Opinion formation by accreditation review panels
The Dutch accreditation system for higher education was designed to govern Dutch higher education by measuring its quality through periodic peer review by so-called accreditation panels. In my research, I examine the how these panels work together to reach a collective verdict, bridging the different stakeholder perspectives that are represented on the panel.
Approach
My research approach is empirical-philosophical: I combine philosophy of science with historical work and qualitative research.
My main philosophical lenses are philosophy of measurement and judgment aggregation theory, and also epistemic trust. Through these lenses, I look at the Dutch accreditation system as a measurement practice. Since the 1980s, this practice has developed in accordance with policy trends and with the practical experiences of thousands of peer review panels.
To understand the work of panels, I examine how they work: how they assess (self-evaluation) reports and other documents, how they exchange views with educators and fellow panel members during campus visitations – and finally, how a review panel reaches a collective verdict about an institute’s or a programme’s quality.
On the basis of my research, I hope to make an interdisciplinary contribution to the social epistemology of collective opinion formation, as well as inform policy makers and educators in their efforts to develop and improve review practices and their impact on the quality of higher education.
Supervision
The scientific supervisors of this project are prof. dr. Jan-Willem Romeijn (Philosophy, University of Groningen), prof. dr. Rafael Wittek (Sociology, University of Groningen), dr. Tonnie van der Zouwen MCM (Avans UAS), and dr. Jan Albert van Laar (Philosophy, University of Groningen).
The practical and societal relevance of my research is monitored by my stakeholder group, representing:
- Assessment agencies Academion, AeQui, Hobéon and NQA.
- Dutch-Flemish accreditation body NVAO.
- QA departments of several universities of applied sciences.
- The Inspectorate of Education, Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
Funding
My research is primarily funded by a doctoral grant of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), grant number 023.016.011.
For its five-year duration (2021-2026), I’ve pledged 1% of my grant to the UAF. The UAF is a Dutch NGO that provides support to refugee students and professionals in their studies and employment.
Additional funding is provided by Avans UAS, and by the research programme Sustainable Cooperation – Roadmaps to Resilient Societies (SCOOP), a 2017 Gravitation Program funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) (grant number 024.003.025).
