Where does your passion for education come from?
''We both get most of our energy from working with others. As far as we are concerned, education is a collective project in which everyone contributes something. Building, experimenting and evaluating together makes teaching and innovating a real pleasure for us.''
What do you hope to impart to your students?
Rhanna: ''Studying is fun! Sometimes I get the impression that students don't realise why they are learning what they are learning. Studying becomes more enjoyable when you are internally motivated and have a grasp of the bigger picture. Then you don't do things because you have to, but because you really want to.''
Marijke: ''We hope to contribute to this with our PPO learning pathway. Theoretical knowledge is very important for academic professionals, but in my opinion, gaining insight into your professional identity, knowing how to use it and how to present it are also essential. I try to set a good example by sharing something personal with them and telling them about my goals and pitfalls.''
What have you learnt from your students?
''Students can demonstrate incredible potential when given genuine space and trust. Of course, a little external pressure is sometimes necessary, but often a minimal incentive is enough to get them moving. This applies within the PPO space, but also to educational design or project work.
When students are allowed to make their own choices, the best results often follow. After all, everyone is different: what works well for one person may be less effective for another. We see this reflected in our Professionalisation learning pathway. For some, a workshop on motivation is relevant, while others prefer to gain experience in a project at the local council. This freedom to experiment allows students to develop not only skills, but also self-confidence, energy and a lasting curiosity to learn more.''
What are you proud of as lecturers?
''In the jury report for the Faculty Education Award, we were referred to as the PPO machine, and that is actually quite accurate: we enjoy operating at full capacity. What makes us most proud is that we do this together with a large number of people. For example, we jointly organise expedition days where students can delve deeper into the field of personal and professional development. During these days, they attend group meetings with their coach, speed date with alumni, get a tour of the Radboud Educational Clips team's film studio, or take part in workshops led by colleagues from Radboud University, alumni, and even fellow students. It requires a lot of organisation, but the result is always a huge success.
This intensive collaboration also contributes to a strong bond with students. That is something we take great pride in, both as a team and individually. Working with students, really getting to know them and building their development together not only ensures good results, but also a lot of fun and engagement.''
What would you like to try out in your education?
- ''Why not organise a PPO festival, or even RU-wide expedition days where students, colleagues and external partners come together to focus on personal and professional development?''
- ''We also hear from students how valuable it is to collaborate with organisations in Nijmegen. That connection with the city provides energy, relevance and meaningful learning experiences. You can also give this a more structured form. Consider, for example, an annual project in which students spend a month designing an exhibition space or museum in collaboration with local organisations.''
- ''We don't all have to keep reinventing the wheel; it would be great if we could continue to learn from each other and apply things that we know work. So perhaps in the future we will try something that other programmes are already using, or perhaps others will benefit from our teaching materials.''