Utrecht University

Baseless criticism, insults, intimidation and threats. Sadly they are an increasing reality for a significant number of academics around the globe and a struggle for knowledge institutes. Take Utrecht University in the Netherlands. It strongly advocates openness and stimulates academics to share…

What your classroom looks like should not determine how you teach. How you teach should determine what your classroom looks like. Unfortunately however, this isn’t always a reality yet. Teachers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands experienced a mismatch between traditional lecture halls and…

Sharing Science, Shaping Tomorrow. This is the new motto of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Yet another flashy slogan? Maybe, but the convictions and actions behind it sound clear and determined. In Utrecht they see being open as one of its biggest and most important missions, because they…

More publications, more citations, more grants. The focus in the academic world seems to have shifted completely towards research quantity and individual triumphs. Scientists are stimulated to mind their journal impact factors and H-indexes, while there is hardly any room or appreciation for their…

One hundred and fifty professors in their gowns cycling through town. In the Dutch city of Utrecht it is a familiar sight. Every March professors cycle to a diverse range of primary schools and talk about their research to children for some of whom academic education is not an obvious option.…

How can we use technology in higher education? This question has never been more pressing. At Utrecht University it has been high on the priority list for a long time. The Dutch university has been investing millions of euro’s in evidence based (digital) teaching innovations for years and has…