A message from the Executive Director
2021 marked the first year of the Extension School’s work as an independent administrative unit within the University Corporate Office – a year characterised by the continued development and delivery of new, in-demand courses and programs for our global learners in line with our strategic portfolio themes. Besides providing timely and consistent support for TU Delft lecturers both for online and campus education, we have undertaken several national and international innovation projects in the field of open, online, and lifelong learning.
Another year in which we have upheld our mission of educating the world by keeping our learners at the centre of our activities. Working together with our colleagues in faculties to deliver expert knowledge through a rich and engaging learning experience, we are proud to enable people the world over to further their professional careers. The number of participants in our courses has now surpassed 3.3 Million – and it continues to grow!
I commend the great work of our dedicated teams and their efforts to support lecturers – also beyond the boundaries of our university and the operational delivery of our offering. Sharing experiences, know-how, and best practices to facilitate teaching campus students in various formats during the difficult covid-19 pandemic, has additionally contributed to the Extension School’s outreach as a leader in online education.
It is also rewarding to see the strong collaboration with faculty colleagues in their roles of faculty coordinators, academic portfolio directors and members of the Extension School's
strategic, advisory, and quality assurance boards. Their input and contributions are not only very much valued but essential to the success of our activities and – by extension, the success of our learners.
To further that success, and its ripple effect toward creating a better society, our organisation also participates in a number of innovation projects with national and international partners. In particular, we have taken a leading role in initiatives to help fill the skill gap in key areas – such as the energy transition – and through the development of new, digital innovations in teaching and learning. Examples of such projects are the Energy Switch initiative by the Economic Board Zuid-Holland, the Digital Credential Consortium, and the LLL project of the 4TU Sectorplan, as well as several ERASMUS+ initiatives.
With lifelong learning steadily growing in importance in the political and educational agendas at the national, European, and international levels, I am confident in the strong role the Extension School is playing and look forward to us embracing new developments and collaborative opportunities in the future.
Willem van Valkenburg Extension School Executive Director
