these students.

We are optimising the range of support measures, aiming to provide students with optimal support while keeping additional administrative and logistical burdens to a minimum. Digital tools can be highly valuable in this regard, such as student tracking systems or instruments for exam accommodations and exam scheduling. We will adopt a dual-track policy: inclusive where possible (via universal design principles, more diversity sensitivity benefits everyone), and target group–specific where necessary. More inclusive teaching can be achieved, for example, by ensuring predictability in lecture structure, including scheduled breaks, paying attention to sensory environments, or using active teaching strategies. A clearly structured Toledo course page with accessible materials and clearly defined roles in group assignments also increases inclusiveness. More inclusive exams use standardised templates, provide inclusive exam durations, and offer dedicated preparation opportunities for oral exams.

Within this vision, KU Leuven libraries play a key role. They are much more than study spaces - they are inclusive environments for both learning and living. Students find access to study materials and digital resources, but also quiet zones, group workspaces, reading corners, and well-being-oriented areas. In doing so, libraries offer support tailored to diverse study styles and actively contribute to both academic success and psychological well-being.

Targeted support and collaboration

In addition to broad inclusion, we also focus on specific support where needed. An integrated and coordinated approach, in which faculties, Stuvo (student services), MarCom, the International Office, and central policy work together, strengthens both academic success and mental well-being for students with specific needs.

Cooperation between faculties can be of great added value, for example in the development of specific study materials for orienting students who seek remediation. An integrated, coordinated approach promotes both academic achievement and psychological well-being for students with specific needs. In this way, we ensure equal opportunities while enhancing both well-being and academic success.