Student Activating Teaching

University lecturer Farid Boussaid accepted the UvA Education Award for the 'student activating education' category. Students who nominated Boussaid praised his care for students and the involvement he stimulated, including by presenting innovative tasks to students. According to the jury, Boussaid demonstrates both a broad vision and a pallet of activities through which he shapes this vision in his teaching. 

The jury sees an ambitious vision translated into various meaningful activities and a great effort to appeal to students with different backgrounds. This enables him to bring the world outside the university inside. 

Inclusive Teaching

Giorgia Romagnoli accepts the UvA Education Award for the category ‘Inclusive education’. Romagnoli’s commitment to creating an environment where students experience freedom to express what they learn is praised by students and staff. In teaching, she applies an approach she calls the horizontal classroom, which has been implemented step by step at all levels of her teaching. Both at the level of teaching activities, testing methods and the learning environment. In students, she observes that they become more active and creative in their approach to tasks, but also feel safe to bring in a multitude of perspectives.

The jury sees a clear connection between Romagnoli's vision of education her vision of science. Science is always in flux and the models used are imperfect. This is an invitation for students to bring in a plurality of perspectives and methods.

Collaborative Teaching

The Computational Social Science education team accepts the UvA Education Award for the category ‘Collaborative Teaching’. The programme uniquely fulfills the university's mission by enabling students to collaborate on real social issues. What sets the programme apart is the way students engage in “real-life” collaborations. This close connection to practice offers students the opportunity to put their academic knowledge to immediate use and to gain experience in a professional environment.

According to the jury, the team deserves special recognition for their collaborative approach to teaching. The educational vision of Computational Social Science is well grounded in insights from the literature and is consistently carried through in the chosen forms of teaching. The transdisciplinary approach makes it possible to approach complex issues from different perspectives and provides students with a future-oriented education that prepares them for the challenges of tomorrow. 

Innovative Teaching

The minor Science, Technology & Innovation: Biomimicry accepts the UvA Education Award for the category ‘Innovative Teaching’. The minor succeeds in connecting various innovative concepts, such as design thinking and the use of the makerspace lab, in a thoughtful way. It thus offers a dynamic and inspiring learning environment where creativity and innovation are central. What distinguishes this minor, according to the jury, is the strong emphasis on close cooperation between teachers. It visibly contributes to the success of the programme, proving that a joint effort in content leads to a powerful learning experience for students. In addition, the student-centered approach is an essential feature of the minor. Students have room for their own choices, allowing them to shape their learning. Moreover, students are actively involved in the further development of the programme, both during the minor and in the subsequent phase.

The jury concludes that this minor goes beyond existing views on education and teaching, challenging the status quo. Although the minor has been running for a relatively short time, the fact that it has been nominated already shows that it is a great success, both with students and with the teachers involved.

Education Ambassador

UvA Education Award recipients are asked to share their teaching expertise, way of working and/or interpretation of the teaching role as an example within and outside the UvA. Therefore, the recipient is referred to as a 'Education Ambassador'. The UvA Teaching & Learning Centers (TLC) support the education ambassadors in sharing their expertise by providing platform for knowledge sharing.