'Because you can achieve more as a teacher by looking more broadly than just at the usual forms of education. Today's students need more variety and forms of work, apart from the lectures and seminars. A Hackathon can be such a form of work. With a Hackathon, you bring a number of people into the same room and offer them a structure, with a maximum length of time, to get them to look at the same problem in a non-conventional way. For example, it can help to ask attendees what their personal definition of the problem at hand is. That variety of definitions then allows them to think "Out of the box" and look more broadly for a wider variety of solutions. In the Netherlands, we are used to focusing immediately on agreeing on the solution direction, rather than first identifying all solution options. So with a Hackathon we reverse that order: first exclusively generate ideas and only then determine what a possible solution direction could be.
With a Hackathon it is possible for teachers to increase student involvement in a subject. It is also a working form that allows you to use creativity in a different way. I myself regularly apply Hackathons in education. I do that in the subject Business Development, part of the master Innovation and Entrepreneurship. At my request, I invite companies or social partners to bring in a problem, after which I spend (part of) a day with students coming up with creative ideas and solutions. The time pressure keeps you from endlessly discussing ideas. It is nice to then see students continuously focused and contributing during the agreed time period. That brings about an experience of success. During The Education Days I will explain in my interactive workshop exactly what a Hackathon entails, what my experiences with it are and offer a template with steps how you can apply a Hackathon in education. I will also explain why the management of a Hackathon is especially important.
For me this will be the second time that I participate in The Education Days. I think it is incredibly valuable that we get the opportunity to look over the hedge at fellow teachers and learn from their knowledge and experiences. It is essential for us as teachers to keep our knowledge up-to-date and constantly gain new insights. Looking at this year's program, I particularly like the workshop on gamification and the sections on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The world is changing and as educators we need to keep up with that. The developments in artificial intelligence, for example, are moving incredibly fast. If you as a teacher do not think about the consequences now, your teaching topic will no longer be relevant in a few years. So innovations in education are now more important than ever.'
Nanne Migchels is one of the nominees for the University Education Awards, which will be presented on 20 March 20 during The Education Days.