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Department of Educational Sciences

Welcome to the Department of Educational Sciences Web Space

The Department of Educational Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is part of the larger (and overarching), Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences.

More information regarding the staff, the ongoing research strands and various programmes offered by the department can be found on the following pages (see menu bar above).

Currently all pages are available in English, and redirect respectively to Dutch and/or English where available/provided by the respective content providers. Dutch alternatives for the main EDWE landing pages will be made available in the months to come.  

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Departmental objectives fall under three overarching research pillars: Educational Change, Community Development & Culture Education.

ADULT EDUCATION AND EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

The Department is both rooted and founded on scientific research, as well as maintaining a strong link with and impact upon practice. The Department commits to these objectives following several developments within society, including but not limited to the fields of: educational innovation, community building, arts education, culture policies, ageing and society, and systemic change.

1. Educational Change

In this research area we explore the levels for change in educational settings. To understand the rule of changes in today's society and its subsystems rather than the exceptions. In education and training, this this often the case, not only because of the rapid social development, the limited life cycle of knowledge and the role of quality education and training provision, but also due to the fact that "learning" has changed, and the consequent need and demand for adaptation to respond to learning needs of young people and adults arise. The search for change can be situated at different levels of the educational system: micro, meso, and macro (elaborated briefly below).  

Overall, the existing multidisciplinary expertise on professional development of teachers and educators, self-regulated learning, learning technologies, socio-affective aspects of learning, teaching and leadership are combined to gain insight into the change dynamics in education and training.

Micro Level

Processes and effects of innovations in learning groups Factors, conditions and interventions that have an impact on the professional learning of teachers and educators

Meso Level

The role of leadership in a changing climate The impact of an organisational philosophy and policy in change processes and organisational development

Macro Level

Effects of policy and large-scale reforms 

2. Community Development

This research area focuses on community building and the quality of living. The key question is how one can form a community in a (post) modern society. A contemporary interpretation of community development should take into consideration the processes of choice and diversity. In a society based on pluralism and diversity it is essential that community development aims at enriching perspectives, providing open and continuous learning and learns to deal with differences.

The focus within this research pillar is on the relationship between the individual and the community, the (actual) relationship between the two takes precedence over the individual (abstract) terms. A focus on the interaction between individual and community implies a citizenship perspective, i.e. the active and critical participation of individuals and groups in society, of which a community is formed. This perspective is associated with attention to the socio-structural and economic inequalities and combating deprivation.

Overall, we strive to identify meanings, conditions, constraints and bottlenecks of various forms of community building, focusing on specific target groups (elderly, youth, immigrants, financially vulnerable, digitally illiterate, ...).

3. Culture Education

Culture education is a broad concept. Within Education Sciences this means that through various learning and training strategies and resources available in education (formal, non-formal, informal), we learn to pay attention to the "shape" of culture. This ranges from "manners" (social dimension of culture), to "art" (the artistic dimension of culture). From a pedagogical vision there is an interaction between both substantively linked to the concept of "socio-cultural". 

Research Teams

The Department of Educational Sciences consists of several research groups. All falling within and under the overarching scope of departmental work (educational change, community development and culture education), each has distinct lines of research and expertise. To find out more about the research strands, ongoing and past projects and the general team makeup, please consult the list and respective websites below. 

Belgian Ageing Studies

Belgian Ageing Studies

Established in the early 2000s, the BAS team engages in the scientific study of the social aspects of ageing. The team’s research focuses on a range of social gerontological issues, including social, cultural and political participation in old age.

Team & Projects

BAS Website

More Information

Brussels Research Centre on Innovation in Learning and Diversity

Brussels Innovation in Learning and Diversity

The team promotes interdisciplinary collaboration for educational innovation and change, generating ideas and implementing projects with the potential to transform education.

Team & Projects

BILD Website

More Information

EU-China Higher Education Research Center

EU-China Higher Education Research Network

Research in the area of higher education to facilitate collaborations between European and Chinese institutions, and to promote mutual understanding about the educational systems, policies, governance, innovations, practices, and cultural issues.

Team & Projects

ECHE Website

More Information

Integrated approach of research in Localities, Ontologies and Commons

Integrated approach of research in Localities, Ontologies and Commons

A Multidisciplinary research group and an open knowledge network, LOCI directly engages with challenges and opportunities in the realm of development.

