Student Guidance at UM

Our vision

Our vision was co-created with stakeholders including students, student guidance staff and management. It frames student guidance as a formative learning experience that empowers students to be confident and competent to articulate and realise their goals and values. At the same time, it strives to help students deal with adversity and thrive as members of the UM community and beyond. 

What we do and how we do it

We design student guidance intentionally. It is based on the notion that UM’s student-centred approach, grounded in constructive, contextual, collaborative, and self-directed learning, also applies to guidance. At the same time, it reflects students' personal aspirations while responding to their unique needs. The student guidance system supports resilience, self-directedness, responsibility, and well-being, aligning closely with the curriculum to help students scaffold their learning and meet programme outcomes. Tailored support is key, and appropriate interventions and tools are employed to meet students' individual needs.  

To ensure students are well-guided, UM must have a professional, well-resourced organisation. We work on this, based on the nine ambitions we have formulated for 2030. These ambitions are based on the NACADA Excellence in Advising framework, and tailored to Maastricht University.   

Current projects 

The Student Guidance Programme will take concrete steps to realise its ambitions for 2030.

We developed seven projects for the first term. These projects aim to realise different parts of our ambitions, in collaboration with students and the UM Student Guidance community. 

For more information, contact Iris Burks, Oscar van den Wijngaard, or Lena Gromotka.

1. Formative learning narrative
   This project aims to integrate student guidance into student experiences at UM, aligning it with our educational vision and small-scale learning culture. Our goal is to create a narrative that embodies a holistic, developmental approach to student guidance closely tied to CCCS principles. We aim to fill the gap in our educational narrative by producing a guideline detailing the symbiosis of learning and guidance accessible to all stakeholders. These outputs will also serve as foundational material for a cheat sheet and a CPD workshop to enhance student autonomy through guidance and educational design, integrating concepts like CCCS, SDT, and UDL. 
    
2. Roles, responsibilities and definition and demarcation of our duty of care 
   This project aims to define roles and responsibilities within UM Student Guidance, including UM's duty of care. It seeks to clarify legal requirements and moral aspirations to support students in their educational journey. The project outcomes focus on clear definitions of duties, role definitions, effective workflow and transfers, and collaboration strategies with external partners to ensure a supportive educational environment for all students.
    
3. Clear and accessible communication towards student and staff 
   The goal of this project is to assist students and staff in navigating the student guidance landscape by providing support in accessing available resources and opportunities. This will involve developing a decision tree for guidance, collaborating with an online platform for support, and implementing a structured communication strategy.
    
4. Professional development and expertise enhancement of staff 
   The goal is to articulate the competencies of student guidance staff and promote staff development in student guidance at UM.  This initiative includes the finalisation of a competence framework, improvement of professional development opportunities, and the inclusion of guidance roles in Recognition and Rewards, aiming to enhance staff expertise and recognition. 
    
5. Tools, technology & data 
   This project aims to create a framework for enhancing student guidance quality, focusing on identifying key indicators of good student guidance and improvement processes. It supports systematic evaluation for continuous improvement, aligning with Educational Quality Assurance at UM and preparing for a 2026 internal review. 
    
6. A quality enhancement framework
   This project aims to create a framework for enhancing student guidance quality, focusing on identifying key indicators of good student guidance and improvement processes. It supports systematic evaluation for continuous improvement, aligning with Educational Quality Assurance at UM and preparing for a 2026 internal review. 
    
7. Plan structure for sustainable governance 
   This project aims to solidify a unified, sustainable governance and support structure for student guidance at Maastricht University, enhancing collaboration across all student guidance roles and promoting policy and expertise development. This initiative seeks to professionalise and support student guidance to align with the 2030 vision, ensuring a cohesive, effective approach to student guidance.