Education

Education is an essential part of science. In an academic setting it is only natural that there is a two-way street between education and research. Our research efforts indeed find their way into our educational efforts. Of course this happens via thesis projects, but also advanced courses such as an introductory Rheology course in which the MultiPhase Matter group is involved. Most if not all of our research subjects are also open for BSc and MSc projects

Teaching efforts also inspire new research directions, as the use of for example finite element methods via COMSOL has been very beneficial for several thesis and PhD student projects.

We strive for continuous improvement of our teaching methods. Fortunately, nowadays there are many great tools and methods available to make learning both better and more engaging. Using feedback elements such as Wooclap, FeedbackFruits or Kahoot in classrooms is an example. We also use flipped classroom principles, peer instruction, online videos provided by Khan Academy and many other great teachers. We have also developed instructional videos in-house for introductory lab classes. Other teaching improvement inspiration comes from John Hattie, Anders Ericsson and Carl Wieman.