Team & Projects

LOCI WEBSITE

More Information
Degrees are underpinned by the important role of research and informed-based practice, which run centrally across the educational tracks. 

Educational Programmes

The Department hosts several educational tracks (and associated dregrees), in the field of education: Educational Sciences and Adult Educational Sciences. All programmes operate in both a multidisciplinary and multifunctional manner. Multidisciplinary, in that they rely and draw upon various feilds, offering both critical insights into and pathways upon which to learn more about the societal topics, systems and people with whom we work with. Multifunctional, refering to three levels (or function profiles), in which we operate: the level of guidance, management and policy development.

The department consists of both Dutch and English-taught programmes of study.

Bachelor Agogische Wetenschappen

Dutch-taught 3-year Bachelor Programme.

Programme Details

Master of Science in de Agogische Wetenschappen

Dutch-taught 1-year Master Programme.

Programme Details

Master Onderwijskunde

Dutch-taught 2-year Master Programme.

Programme Details

Master in Educational Sciences

English-taught 2-year programme.

Programme Details

Doctorate in Educational Sciences

Dutch and English supported doctoral pathways.

PhD Details

Internship Details and Documentation

In addition to collaborating on diverse research efforts within and beyond Belgium, the Department equally emphasises the value of experiences both across students' courses, and as an integrated and mandatory internship moment within the respective programmes of study (scroll down for details and documentation).  

Jaarlijks wordt een introductie georganiseerd voor de tweede Bachelor studenten.

Agogische Wetenschappen

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Stages Agogische Wetenschappen

Part of the bachelor programme, more details can be found by following the various detailed links & documents.

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Coordinator
Prof. De Backer
Free.De.Backer@vub.be
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Coach
G. De Coorde
Gert.De.Coorde@vub.be
Stagetoelichting
Stagebrochure
Stageovereenkomsten (NL/FR/EN)
There is a yearly introductory moment organized for first year students.

Educational Sciences

Students who will undertake an internship as part of their programme should register for the course on PointCarre. Students will then have access to the latest updates as well as the internship-related documentation. 

Stages/Internship Information

Internship Coordinator: Prof Koen Lombaerts

Stages/Internship Information

Stages Onderwijskunde

Coach: Jaël Muls - Jael.Muls@vub.be

Internships Educational Sciences

Coach: Júlia Griful-Freixenet - Julia.Griful.Freixenet@vub.be

Internships Educational Sciences

Coach: Karen Triquet - Karen.Triquet@vub.be

OTHER USEFUL STUDENT LINKS

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Exchange Possibilities

Find out all exchange possibilities for your programme.

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Erasmusuitwisseling

Aan de VUB kan je met het Erasmus + programma een leerervaring opdoen aan een buitenlandse universiteit.

Meer Informatie

Programme Brochures

Order your programme brochure.

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My VUB

Student Portal

Faculty Home

Faculty Pages: Registration, Course Selection, Lesson Plans and Important Programme Dates.

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Doctoral School

Offering multiple activities to assist in extending and improving students' capabilities to obtain their PhD.

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EDWE TEAM

​This directory provides an overview of the EDWE research team: professors, post-docs, PhD students, and affiliate researchers. Each profile image is hyperlinked, providing redirection to individuals' respective academic profiles. 

Professors


More Information

Post-Doc Researchers

More Information

Doctoral Students


More Information

Affiliate Researchers

More Information

EDWE Publications

The following links redirect you to the central departmental and individual academic outlets. Regarding ongoing and past project outputs (pilots, reports and related documentation), these can be consulted on research teams' respective website. 

PURE Portal

Vrije Universiteit Brussel Research and Information Portal (Journals, Books, Conference Proceedings, Reports etc.)

Find Publications

Project Outputs

Outputs from ongoing and past projects can be consulted through the respective research units' website/s.

Research Units

Individual Academics

Each individual's profile is hyperlinked to their respective research portal overview.

Find a Researcher

Contact The Department of Educational Sciences

How to reach key EDWE staff - Secretariat contact details.

EDWE Secretariat - Office 3B255
Karina Van den Berghe
Phone Number
+32 (0)2 629.13.10
Email Address
kvdbergh@vub.be
EDWE Secretariat - Office 3B255
Siegrid D'Haeseleer
Phone Number
+32 (0) 2 629.13.10
Email Address
sdhaesel@vub.be

Department Address

BUILDING B - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES | FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES | VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL | PLEINLAAN 2 | 1050 IXELLES

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