The OIC puts its heads together
The Education Information Centre (OIC) plays a key role in organising the teaching and education provided at our faculty. But what does this department do, how can it help you and what are its plans over the coming period? We spoke to Stephanie Petitjean (OIC Administration Manager) and Marlijn Martens (OIC Logistics Manager).
Introducing…
Stephanie: ‘I’m the OIC Administration Manager – I took over from Bea Persoon on 1 January. OIC Administration includes study progress activities such as registering grades and graduation activities. Students can also come to the desk, call us or send us an email if they have a question about their degree programme. We register binding study advice (BSA) and organise admissions. The faculty’s Functional Application Management department is also part of OIC Administration.’
Marlijn: ‘I’m the OIC Logistics Manager. My department was created around two years ago, and we coordinate the timetabling for teaching and examinations. We recently set up the new Exam Support department, which focuses on making preparations for exams, coordinating the logistics and recording exam attendance. The scope of its tasks will probably be expanded in future. The Exam Support team is also available to answer questions about the exams both at the student desk and on site during exam periods.
What will you be working on over the coming period?
Stephanie: ‘The Kernvisie is set to be rolled out for the 2025/2026 academic year. The new measures involved in the rollout will affect the OIC’s work activities, and we’ll be identifying that impact over the coming period. More specifically, what it means for our department and how we’re going to deal with that. In addition, I only started my new position as OIC Manager in January this year, with a relatively new team. Onboarding is another focus area – coming together and developing as professionals.’
Is there something you’re particularly proud of?
Marlijn: ‘I’m really happy with how the Exam Support team has been set up. It was Ine Houweling’s idea – she explored the needs of the various institutes, and that research has increasingly taken shape. We started from scratch, so we really had to figure everything out, develop the idea and draw up a plan ourselves. Launching a new team came with its ups and downs, and we’re still developing. We’ve received positive feedback from both lecturers and the wider organisation, so it’s nice to see that our efforts are paying off.’
Stephanie: ‘I’m extremely proud of the OIC team and how we work together. We have open conversations, there’s space to support each other in our successes and challenges and people really do care about each other. It’s especially important that an evolving team is able to work well together and has the freedom to ask questions.’
Is there anything you’d like to improve?
Marlijn: ‘I’d like to see more interaction between the two departments – Administration and Logistics – and more mutual support during the busiest periods.’
Stephanie: ‘We already work together a lot, but hopefully we’ll do that even more in the future. I’d also like to digitise a number of processes.’
How do you reflect on the past few months?
Stephanie: ‘I’m really enjoying my new role and I’m learning a lot, but it can also be challenging at times. I had very large shoes to fill when I took over from my predecessor, Bea Persoon. I have a lot of respect for everything that’s been achieved and I want to build on that while doing new things as well. That’s why I sometimes experiment by making small changes. It can be a case of trial and error, but I always aim to initiate positive change.’
Marlijn: ‘I feel that we’ve been through quite a unique process. Educational logistics involves both the Timetabling team and the new Exam Support team. I’ve mainly been focusing on Exam Support as we’ve had to overcome quite a few obstacles over the past few months. The Timetabling team has made that possible, thanks to its stability and independence. Commitment and flexibility from all colleagues have enabled us to produce a fantastic result despite our packed schedule.’