Short reflections grounded in everyday work on teaching, learning and professional development.
Why SoTL conferences matter in higher education | EuroSoTL insights
Why are SoTL conferences like EuroSoTL still valuable in higher education? A reflective blog on community, teaching inquiry and shared development in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
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When a teaching question refuses to disappear: starting with SoTL
Most educators recognise the moment. A course runs well enough.Students participate.Assignments are completed. And yet something keeps returning. Students engage — but not deeply.An innovation looks promising — but its effects remain unclear.You sense that learning could be stronger, clearer, more coherent. That quiet question is often where the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning begins. Common pitfalls when starting with SoTL When colleagues begin to explore such a question more deliberately, certain patterns tend to appear. 1. Starting too bigA teaching question that arises in one course quickly becomes a plan to examine an entire programme. While the ambition is…
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SoTL Summer School 2026: from recurring teaching problem to a feasible SoTL project plan
A four-day Scholarship of Teaching and Learning programme for educators in higher education (6–9 July 2026, Utrecht) There is often one course that stays with you. Not because it fails.But because it almost works. Students participate — yet something remains superficial.Results are acceptable — yet not convincing.You sense there is more possible here. So you adjust. You refine assignments.You restructure sessions.You experiment. And still, the same question quietly returns. What is actually happening in my students’ learning? This is often where the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) begins — a structured, evidence-informed, approach to teaching and learning inquiry in…
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Starting with SoTL: finding a clear first step
Recently, I had a conversation with colleagues from three universities in Ireland about how educators begin working with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) — an evidence-informed approach to understanding and improving teaching and student learning in higher education. It was an energising discussion — and also a very familiar one. Educators care deeply about their teaching.They want students to learn more effectively.They want to make thoughtful, evidence-informed decisions about their educational practice. Across many universities, educators and programme teams are currently exploring how SoTL can support teaching improvement in ways that are both academically rigorous and realistic within…
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Making SoTL Work: From Idea to Impact
A few years ago, I remember standing in front of my class with one burning question: why do some students seem to “get it” instantly, while others keep struggling—despite my best efforts? That simple curiosity is what pulled me into the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). And it’s what has kept me hooked ever since: the idea that you can take a question from your own practice, investigate it systematically, and then share the insights so others can benefit too. Fast-forward to today, and I’m proud to share that the paper I co-authored with Femke Kirschner and Rianne van…
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A new begin!
A new begin! On 17 July, I stood at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce to register my own business. A big moment — official, festive… and to be honest, also a bit nerve-wracking. After 24 years at Utrecht University, it felt like the right time for a new step. But a decision like that doesn’t come overnight. It had been bubbling under the surface for a while — a process that needed time. I had many doubts. How do you know when it’s truly the right time? I loved my work, the people, the content. And still, something started to…
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