Students as Partners workshop (2 October 2025)
During the workshop Students as Partners in Higher Education, lecturers from the University of Groningen explored ways to actively involve students as genuine partners in teaching and learning. In an interactive and creative session, they examined what partnership between students and teachers really means, why it is valuable, and how to start a Students as Partners initiative in their own context. The workshop, which I facilitated on behalf of the Teaching Academy Groningen, helped participants to recognise new opportunities to work with students to improve and enhance education together.
“For our Community of Practice – Research into Higher Education at the University of Groningen, we invited Irma to give a workshop on Students as Partners in Higher Education. In an interactive and energetic session, Irma guided us through the theory behind Students as Partners, but especially through its practical translation into teaching practice. The combination of reflection, discussion, and hands-on activities provided plenty of inspiration and new insights. Her experience and passion for co-creation between students and teachers were clearly tangible throughout the session”.
Maaike Engels, Strategy Department Education & Students, University of Groniingen
NRO – Thematic article and presentations on SoTL (Autumn 2025)
Together with Femke Kirschner and Rianne van Lambalgen, I worked on behalf of the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO) on a thematic article for the knowledge platform Onderwijskennis.nl. In this piece, we showed how lecturers can systematically improve their teaching through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), and we provided practical tools for starting their own SoTL projects. We also shared these insights at the annual NRO Conference and in a webinar, reaching a wide audience of educators.
Want to read more? The full article (in Dutch) is available on Onderwijskennis.nl: Je eigen onderwijs onder de loep: onderwijsverbetering met SoTL.
“From NRO, I supported Irma in developing a thematic page on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). I look back on a very pleasant collaboration. Irma is positive and decisive. In her communication she is warm, personal, and attentive to relationships. Irma is able to make research knowledge highly accessible. I look forward to working with Irma in the coming period to bring the SoTL page to the attention of the field.
Myrthe Ransdorp, Educationalist in Higher Education, NWO/NRO
Utrecht University – Education & Research (2001–2025)
At Utrecht University I worked on projects at the intersection of education and research, with a strong focus on the life sciences. I contributed to curriculum development and supported staff in their professional growth. In addition, I initiated and led SoTL projects, enabling lecturers not only to innovate in their teaching but also to investigate their own educational practice (see also In Practice)
“Irma has dedicated herself for many years to pharmacy education at Utrecht University. Thanks to her efforts, the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences now has a widely supported foundation for educational innovation and staff development. I have greatly enjoyed working with her and appreciate her practical approach and the way she has put ‘scholarly teaching’ firmly on the map at our university.”
Robbert Jan Kok, Programme Director Pharmaceutical Sciences and Professor of Pharmaceutics, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands