Research experience
In 2009, the first batch of 70 students enrolled in the MaRBLe programme at four different faculties. Consequently the number of MaRBLe students slowly, yet steadily grew into a diverse and challenging academic community. Approximately 500 students annually participate in the MaRBLe programme at six different faculties and in almost 20 research projects. During the programme’s implementation process the coordinators of the participating faculties frequently discussed the essence of Research-Based Learning (RBL) and approaches to implement RBL within the existing frameworks of the faculties’ curricula. Ultimately, this gave rise to a great variety of approaches to RBL. Although the designs vary, they are rooted in the same core principle, namely offering bachelor’s students a research experience in which the student goes through the full cycle of academic research.

Contents
The book is divided into three sections, with the first part of the book focused on the relevant educational concepts from various perspectives, increasingly zooming in on RBL and finally presenting a framework for interpreting the case studies. The second chapter elaborates on the origins of the MaRBLe programme by briefly touching upon the Bologna Process which defined principles for the European Higher Education Area followed by a short introduction into the ambitions of the Dutch Government to stimulate excellence in Higher Education Institutes in the Netherlands. Finally, this chapter discusses similarities and differences between PBL and RBL. Together with three educational models presented in the third chapter, a conceptual framework is outlined that assists in interpreting and positioning the case studies presented in the second section of the book.

This book shares the developed approaches, experiences and best practices after many years of experiences at Maastricht University and encourages the implementation of RBL in bachelor education.