Educational approach | Viaa University of Applied Sciences about coaching

Jaap Noppers has been working as student dean at Viaa University of Applied Sciences for seven years. Together with his fellow student dean, he speaks to students, gives presentations during open days and provides all information about studying with a disability. He talks about the (im)possibilities of coaching at a small school. “It’s really finding together what can be done,” he says. (2021)

“With about 1,600 students and 200 staff members, we are a small club. All students and staff know us as student deans. The positioning is also improving. By now everyone sees its added value. Each program also has student coordinators. We have a lot of coordination with them.

Common support questions

Up to eighty percent of our target population deals with dyslexia and ADHD. Sometimes there is a physical disability. For students who need support with their finances, the municipality of Zwolle offers a special financial consultation hour, Moneyfit. Students can register for this through me. And we see a lot of students with stress complaints. This last group is doing better since corona time, because they get less stimuli. But the students with ADHD do have a harder time, they miss the interactive learning.

We are honest about the (im)possibilities

We have a vision, which is widely supported. We take all legal duties seriously, but not much is fixed on paper around our policies. Because we are a small school, our resources are limited. It is really searching together what can be done. I always try to be very honest with students, also about the impossibilities. Take, for example, a student with autism whose dream is to go to secondary school. Then we clearly discuss before the start of the study that we will try. And that the first year we really see if we like it. We’re not going to reject someone at the threshold.

“It’s important to still try to see if the dream is achievable.” – Jaap Noppers

Empathetic and inviting

As dean of students, I try to be as approachable as possible. Many students don’t dare to be open, they get a lot of rejections. Then it helps to be empathetic, inviting and approachable in conversations. I myself can always learn enough. Because we are a social training program, we have many teachers with knowledge from the medical and welfare fields. We learn from each other. I am also part of the LOShbo; the National Organization of Student Deans in Higher Professional Education. Many experiences are also exchanged within that network.

No quick fix

I would like education to be more flexible, to be more responsive to a student’s specific qualities. In counseling, there is no “quick fix,” even if the facilities are there. It’s grinding, but if it’s your passion, you’re willing to do that. For many students with ADHD, for example, the disability is not in themselves, but in the way we design the education and how the environment is.”