PE Honours Programme

What is it?

The PE Honours Programme aims to give motivated, promising students a clear view of what it means to be a researcher in an academic context. We want to give these students the chance to:

• Develop their research competencies.
• Acquire the necessary knowledge and experience (e.g. writing a proposal, preparing ethical clearances, etc.) in order to increase their chances of obtaining a doctoral scholarship and the successful completion of this doctorate.

Watch the info session (30 minutes)  Information Brochure

Student researcher

All activities are extra-curricular: taking on this commitment therefore implies a real additional burden for the student. From this point of view, the regular study programme therefore prevails and, as a result, participating students cannot rely on facilities with regard to absence during compulsory lessons or the distribution of exams because of the Honours programme.

The programme encompasses an equivalent to 12 credits (1 credit = 25 to 30 hours of study time), which corresponds to 45-50 full-time days of approximately 7 hours a day.

During the programme

• You need to develop an Individual Development Plan (IDP) to determine how much time specific assignments will take and when they will be carried out. A template of this document can be found in SharePoint. The aim will be to choose a programme that is as varied as possible. Note: You need to complete the programme before graduating.
  
   
• You need to describe the internship related tasks in this IDP together with your internship supervisor/promoter (mentor). Act according to the guidelines in the Researcher's Charter.
  
   
• Your promoter/supervisor/mentor will ask you to sign a form to prevent potential copyright issues. If you were not asked to sign this form, mention this to your promoter/supervisor/mentor. A template of this document can be found in SharePoint.
  
   
• You will fill in the other tasks together with the Honours programme coordinator. These other tasks comprise are intervision days. In the information brochure we estimated 2 intervision days per semester. However, depending on the work load of the tasks, this can be more or less. All Honours students will decide which tasks they will perform and how they will do this for themselves. Take initiative, you are responsible! Contact the (according to you) right people at the university to help you realize your plans. Keep other honours students posted on the tasks you’re planning to perform. We highly encourage you to work/organize something together! Make sure these activities vary as much as possible.
  
   
• These other tasks also comprise the mandatory assistance of students, you need to contact the study guidance centre of VUB. In order for them to give you the correct information, clearly state that you are an Honours student. After every tutor session you will fill in a tutor guidance document (i.e. Fiche_tutorbegeleiding in SharePoint). In the unlikely case that the centre is not looking for new tutors, contact the coordinator.
  
   
• At the end of your programme, you will organize a mandatory intervision moment. At this event, you will present your research (to other honours students, supervisors, promoters, interested students, professors, friend or even family members etc.) in a 15 minute poster or slides oral presentation. After the presentation, people can ask questions. Coordinate with other honours students whether they also finish the programme so you can organize this event together.

Available research topics

These are the current research topics open for applications:

1. Imposter phenomenon, performance, intelligence - prof Dr. Jasmine Vergauwe
2. Ageing in place as a matter of rights - prof Dr. Liesbeth De Donder
3. Electrophysiological correlates and interventions for inhibition-related psychopathology // Use of NIBS - prof Dr. Kris Baetens
4. Participatory Arts for Climate (Education) - prof. Dr. Elvira Crois and prof Dr. Free De Backer
5. Ageing well with disabilities in the right place - Dr. Sofie Van Regenmoortel 
6. Profiel, noden en behoeften van Jeugdwerk(ers) / Profiling youth work(ers) = prof Dr. Pieter Meurs
7. Queer Ageing in Community in Brussels, Vienna, and Manchester - prof Dr. An-Sofie Smetcoren
8. Urban accessibility research for wheelchair users - prof Dr. Nico De Witte and prof Dr. Wolfgang Jacquet
9. Strengthening youth care by research - prof Dr. Johan Vanderfaeillie
10. Alternative housing options for later life: an analysis of policy document - Prof Dr. An-Sofie Smetcoren
11. Personality types and individual differences in information processing in older adults - prof Dr. Gina Rossi, prof Dr. Eva Dierckx, prof Dr. Rudi De Readt (UGent)
12. The social function of the cerebellum - prof Dr. Frank Van Overwalle
13. Animal research on the neural processes that control behavior – prof. Dr. Rudi D’Hooge 

Find more detailed information on the available topics here

Application procedure

There is 1 intake per academic year:
=> The application deadline for 2024-2025 is 22 November 2024

This programme is only available for students from the Psychology and Educational Sciences faculty.

How to apply

Please send the following documents to PEHonoursProgramma@vub.be

• CV
• Letter of motivation (with references for the selected topic(s))
• List of grades/study results

Evaluation

You will be evaluated at the end (summative), but also during the programme (formative). These evaluations are given by an evaluation committee consisting of at least 2 members, including the supervisor, promoter, and/or another person who is appointed during the selection phase.

We will identify potential problems during the evaluation moments. For this you and your supervisor will fill in the process evaluation form mentioned above. However, every problem must be raised as quickly as possible! You do not have to wait for an evaluation moment to bring up problems or concerns.

Final evaluation

In order to receive a "Pass" or "Fail" from your evaluation committee. You should contact your evaluation committee yourself and present them your portfolio. You are responsible for them filling in the evaluation document which you can find in SharePoint. Send this filled in evaluation document to the coordinator of the Honours Programme. If you received a “Pass”, the coordinator will make sure the PE Honours programme certificate will be added to your diploma.

The committee’s judgement will be based on their experiences as supervisor and (if this is not the same person) promoter, and your output, summarized in a portfolio. This portfolio should include the following documents;

• Presented poster at the mandatory intervision moment
• All tutor guidance documents
• Process evaluation, filled in by the supervisor, a template of this document can be found in SharePoint
  
   

And can include the following documents

• PowerPoint presentation(s)
• Project proposal
• Syntax
• other
  
   

In order for this committee to evaluate performances for the 20% other tasks, we expect you to inform your evaluation committee about these other tasks and give them the contact details of the people at the university that helped you performing these tasks.

Interim evaluation

A similar evaluation will take place halfway through the programme (timing depends on the IDP). Again you should contact your evaluation committee yourself and present them your preliminary portfolio. You are responsible for them filling in the evaluation document which is the same document as for the end evaluation that you can find in SharePoint. Send this filled in evaluation document to the coordinator of the Honours Programme.  Your evaluation committee will advise you to continue or stop the programme, based on your provisional portfolio containing

• The preliminary demonstrable output (see end evaluation portfolio documents)
• Interim process evaluation of the supervisor (i.e. same document as end process evaluation which can be found in SharePoint)
  
   

Appreciation

After successful completing the programme, a ‘Pass’ evaluation, a certificate "PE Honours Programme - Student Researcher" will be issued with a description of it

• Acquired research competencies
• Acquired ‘soft skills’
• The number of credits that the work included
  
   

The description of these tasks will be based on your portfolio. It is your own responsibility to make sure this portfolio represents all performed activities and output. The certificate is signed by the supervisor and the Dean of the PE department of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.