The Uniqueness of Maastricht University

The Engineering Building

So my blogs have only been about sites and traveling around Europe but the trip is more than just that. Yes, I’m actually studying a lot. The learning experience is very different compared to the University of Missouri so I wanted to share some of the differences.

The uniqueness starts with the buildings that house the class rooms. Maastricht University does not have a “traditional” campus. We are constantly finding new buildings that house part of the university throughout the city. That being said the School of Business and Economics is in a former Jesuit monastery.

Obviously this creates some unique sites in the hallways and the classrooms. We have even given one of our lecture halls the unique distinction of the Harry Potter room. It’s not the only pleasant site in the building though.

Additionally, the school is located next to the old walls of Maastricht. I stumbled upon this walkway this week. It makes it easy to take a walk and ease the stress of classes.

Picture from the Maastricht University
 website.

The building and location isn’t the only unique feature of the School of Business and Economics. Maastricht University uses a problem-based learning (PBL) approach to education. PBL tries to overcome the weaknesses of traditional education by having tutorials group meetings that consist of 8-15 people. Each meeting is facilitated by a student and tasked with encouraging maximum participation. There is tutor (staff member) that is also in the meeting to answer questions. My facilitation for Intellectual Property Rights in a Network Society was on Tuesday. It was a unique experience but thankfully I was used to leading classes from my GA position back at Mizzou.

This learning environment is especially unique when you consider that the majority of students are from different countries. There are several exchange students as well as enrolled students from differing countries. Out of the twenty-four other students in my two tutorials, I only know of one that is from the Netherlands.

Lastly, as I mentioned parts of the school are interwoven throughout the city. Several buildings are in old religious buildings. The student services center is also one of those. This has become a frequent study area for me. Especially early in the morning when I need a coffee and a stueker waffle.