Motivation and aim
Healthcare is under growing pressure from workforce shortages, rising demand, and persistent inequalities, particularly in urban contexts such as Rotterdam. These developments require professionals who can manage complexity, learn continuously, and connect knowledge to real-world challenges. This places new demands on education.
These challenges motivated the development of Erasmusarts2030, as they highlight a gap between traditional education and the competencies required in practice. The aim of the project was to redesign the curriculum as a coherent programme in which students acquire knowledge and skills and learn to apply them in a real context, and to take ownership of their development. Societal challenges, such as inequality, low health literacy, and technological change, form an integral part of the learning process. Although developed in medical education, the ambition was broader: to explore how education can better prepare students for complex, real-world environments.
Design and approach
Erasmusarts2030 combines multiple educational formats into one coherent programme design. Core elements include case-based group learning, project-based education with external stakeholders, and a longitudinal line for professional identity development. These elements are supported by programmatic assessment, using multiple low-stakes data points and continuous feedback to guide learning. Together, this format enables students to connect knowledge and skills to the societal context throughout the curriculum.
The design of the program is grounded in educational theory, including constructive alignment, a spiral curriculum, self-regulated learning and programmatic assessment. Evidence is not only used in the initial design, but throughout implementation: evaluation data and stakeholder feedback are continuously used to refine the programme. Digital tools support this approach, including an integrated portfolio and dashboard that connect learning outcomes, feedback, and assessment data, enabling student reflection and programme monitoring.
Impact
Overall, development and implementation followed an iterative, cohort-based approach. Since 2024, the curriculum has been rolled out step by step, allowing adjustments based on ongoing evaluation. This required strong governance structures, new teaching roles, and targeted faculty development
Key challenges included uncertainty among students and staff about new roles and assessment approaches, and the complexity of large-scale change. These challenges were addressed through clearer communication, structured guidance, and continuous professionalisation of teaching teams.
Tips for educational practice
- Start with a clear educational vision and design the programme as a coherent whole, rather than introducing isolated innovations. Align learning activities, assessment and support structures from the outset, and ensure they reinforce each other in everyday practice.
- Allocate time and resources for development. Large-scale innovation cannot be realised alongside daily teaching without dedicated capacity and compensation. Explicitly separate ‘changing the business’ from ‘running the business’, and organise the development process in clear, manageable steps.
- Invest in people as much as in design. Support teachers in their evolving roles as coaches and facilitators, and use inspiring examples to make new approaches tangible. Create shared ownership by involving students and societal partners not only in design, but also in implementation.
- Continuously evaluate and refine. Focus on underlying principles rather than copying formats, and adapt these principles to your own context
Used literature
Baartman, L. K. J., Van der Vleuten, C. P. M., & Schuwirth, L. W. T. (2020). Programmatic assessment for learning: Theory and practice. Boom.
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2014). Constructive alignment in university teaching. In Teaching for quality learning at university (4th ed.). Open University Press.
Harden, R. M. (1999). What is a spiral curriculum? Medical Teacher, 21(2), 141–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/01421599979752
Schut, S., Driessen, E., Van Tartwijk, J., Van der Vleuten, C., & Heeneman, S. (2021). Where the rubber meets the road—An integrative review of programmatic assessment in health care professions education. Perspectives on Medical Education, 10(1), 6–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40037-020-00625-w
Winstone, N. E., & Carless, D. (2020). Designing effective feedback processes in higher education: A learning-focused approach. Routledge.
Products and deliverables
Erasmusarts2030
Factsheet
| Name projectleader | Suzanne Peeters |
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Description of project team: | Multidisciplinary team form Erasmus University: - Dr Suzanne Peeters MD PhD (main applicant), program director Erasmusarts2030 and gynecologist
- Dr. Gijs Elshout MD PhD, general Practitioner and Program Director Bachelor of Medicine; Co-lead of the Erasmusarts2030 reform
- Prof. Dr. Kamran Ikram MD PhD, Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology; Director of Education
- Dr. Floor van Rosse PhD, Associate professor in medication safety education.
- Prof. Dr. Maarten IJzerman PhD, Dean Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management Interfaculty collaboration
- Dr. Jifke Veenland, PhD, Associate Professor Tech-Med Education Development & Coordination
- Dr. Annemerle Beerthuizen, PhD, Dep. Head of education Medical Psychology section
- Leon Plomp, MSc, Teammanager Educational Science, Quality and Policy
- Dr. Dario Cecilio-Fernandes, PhD, Assistant professor in medical education
- Róisín McCormack, Medical student and board member of the Medical Faculty Association Rotterdam
under the direction of Prof. Dr. Maarten Frens, Vice-dean of Education and Full Prof in Systems Physiology |
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| Development period | 01-11-2019 - present |
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| Education program(s) an/or number of students involved in the project: | Bachelor and Master Medicine (6 years) N=4000 annually |
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