The syllabus as a space of transparency
One of the most distinctive characteristics of the Dutch higher education system is its strong emphasis on transparency.
The syllabus, or course outline, is not treated as a bureaucratic document, but as a central pedagogical tool. It represents a form of agreement between the teacher and the students, a shared map of where the learning journey will go and how it will unfold.
This becomes particularly important in international classrooms.
Students arrive from very different educational cultures, bringing with them different expectations about what it means to “study well”, how to interact with a teacher, and how learning is supposed to be evaluated. A transparent syllabus makes these implicit rules visible. It helps students understand not only what they are expected to do, but also how the system works and why it has been designed in a certain way.
From content to meaning: why relevance matters
A meaningful syllabus does more than list topics and deadlines. It explains why the course exists.
Why is this knowledge important?
Why should students care, even if the course is compulsory?
How will this course help them face the realities of their future profession and life?
These questions matter as much for teachers as they do for students. Teaching is not only a contractual obligation. It is a responsibility towards the people in the room. When relevance is clearly articulated, motivation changes on both sides: students feel more involved and teachers feel more connected to their purpose.
Learning objectives that create clarity
Learning objectives are at the core of a transparent syllabus. They should be clear, concrete, and measurable, using one precise action verb.
For example, an objective such as “Formulate your personal entrepreneurial vision, based on a clear purpose and the impact you want to create” shows that the student is not expected to simply memorise content. Instead, they are invited to transform knowledge into something personal and original.
Problems arise when learning objectives become too complex or ambiguous. An objective like “Develop and analyse your entrepreneurial vision” creates uncertainty: if a student develops it but does not analyse it, have they succeeded? Partially? Fully?
A more transparent approach is to separate complex objectives into smaller, clearer ones, each with a visible weight in the final assessment. This reduces confusion and increases fairness, for both students and teachers.
Alignment between objectives, teaching and assessment
Another foundational principle of quality teaching is alignment. What we expect students to achieve must be consistent with what we teach and with how we assess them.
If something appears in the learning objectives but not in the course content, students will feel lost. If something is assessed but never taught explicitly, frustration and a sense of injustice naturally arise. Alignment creates coherence. It makes the learning process feel logical, structured, and trustworthy.
Making expectations visible through assessment
Transparency does not stop at objectives. It extends into assessment.
When students are asked to write an essay, for example, they should clearly know what “a good essay” looks like. How long it should be. What kind of arguments are expected. How their work will be judged.
This is where assessment rubrics become powerful. They turn vague expectations into visible criteria. They reduce ambiguity, help students self-assess their work, and support teachers in evaluating more consistently, especially when more than one person is grading the same assignment.
In international classrooms, this clarity is not a luxury. It is a necessity.
Different ways to show learning
Learning is complex, and assessment should reflect that complexity. Not everything meaningful can be captured through a traditional written or oral exam.
Depending on the type of learning objectives, students may be asked to write reflective essays, design sustainable business models, build portfolios of their participation, or work on group projects that mirror real-world professional situations. These different formats allow students to demonstrate not just what they know, but what they can actually do.
Beyond the grade: feedback as part of learning
In many Dutch universities, grades are accompanied by written feedback. This small but powerful practice changes the meaning of evaluation.
Students are not reduced to a number. They receive guidance on what they did well and where they can grow. The grade becomes not an ending, but a step in a longer learning process.
Perhaps this is the deepest value of a transparent syllabus and transparent assessment: transforming education from a system of control into a culture of growth.
