Project Information

The Ruggesteun - Making Connections project has three work packages, which are closely linked. The main aim is to support lecturers in (re)designing active education. For this purpose, we are developing a RUG-wide platform for and by lecturers. For such a platform to work well, it must be widely used and meet the needs of faculties, education support staff, study programmes and especially lecturers. We create support by involving as many different people as possible in the project. For instance, we engage lecturers and education support staff as experts and involve them in the design process from start to finish. Furthermore, we have a budget to help faculties develop Active Learning Classrooms and DIY Studios, which can ideally contribute to active teaching.

Work package 1 - Meetings

We build a sustainable network of faculty, teaching support and programme management: Making Connections. We do this by holding (individual) talks with different people from all faculties, organizing meetings where we bring people from different faculties together and by putting together teacher focus groups.

This network has two functions:

We involve the people who matter - the lecturers first and foremost - in the design process of the platform from the beginning.
We bring people with different backgrounds and areas of expertise into contact with each other, with the aim of better finding each other across faculty boundaries now and in the future so that we can exchange knowledge and learn from each other.

Work package 2 - Platform

Based on discussions with lecturers, teaching support staff and programme management from all faculties and experts from ESI (Educational Support & Innovation), we have formulated a number of key objectives for the platform.

Objectives:

The platform must be freely available, also to other educational institutions (OER, Open Educational Resources).
The platform must have a portal function and provide access to other initiatives such as EDU Support.
The platform should focus on didactics, not tools, and be evidence-based (as much as possible).
Teachers must have ownership of the platform.
Teachers must actively use the platform. To do so, it should fit well with their questions in the field of subject (re)design but also fit into their workflow.
The platform should be actively managed by an editorial board consisting of people with different backgrounds and expertise; this is to ensure that the content is always in line with the norms, values and broader educational philosophy of the RUG.
The platform should be integrated into the organization in a sustainable way. This means that it will be actively managed and used for a longer period of time.

We will design the platform through Design Thinking. We will do this in several sessions, involving as many people with different backgrounds and expertise as possible. The teacher focus groups play an important, central role in this: after all, they are the future users of the platform.

Work package 3 - ALCs & DIY studios

From the project, we have a budget to help faculties that do not yet have one to develop Active Learning Classrooms (ALCs) and DIY Studios. We give advice, bring in experts on the design of teaching spaces, ICT and architectural issues, and work this into a plan that faculties can move forward with. Once an ALC or DIY Studio has been realized, we put faculties in touch with specialized trainers so that, for example, a tailor-made workshop can be provided for lecturers in which they learn how to make optimal use of such a teaching space or studio.