When examining enrollment and graduation grades, higher education remains less accessible for first-generation students. Dutch first-generation students are also less likely to attend honors talent programs. However, not much is known what is driving these effects. First-generation honors students might …

To help students reach their full potential, additional challenges beyond the standard curriculum may be necessary for some. In Dutch secondary vocational education, education for talented students is organized in two prevalent ways: through participation in honors programs that foster community building …

Honors programs and similar initiatives aimed at evoking excellence of students are increasingly promoted in higher education. However, there is a lack of conceptual clarity with regard to the concept of ‘student excellence’. The purpose of this article is to present a conceptual framework, called FACE …

In 2009 the Hanze Honours College started the development of honours education and – programmes in our university with the support of money from the Ministry of Education. We now offer two types of honours programs: honours minors and honours talent programmes (HTP). The HTP is an extracurricular program …

Talent development or honors programs can play a crucial role in preparing talented students to handle the great challenges of our time. But exactly how can educational programs foster talent? How can teachers be equipped to help students reach their full potential? And how can honors students positively …

Empathy competence is considered a key aspect of excellent performance in communication professions. But we lack an overview of the specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills required to develop such competence in professional communication. Through interviews with 35 seasoned communication professionals, …

This case study presents the structured and evidence-informed approach toward developing a psychological assessment instrument within a national basketball federation. To this end, a two-phase approach was adopted. During the first phase, a focus group with the coaches was conducted to determine the …

The European Honors Council: research and exchange on honors programs in Europe

Increasing students’ motivation in higher education by designing a specific curriculum has always been a challenging but very complex process. The Department of Business, Finance and Marketing (BFM) of The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) initiated a redesign of the curricula with the major …