Where do you find your educational drive?
I get my teaching enthusiasm from the interaction with students and the dynamics created while teaching. I consciously think about how to actively involve students in teaching. During lectures, I often use quiz questions so that, as a lecturer, I can immediately see which parts of the theory need additional explanation and keep the students actively involved. In addition, we all sit still too much, something I would like to break in education. I therefore regularly let students move around for a while. For instance, this can be combined with a quiz question: stand up for answer A, turn around for answer B, and so on. Or in small-scale teaching by having students walk to different corners of the room, depending on their answer.
Which educational moment has always stayed with you?
Several but I choose a recent one. During the anniversary year '40 years of Biomedical Sciences', we organised an event for students and alumni. Our aim was to get them talking to each other in an approachable way about choices, careers, student life and other experiences. To encourage this, we handed out bingo cards to students, on which they could have items ticked off by alumni. Students and alumni were enthusiastic. For example, one student said: '"The bingo card to engage with alumni was really nice. It was so nice to talk to them! I didn't know there were so many career opportunities, it made me very happy." One alumnus commented: "Very nice to talk to students, like I went back in time."
What do you hope your students take away from your education?
I hope to pass on to students that their future careers do not have to be completely mapped out beforehand or during their studies. There is room to choose, to discover what suits you, and that choice process can continue throughout life. After my studies (Biomedical Sciences with a major in Movement Sciences), I ended up in a PhD track. Gradually, I discovered that the combination of research and teaching suited me well. The teaching side in particular attracted me more and more: I loved teaching, coaching and coordinating courses. I also seized the opportunity to fulfil various, challenging central roles, such as in the Programme Committee, Examination Committee and the Education Management Team. Two years ago, I decided to apply for the position of Programme Director of Biomedical Sciences/Biomedical Sciences-a role that I now enjoy fulfilling.
As a lecturer, what are you proud of?
I am proud of the large number of active students involved in teams essential to the programme. In the Programme Committee, of course, but also in the education management teams, where students and lecturers work together to monitor the quality of education and ensure the organisation runs smoothly. Last week, a student said goodbye with the best compliment you can get as a lecturer: she said she felt really heard and that students are involved in important decisions. And that she realised that this does not go without saying everywhere in the Netherlands. In addition, I am proud of all lecturers, students and staff who are fully engaged in the curriculum revision of the Biomedical Sciences master's programme. Together, we are working on a curriculum that is more studyable, teachable and sustainably organisable. It is a huge job, but we are doing it together.
What was your biggest learning moment as a lecturer?
Years ago, I got frustrated by blank answer sheets to an open-ended test question on biomechanics. Some students found the material so difficult that they did not even attempt to understand it-no matter how much effort I made during the lesson. That had to change. I decided to invest time in an accessible way to help students better understand the complex subject matter. This is how the idea for the 'Two Exercises Per Day' (TOPdag) was born: for a month, I sent students daily two simple quiz questions that increased in difficulty, with immediate feedback. It worked-the test results visibly improved. The quiz still exists, and in the meantime we have also developed a good reference work that benefits both students and lecturers.
What is something that you still want to try in your education?
I would like to integrate some form of movement at more contact moments in education-whether it is a lecture or a working group. Students often sit still for too long, and I want to break that. The Biomedical Sciences master's vision has now been adapted to this: the aim is for all courses and lecturers to contribute to less sitting and more movement in education. With the help of a TLC voucher, we are working out this plan, with which we can develop initiatives to get students moving during class in an accessible way.