Viewpoints:
Selection
General
In the academic year 2017-2018, decentralised selection was introduced and lottery was abolished. Since the abolition of the lottery system, institutions have the possibility to select students. The ISO is pleased that this means there is more focus on the individual student and that a student should not enter a programme purely on the basis of luck. However, the ISO has seen a proliferation of selection requirements in recent years, exposing students to unnecessary selective measures. According to the ISO, the best way to select is through the method of trial study, possibly in combination with a final test. This method entails prospective students attending a lecture of their intended study and then being given a task that is similar to what they will be doing as students.
Current affairs
In February 2020, the Dutch House of Representatives passed a motion on the addition of drawing lots as a selection method that institutions can apply in the case of capacity fixes. The ISO is of the opinion that the drawing of lots can only be added as a selection method within the selection procedure for bachelor’s programmes. A separate draw (weighted or unweighted) without a selection procedure is undesirable according to the ISO. In practice, this means, for instance, that a selection is made by means of trial study and that an unweighted draw takes place under this selection.
