Funding opportunities

The four L&I research themes:

1. PBL now and in the future

Examples of topics within this theme are: digitization of education, implementation of vision on assessment and EDview projects, Teacher professional development, Role and impact of AI/Learning Analytics in education

2. International education

Examples of topics within this theme are: International Classroom, Global Citizenship Education, YUFE and YERUN, NRO research grants on effects of internationalization in education

3. Human cognition, learning and education

Examples of topics within this theme are: Human learning, human decision making, dyslexia and dyscalculia and brain plasticity, multilingual brain functioning

4. Life Long Development

Examples of topics within this theme are: Flexible and high quality learning throughout life – from toddler to senior. Factors influencing educational career and study success

Announcing the 2022 L&I grant recipients (4)

A full-cycle approach to Global Citizenship Education in international study projects: The role of pre-departure training and post-arrival consolidation of learning

Joris Boonen, Rikus van Eeden,

Kevin Fuchs, & Laura Ogden

With internationalization and Global Citizenship Education (GCEd) as priorities for UM, many programmes invest in international partnerships to design meaningful international (collaborative) projects for their students. Such educational initiatives, many of which include study- or research project abroad, are often explicitly aimed at developing elements of intercultural knowledge, skills and attitudes, as defined in the three dimensions of UM’s GCEd approach: global literacy, social responsibility or transformative engagement.


We will analyse the pre-departure training and post-arrival reflection on Global Citizenship (GC) surrounding the BSc. Global Studies Field Study program. The Field Study and its surrounding projects were organised for the first time from May 2022 until December 2022, with the four week Field Study in November. Combining a content analysis on student work (reflective papers and audio-visual portraits), with staff and student interviews, we will analyse how different aspects of this educational innovation contributed to the formulated GC intended learning outcomes, and how students themselves reflect on how the program shaped their understanding of GC.


The findings will be used for contributions on educational innovation in GC within and outside of the UM, and a larger study on the effectiveness of pre-departure training and post-arrival consolidation for intercultural competence development.

Announcing the 2022 L&I grant recipients (3)

How to support university teachers in dealing with differences among students?

Boukje Compen, Simon Beausaert, & Diana Dolmans

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on – as well as enlarged - the differences that exist among students in higher education. Yet, dealing with student differences by adapting one’s teaching to the varying needs of students is considered a complex task. Given that teachers tend to feel insufficiently prepared to do so, this project examines how they could be supported in dealing with differences among students through faculty development. Specifically, we aim to 1) interview teachers and educational experts on how university teachers could be supported in this regard and 2) design an implementation plan for a faculty development initiative.


The project contributes to the development and innovation of education by responding to the trend of increased heterogeneity among the student population in higher education. In addition, the proposed implementation plan for a faculty development initiative could be integrated in the faculty development offer of FHML, SBE and also other faculties (e.g. through EDLAB) with the ultimate aim of improving the quality of education at UM.

Announcing the 2022 L&I grant recipients (2)

How to Study Just as Smart Online?

Felicitas Biwer, Anna Nyland, Dominique Waterval,

Joey Mack, Stella Thomassen, & Anique de Bruin

Supporting students to regulate their learning effectively is an ongoing challenge. The Study Smart program is an effective on-campus training to increase students’ knowledge and use of effective learning strategies. However, it creates a high burden on teachers, and students’ motivation depends on the timing of the training. The proposed study will examine the effectiveness of a blended Study Smart program, which might offer more flexibility in time and alleviate teachers’ workload. We will assess its effectiveness compared to an on-campus Study Smart training on students’ SRL competence and motivational beliefs. The results can stimulate the development of blended and online skill development modules relevant to the whole UM community.


Study Smart is already implemented to different extents at the university. However, its sustainable implementation stays a challenge, taking into account teachers’ and students’ resources. By designing and investigating the effectiveness of the blended module, the Study Smart program could become more sustainable and accessible to all students at UM. The blended or online only module could be offered to all students at UM, as an accessible resource to improve self-regulated learning.

Announcing the 2022 L&I grant recipients (1)

Testing is Learning: Using Randomized, Parametrized, and Diversified Online Quizzes with Answer- Dependent Feedback in Multi-Variable Calculus for Engineering Students

Martijn Boussé, Lieven Quintens, Carla Koopman,

Gavin Phillips, Tim Righart, & Paola Diomede

Multi-variable calculus is one of the most challenging math courses for engineering students. It is still mostly assessed using traditional methods, neglecting the fundamental principles of Problem-Based Learning (PBL). Last year, we experimented with weekly online graded quizzes in order to improve learning consistency and student performance. Building on this idea, we aim to develop online practice quizzes with answer-dependent feedback as a formative self- assessment prior to graded quizzes. We intend to randomize, parametrize, and diversify questions in order to improve student experience and counter collusion. We will examine the effects of these quizzes on the learning process of students.


The added value to UM education moving forward is substantive as we intend to move the needle on assessment formats for math courses in particular. Many math courses within FSE and SBE are still mostly assessed according to traditional methods, and are therefore not aligned with the UM vision on assessment. We believe that this project will allow us to construct a convincing case for other math-related courses that can inspire and help other coordinators.

Call for applications 2022!

Call for Applications for Seed Money to Conduct Short-Term Research on Learning & Innovation @UM

The UM Research theme on Learning & Innovation invites (junior) academic staff of UM to apply for seed money (between €2,500 and €10,000) to help fund your short-term education research! The aim of this grant is to stimulate (junior) academic staff across UM faculties to conduct research on a topic related to Learning & Innovation. The topics are listed below.

