How can we keep our students on their toes?

Our 2011 Teaching Meeting, which took place on 19 December, was more than worthwhile. The theme was teaching large classes and in particular the challenge of encouraging active learning in students. The event was well-attended (around 150 people participated) and during the 16 workshops, teaching staff from various faculties engaged in intensive discussions on the pros and cons of a wide range of working methods. In his keynote speech, Professor Martin Valcke of the University of Ghent demonstrated how vital it is to have a well-balanced program worked out in advance to determine the various types of classes and how and when to use them (see http://t.co/Vosyg1XL). In the workshops, teaching staff had the opportunity to get to grips with very practical examples of methods that activate student learning.
I rounded off the afternoon by drawing the participants’ attention to the possibility of submitting a proposal for a grassroots project (see http://www.tilburguniversity.edu/intranet/teaching/tm2011/grassroots//). This is a simple and readily accessible way of encouraging practical follow-up for valuable and innovative ideas on how to teach large classes.
In my view, this Teaching Meeting deserves its own follow-up. Love of teaching is very much alive at our university and what better way to promote it than by learning from each other’s experiences?