Short reflections grounded in everyday work on teaching, learning and professional development.
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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