Better tuition by engaging student assistants

The Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industries has hired student assistants to take a number of tasks off the hands of lecturers so that they can concentrate more on teaching. This benefits the quality of teaching. Sofie Wechselberger was the first student assistant to be hired at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI).

“I often wonder how on earth lecturers managed before”

Sofie Wechselberger, third-year AMFI student

“I've been a student assistant for two years and I do all kinds of things. AMFI timetables for example are very complex and scheduling assessments for international students requires quite a bit of logistical planning. Being an international student myself helps. Students come to me with all kinds of questions and problems. I then refer them to places and people within the AUAS where they can get help.

Connecting with students

As a student assistant, I have three hours a week to spend on all 18 first-year classes. That’s not much, because we’re talking about 400 to 500 students. I often think: how did lecturers manage to do all this themselves? I enjoy connecting with students. I attended the propaedeutic ceremony last year. It’s so nice to see that the students whose timetables you organized for a year have completed their first year successfully.

Next year, I will do my internship and graduate, so I won’t be able to do this anymore. I'm currently training someone to take over from me next year. After graduation, I would like to get a teaching degree and start teaching. I've discovered that I really enjoy student guidance and support. I'm also interested in sustainability in fashion. In my current internship, I see how hard it is to make the fashion industry more sustainable. That’s something I would like to contribute to.”

Published by  Communication 18 August 2022