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Ylva Klaassen reappointed Director of Teaching and Learning at LUCAS: ‘We will continue building together’

Ylva Klaassen has been reappointed for three years as Director of Teaching and Learning of LUCAS. Her second term begins on 1 October, which she will combine with her duties as institute manager.

Ylva Klaassen

For Klaassen, the choice to continue was a no-brainer. ‘I was appointed for one year in exceptional circumstances due to my predecessor leaving early. My intention was always to continue after that, because after such a short period you’ve only just settled in. In this term of office, I can now really start building for the future. I am very pleased that the Faculty Board and the staff of LUCAS have expressed their confidence in me with this reappointment.’

Cooperation as a priority

In her new term, Klaassen wants to focus on cooperation. ‘That’s important for an issue such as work pressure, which has been on the agenda for a long time. Steps really need to be taken to address this, but first we need to look at the problem together with the Faculty Board, all the programme chairs and especially all the lecturers. That sense of togetherness is important to me.’

The emphasis on cooperation also characterised Klaassen's first year as Director of Teaching and Learning. A lot is already being done, but I think people can learn even more from each other in the field of teaching and research. Over the past year, we've tried to bring people together who were working on the same things. They exchanged experiences on issues such as thesis supervision, leadership and the implementation of the programme standards. That has brought some good results, so we definitely want to continue in that vein.’

Closing the gap

She also believes it is important to involve The Hague more in the institute. ‘Although we also have a campus in The Hague with our own building, a gap is still often felt between the two locations. I think it would be very good to strengthen our ties and look into new programmes, for example. I am therefore also pleased that the Faculty Board is thinking about new minors for the Humanities, specifically for the programmes in The Hague.’

Making the best use of our expertise

Klaassen herself will also help to think about the design of new and existing study programmes. ‘The role of the Director of Teaching and Learning is going to change this academic year. Whereas previously the role was mainly concerned with staffing, the intention is now that there will be more consultation with the programme chairs and vice-deans about the curricula. I think that’s a very good development. Precisely because, as a Director of Teaching and Learning, you have an overview of all the disciplines and lecturers within the institute, you can add a new perspective to that of, for example, a programme chair who is mainly familiar with his or her own programme. This way, you can make the best use of the expertise of our lecturers.’

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