The deadline for submitting the application is 31 October 2022 (17:00). For more details on the requirements, please see the application form.


Download the application form here.


Questions about this call can be directed to learning_innovation@maastrichtuniversity.nl


Announcing the 2021 L&I grant recipients (4)

Creativity coaching for tutors in entrepreneurship education: The effect of creativity coaching on tutors' attitudes, beliefs and behaviors to foster students' creativity

René Bräuer, Herco Fonteijn & Simon Beausaert

The Creativity Coaching Trajectory for entrepreneurship tutors is an eight-week program to more effectively support students in the inherently uncertain, ambiguous and oftentimes ‘mysterious’ creative process and to develop students’ creative competencies among other closely-related competencies for sustainability and global citizenship. Tutors will be trained in the creative process and in teaching for creativity with the Habits of Creativity model, which will function as the main framework for the program. The proposed qualitative study will assess the effectiveness of the creativity coaching and provide in-depth insights into how to refine and improve the Creativity Coaching Trajectory before expanding to other courses and faculties.


Announcing the 2021 L&I grant recipients (3)

Preventing De-Alignment: Quality Control at Programme Level (DEALIGN)

Johan Adriaensen, Alexandra Mihai & Patrick Bijsmans

Curriculum design is at the heart of higher education, as it concerns how and what students learn and how and what staff teach. Yet, designing and implementing a coherent curriculum is complicated. This is the case for programmes that revolve around problem-based learning, with its partly open-ended nature and its emphasis on student-centred learning, but also for interdisciplinary programmes, which require cooperation across disciplinary boundaries. Our research project explores what coordinative practices are used when designing and implementing curricula, to prevent de-alignment and ensure quality control at programme level, a topic that has received only modest attention in academic literature.



Announcing the 2021 L&I grant recipients (2)

Empowering students by evidence based interventions and tools in one-on-one setting between student and adviser or mentor

Dominque Waterval & Iris Burks

Many students have lost control over their learning process and/or career path. Empowering students instead of nursing students, e.g. guidance that aims to develop the required competences instead of the symptoms, is seen as the most effective intervention. However, the concept of empowerment is widely used in fields like management and psychology, but is less used in education more specifically in the one-on-one contacts between student and staff. Therefore, the main aim of this project is to perform a scoping literature on measurement instruments and tools that enhance student empowerment in the context of one-to-one student mentor/advisor contacts. The results of this review can fuel the implementation of interventions that aim to increase the effectiveness of mentoring/advising contacts and is applicable to the whole UM community.

Announcing the 2021 L&I grant recipients (1)

Learning in the Wild: Connecting Higher Education and Society

Hans Savelberg, Arie van der Lugt & Diana Dolmans

One of the current principles behind learning in HE in general and PBL in specific is contextual or authentic learning. In many curricula students are nowadays confronted with authentic problems. Students and staff feel however that there is still a disconnect between HE and society. Students often don’t see the meaning and relevance of what they are learning even when being confronted with problems or cases. We see different innovation initiatives in which learning in HE is (re-)connected with society within our own university but also worldwide. These innovative learnings arrangements fit with imagining the future of HE and PBL in which we learn alongside others outside the academy. Arrangements in which we bring “the wilderness in HE” or enhance “learning in the wild” instead of applying one-size-fits-all approaches. The ultimate aim is to enhance students and staff autonomous motivation, their well-being, and better prepare students to become adaptive experts who are not only able to use their knowledge effectively and efficiently, but also have learnt to flexibly use their knowledge, students who are able to respond to novel complex unpredictable societal challenges. We will use the seed money for three purposes: 1) to analyze the current literature on authentic learning arrangements in which HE connects with society, 2) to explore students, staff members’, local business and community representatives perceptions about the main ingredients of current initiatives within our university, their opportunities and barriers, and 3) to develop a scenario for authentic learning in the wild, specifying its main ingredients as well as its potential opportunities and barriers as a tool for creating a shared understanding and way of thinking on how to enhance authentic learning arrangements in which HE and society are (re-)connected.


Call for applications

2021!

Call for Applications for Seed Money to Conduct Short-Term Research on Learning & Innovation @UM

The UM Taskforce on Learning & Innovation invites you to apply for seed money (between €2,500 and €10,000) to help fund your short-term research! The aim of this grant is to stimulate academic staff across UM faculties to collaborate and conduct research on a topic related to learning and innovation here at the UM. The deadline for submitting the application is 15 October 2021 (17:00). For more details on the handful of requirements, please see the application form.


Download the application form here.


Questions about this call can be directed to learning_innovation@maastrichtuniversity.nl

The four L&I research themes:

1. PBL now and in the future

Examples of topics within this theme are: digitization of education, implementation of vision on assessment and EDview projects, Teacher professional development, Role and impact of AI/Learning Analytics in education

2. International education

Examples of topics within this theme are: International Classroom, Global Citizenship Education, YUFE and YERUN, NRO research grants on effects of internationalization in education

3. Human cognition, learning and education

Examples of topics within this theme are: Human learning, human decision making, dyslexia and dyscalculia and brain plasticity, multilingual brain functioning

4. Life Long Development

Examples of topics within this theme are: Flexible and high quality learning throughout life – from toddler to senior. Factors influencing educational career and study success