Understanding Society

Tilburg University has been a reliable provider of high-quality education and research for more than eighty years. We specialize in the social sciences and humanities and we seek to make a structural contribution to society.

Innovative education at Tilburg University: interactive web lectures


Tilburg University is investing intensive efforts in educational innovation. The Tilburg School of Economics and Management has developed a new teaching method for general use based on interactive web lectures. i-STAR, as the initiative is called, is helping to boost pass rates, increase student motivation and reduce the workload for lecturers.

The i-STAR project, developed by a team led by Accountancy lecturer Bob van den Brand, provides students with five new resources in addition to traditional lectures and seminars:

  • Interactive web lectures: brief excerpts from lectures, with sheets that explain the subject matter based on appealing topics such as Manchester United, LEGO and fireworks.
  • Snippet practice: short web seminars with assignments and cases that students and lecturers can review together using tablet PCs or smart boards.
  • Try & test: web tests with feedback in the form of a brief web lecture. Some assignments qualify for bonus points.
  • Ask questions: consulting hours with chat functionality during which students can get answers to their questions.
  • Results: Live streaming of final exam results, with an explanation from the lecturer.

    • Examples of web lectures:
    Pass rates rise
    The i-STAR approach, developed to complement traditional teaching methods, has helped to boost the pass rate among students in the Bachelor’s subject in Accounting from 58 per cent to 79 per cent, and that in the Bachelor’s subject in Business Controls from 57 to 84 per cent. Student satisfaction is showing a corresponding rise. In the year ahead, the Web lectures will be expanded to the Liberal Arts (Tilburg School of Humanities) and International Business Administration programs.

    Three prizes
    In February 2011 the project placed first in the OASE competition – a two-year education innovation project organized by SURFfoundation. In May 2011, Van den Brand was in Madison, Wisconsin to accept the Rich Media Impact Award presented jointly by Sonicfoundry and Media Mission. A third accolade will follow in August 2011, with the presentation of the American Accounting Association’s prestigious Jim Bulloch Award for Innovation in Education.