How I work
People usually contact me when they have a question about learning, teaching or development that isn’t easy to solve.
My role is not to introduce a new model or method.
I help make the question workable.
Together we clarify what is actually happening, what you want to understand, and what a realistic next step could be in your context.
The aim is to make progress without simply adding more work to everything you already do.
I enjoy working with people and teams who care about quality, are curious about what is really happening, and want to make thoughtful, evidence-informed choices.
Background
I started in life-science research and industry (Numico Research / Danone) before moving into academia. At Utrecht University I spent more than twenty years working in teaching, research and educational innovation — first as a researcher-teacher, later focusing on curriculum development, professional learning and the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
Working within a discipline shaped how I approach questions about learning and development: I start with the people, their practice and the questions they are trying to understand.
What I bring
I combine evidence and experience with careful listening and a lot of questions. I’m good at seeing connections, bringing different perspectives together and making complex questions more workable.
I don’t believe in standard solutions. What works depends on the people involved, the context and what is already there. So I build on the knowledge and expertise people bring, while adding evidence, outside perspectives and challenge where useful.
And whatever we develop has to work in practice, alongside everything else people already have to do.
Experience and roles
I am co-author of the Utrecht University Roadmap for SoTL, co-editor of Routes to Change: Strategic Leaderschip in SoTL, and Chair of the EuroSoTL network. I have contributed to building SoTL communities and initiatives across Europe and served as Conference Chair of ISSOTL 2023.
My background also includes curriculum innovation projects, teacher development programmes, professional learning and mentoring programmes and leadership roles in educational change processes.
I hold a PhD in toxicology and have published in both life sciences and educational development.
Recognition
I was previously recognised as Principal Fellow at the Centre for Academic Teaching and Learning (Utrecht University) and am a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (UK).
For a more detailed overview of my experience and roles, see my full CV. Curious about recent examples? Explore my latest Projects & Partnerships.
“I have greatly enjoyed working with Irma over the past years, during which she has shown both high productivity and genuine enthusiasm. She combines a sharp vision of the importance of Educational Scholarship in teaching practice with a collaborative and connecting approach. Her leadership in complex projects has consistently resulted in concrete, usable outcomes for lecturers, their teaching, and the university as a whole.”
Femke Kirschner, Educational Adviser and Trainer, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Selected Publications
For more, including earlier life-science research, see the full Publications List
Muliaditan, T., Meijerman, I., van Houwelingen, A., & Sweet, I. (2026). Incorporating students as partners in educational innovation: Development of an elective course. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 14, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.14.17
Maas, L., Nasralla, V., van Riessen, M., Meijerman, I., & Muliaditan, T. (2026). Reflective insights on co-creating an elective course as students as partners. International Journal for Students as Partners, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v10i1.6680
Meijerman, I., Wijsman, L., & Kirschner, F. (2024). Adding a scholarly analysis of teaching and learning to SoTL: the development of the hands-on Utrecht Roadmap for SoTL. International Journal for Academic Development, 30(4), 474–488. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2024.2361428
Crone, V. C. A., Prins, F. J., Lutz, C. I., Meijerman, I., Schutjens, V., van der Smagt, M., Wijngaards-de Meij, L., Bovenschen, N., & Kluijtmans, M. (2024). Strengthening educational leadership through a professional development programme in conjunction with a teaching-focused full professor career track: Reflections of participants. International Journal for Academic Development, 29(3), 366–378. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2023.2207309
Meijerman I., Kirschner F., Prins, F. (2023). Experiences with supporting teachers with Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at a research-intensive university: Lessons learned. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 11
https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.11.27
Koster A., Schalekamp T., Meijerman I.(2017). Implementation of Competency-Based Pharmacy Education (CBPE). Pharmacy, 5(1):10.
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy5010010
Meijerman I., Nab J., Koster A.S. (2016). Designing and implementing an inquiry based undergraduate curriculum in pharmaceutical sciences. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 8, 905–919
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2016.08.001
Meijerman. I, Storm G., Moret E., Koster A.S. (2013) Development and student evaluation of an inquiry-based elective course on drug discovery and preclinical drug development. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 5, 14-22
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2012.09.009