These are the nominees for the Faculty Teaching Prize 2020
Every year, an outstanding lecturer receives the Faculty Teaching Prize. Lecturers are nominated by students and a jury decides who receives the prize. The prize is awarded during the official opening of the academic year on 2 September. This year, students nominated four candidates.
Lotte Fikkers, Literary Studies
Lotte Fikkers: 'It is a great honour to be nominated for this prize. Since I will be doing full-time research for a number of years from August, the nomination feels like a wonderful ending to, and a reward for a wonderful teaching period. In my lectures, I try to stimulate students to think critically, to see beyond their frame of reference and formulate valid arguments. But above all, I try to convey my love for the profession. If that succeeds, it creates a nice interaction of enthusiasm and my goal is achieved.'
Ae Ree Nam, Korean studies
Aa Ree Nam: 'I feel really honoured and happy to be nominated by the students. It’s a sign of students enjoying my classes and that my true passion for teaching reaches them. Teaching is not just about delivering knowledge and that’s why I value a learner-centred approach. As a teacher, I facilitate the students’ learning process by guiding them, motivating them and letting them engage in their own learning. If students face difficulty while learning, I provide them with a strategy of how they can learn better. Ultimately, the purpose of learning a language is not the language itself, but to become a user of the language; to interact, express ideas and communicate with others.'
Sai Englert, International Studies
Sai Englert: 'I am incredibly honoured to have been nominated for this prize by my students. It feels like a recognition of my work, something which can be hard to come by for staff members with a temporary contract like myself. My aim is to use the time in class as an opportunity for students to work out their own ideas and accumulate enough knowledge to be able to read about the topic and research it by themselves. I focus on their questions, interests, and discussions to structure seminars, while my lectures prioritise clarifying theoretical approaches, existing debates in the literature, and their application on case studies.'
Laura Bertens, Art History
Laura Bertens: 'In the representation of our faculty, a lot of attention is paid to the excellent research that is done here. And rightly so, but it can sometimes overlook the fact that about three quarters of our work consists of teaching. Education is by no means an afterthought. In fact, I often think that the impact of of our teaching is greater than that of our research. Every year, large numbers of students get to know and respect people from all cultures and continents here. The knowledge and empathy they gain will shape them for the rest of their lives. This is something to be proud of as a faculty and the Teaching Prize is a great way to recognize this. I feel particularly honoured that my students, with this nomination, show their appreciation for that part of my work that I consider most important.'
What is the Faculty Teaching Prize?
Each year, study associations and student members of programme committees nominate lecturers for the Teaching Prize. Once the nominations are in, a special jury attends lectures given by the nominees and decides who to name the Faculty’s best lecturer.
More information about the Faculty Teaching Prize (in Dutch)