A study programme has a topical set of programme-specific learning outcomes endorsed by all stakeholders. These learning outcomes clearly and coherently translate the study programme's mission and vision, strategic choices, specificity, and profile. The programme-specific learning outcomes comply with the Flemish Qualifications Framework (FQF) requirements, align with the existing domain-specific learning outcomes in terms of level, content, and orientation, and align with Ghent University's vision for premium-quality education.

What?

What can society expect from your graduates? What is the purpose of your study programme? What makes your study programme unique in the Flemish education landscape? The answers to these and related questions must be part of the study programme's vision statement. 

Your vision statement presents your study programme's unique position in education, research, and the professional field, along with its focus and strategic choices to a broad audience. To realise this vision, you specify programme-specific learning outcomes (in Dutch: opleidingsspecifieke leerresultaten, abbreviated to OLR), i.e., you translate your study programme's profile and choices into minimum targets that your students must attain.  

Programme-specific learning outcomes (or competencies) define what your students should have attained in terms of knowledge, skills, and attitudes by the time they graduate. They are grounded in the existing domain-specific learning outcomes (in Dutch: domeinspecifieke leerresultaten, abbreviated to DLR)., which the Flemish Government determines for each study programme. A strong set of programme-specific learning outcomes comprises ten to twenty complex, challenging competencies. They form the groundwork for a high-quality curriculum. 

The vision statement and accompanying learning outcomes reflect your position in the education landscape and in society. Always include these three elements:

1. You are a Ghent University study programme
   Each Ghent University study programme takes its cue from the university's credo Dare to Think, positioning itself as open, pluralistic and socially committed. A Ghent University programme stands out because ot implements the university's six strategic education objectives. Your vision statement explains how your study programme realises this. 
2. Your study programme is topical and relevant
   Grounded in the typical Ghent University attitude, your study programme defines how it positions itself in a broader social context. With your vision statement and learning outcomes, you explain how your study programme addresses society's challenges that are relevant to your discipline today and in the future. 
3. Your study programme is unique
   You position it within the Flemish education landscape and beyond, highlighting your specific didactic approach. Which programme-specific learning outcomes does your study programme derive from the Flemish Government's domain-specific ones? What distinctive features related to learning content, teaching methods, and assessments are there? What does the broader learning environment look like (lecturers, infrastructure)? 

Why?

The vision statement and learning outcomes form a tandem with a dual purpose, in which the Programme Committee plays an essential role: 

1. Advertising board
   A strong vision statement and learning outcomes inform (prospective) students, employers, and other stakeholders and convince them of the study programme's uniqueness and quality. Use an endorsed vision statement as the starting point for all communication initiatives to unambiguously promote your study programme's profile. Think, for instance, of our university's Studiekiezer website (course catalogue) and paper brochures, as well as any informal and offline communication.
2. Backbone
   A vision statement lays the groundwork for your programme-specific learning outcomes, which in turn inform the curriculum. In other words, a well-considered vision and learning outcomes are essential to a high-quality curriculum with a clear exit level, endorsed by your entire team. 
   
   The Programme Committee monitors the curriculum's topicality and relevance. At times, you need to review and revise. This is when you turn to your stakeholders for advice on the choices you make: students, alumni, lecturers, and the professional field. In these moments, your vision and learning outcomes serve as an easy-reference guide for discussing the study programme's purpose, social relevance, and didactic approach with your stakeholders, and adjusting them if necessary. Process the input you receive to arrive at an endorsed revision of your vision statement. This will then challenge you to reword it into realistic goals and a strong set of learning outcomes. This, in turn, results in a high-quality, coherent curriculum.