Prof. dr. Perry den Brok – Wageningen University and Research (WUR) / 4TU Centre for Engineering Education

Online engineering education in corona times: results from a large scale evaluation at WUR and lessons learned

At the start of the Corona Pandemic, universities – like other educational institutions - had to make a sudden shift towards fully online education. Within a few days, several hundreds of courses at Wageningen University were transformed into online experiences. Immediately at the start of this transition, it was decided at WUR to investigate this change in-depth. A research project was started in which data was collected with students and teachers via surveys and interviews. Exam data, course guides and course evaluations as part of regular quality assurance were also used in the study. The types of apps and tools used were mapped. The study aimed to answer a series of questions. How do teachers transform their courses to online education: what do they keep and what do they adapt? How do students experience the online courses, what do they like and what do they struggle with? Does online education lead to a drop in exam results, student participation or motivation and engagement over time? Do teachers get better (and more experienced) in online teaching? What do students and teachers want to maintain for the future? In this keynote, the main results of the described study will be presented, as well as lessons that can be learned from the findings by teachers and institutions.

Perry den Brok obtained his Ph.D. at the IVLOS Institute of Education (Utrecht University), on a dissertation entitled ‘Teaching and student outcomes’ (2001). Between July 2001 and December 2005, he conducted a post-doctoral study at the same institute on teaching in multicultural classrooms and was educational consultant on projects in secondary and higher education. Between March 2007 and August 2010, he was associate professor at the Eindhoven School of Education (ESoE) at Eindhoven University of Technology. In September 2010 he became full professor (Educational Sciences for Science Education) at ESoE as well as director of research. Between September 2015 and September 2017, Perry was director (dean) of the Eindhoven School of Education. Per October 1 2017, Perry became professor / chair Education and Learning Sciences at Wageningen University & Research. In September 2018, he also became chair of the 4TU Centre for Engineering Education, a centre that investigates and disseminates educational innovations at the four universities of technology of the Netherlands. His research expertise focuses on teacher-student interpersonal behaviour, student perceptions of the learning environment, teaching in multicultural contexts, research methodology, and innovation and teacher learning in secondary and higher education. 

Dr. Johanna Höffken - Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)

Responsible Innovation – teaching for impact: experiences about the design and implementation of a challenge-based course for BSc students, before or in Corona times

Johanna Höffken is an Assistant Professor in the group Technology, Innovation and Society at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), the Netherlands. Trained as a social scientist using qualitative research methods, her areas of expertise include (sustainable) development studies and science and technology studies. Centrally, Johanna is interested in the notion of responsible innovation and explores this mainly in the context of the Global South.

She follows this interest both in her research and in her teaching activities. Her current research, funded under Europe’s H2020 program, revolves around responsible innovation and energy communities in Europe and India. Johanna has also engaged in scholarly debates about smart city development, focusing on China and India.

Responsible Innovation also plays a role in her teaching. In 2019 she designed a new course on “Responsible Innovation for the World”, which is open to all BSc students at TU/e https://youtu.be/Q3e2iZtjKKk & https://youtu.be/zhxz8EBCNAw . Students, co-supervised by external stakeholders, work in multi-disciplinary teams on innovations and that aim to make a difference in people’s lives- globally.

In 2019 Johanna became Best BSc teacher of TU/e and in 2020 she received the “Docent van het Jaar/Lecturer of the Year” price, a national recognition for her innovative teaching engagements. Since September 2020 Johanna is member of TU/e’s Eindhoven Young Academy of Engineering.