Dual Work Period

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/XM_41010

Course Objective

During the dual work period students gain experience and skills. The dual period allows students to bring learning into practice. In addition, students receive relevant work experience while studying and can already develop (soft) skills which are of great value after graduation. As a result, student are easier to deploy in the labor market after graduation. At the end of the dual work period students:
- have gained experience and skills regarding a Business Analytics profession;
- have been able to apply their theoretical knowledge into practice;
- have brought practical work experience back to the university;
- have developed (soft) skills. In particular, students furthermore:
- show interest in dual workplace;
- are committed to the organization/department;
- take initiatives for the dual workplace;
- make agreements and respects those;
- are aware of their duties, rights and obligations;
- take their responsibilities;
- can communicate appropriately;
- are open to questions and suggestions;
- are able to cooperate;
- have professional knowledge;
- make positive contribution to cooperation processes;
- are capable of problem solving;
- are able to develop;
- use reflection and evaluation;
- are capable to organize and plan their tasks, and to implement;
- are capable to perform under time pressure.

Course Content

Over a period of sixteen months, students are required to divide their time equally between work and study. Students start the dual work period from 1 September and completes it 16 months later on 31 December. Study and work are fully integrated. Students are employees and students at the same time. Students are on the payroll of the host organization for 20 (at most 24) hours a week during these 16 months. Students will conduct work which is of direct relevance to the master program Business Analytics.

Teaching Methods

During the dual masters Business Analytics:
- students are employed by the host company on a fixed-term contract and is therefore officially on that company's payroll;
- student's working activities will be closely involved with the host organization's primary business processes;
- students will often be required to work with others in a team setting, whereby it may not be possible to identify clearly the student’s own contribution or the products for which students are (individually) responsible;
- a final report written by the student thus serves an important role in assessing the student’s clear understanding of the teamwork and products;
- the student's work period is of fixed duration: 20 hours a week (at most 24 hours a week) for 16 months.

Method of Assessment

Students need to submit a digital version of the interim report before April 30. Students will receive feedback on this interim report in a face-to-face meeting with one of the VU departmental staff members of the Mathematics or Computer Science department, so students are able to adjust their activities to a higher level in consultation with the external supervisor. Furthermore, students are required to produce a written report of their activities during the entire work period, and to give a presentation at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam at the end of their dual work period (December or January). The report and presentation should clearly demonstrate an understanding of the structure of the organization, and will describe the activities students have undertaken and the project(s) in which students took part, as well as the relationship between these activities and the Business Analytics program. If students are involved in more than one project, each should be described separately briefly, and importantly, one project should be described in depth demonstrating the student’s mastery of the Business Analytics technique(s) that students used, as well as the student’s ability to communicate this knowledge to others. A staff member of the Faculty of Science will, in consultation with the external supervisor, give an overall assessment of the work period. This assessment will take into account:
- the level of the required activities: based on the final report and the presentation (55% of the final grade);
- the level and the manner in which the required activities were performed: the assessment forms to be completed by the external supervisor and the meeting halfway through the dual work period (45% of the final grade). Both components of the assessment need to be minimally satisfactory: one component cannot compensate the other. There is no re-sit opportunity for the course "Dual Work Period”.

Target Audience

Students dual master programme Business Analytics

Custom Course Registration

Admission to the dual master program is granted to those who have a Business Analytics Bachelor degree. For those with another university Bachelor degree, such as Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence, Econometrics, Computer Science, or a Bachelor degree from a university of applied sciences in the Netherlands (HBO), admission may be granted on an individual basis. The admission requirements for the dual master programme in Business Analytics are almost identical to the admission requirements for the master programme in Business Analytics. The only difference is obtaining suitable employment. Those seeking admission to the dual master program should realize that admission also depends on obtaining suitable employment. The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam has contacts with a number of companies that are interested in participating in this program. Be aware you cannot work full-time during your dual master Business Analytics. Students are on the payroll of the host organization for 20 (at most 24) hours a week during the Dual Work Period. The formal approval of one of the Business Analytics staff members is required before students can actually take up employment.

Additional Information

More information is available on the website of the Internship Office Business Analytics.

Explanation Canvas

A registration for this course automatically gives access to the corresponding Canvas website.