Three Comenius teaching grants for young Leiden lecturers
Three young lecturers are to receive a Comenius Teaching Fellow grant of 50,000 euros. The grant will allow each of them to implement an innovation project in their teaching.
The Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO) is awarding forty young lecturers at research universities and universities of applied sciences 50,000 euros each to implement an innovation project in their teaching. Three of the grants have gone to Leiden lecturers. They could choose from four themes for their project:
- Inclusive education
- Bildung/Personal development
- Connection with society
- Open theme – the entire scope of The Value(s) of Knowledge
Hossam Ahmed - Arabic Studies
Including heritage learners in Arabic language courses
Theme: Inclusive education
Arabic language courses are part of the bachelor's and master's requirements in Middle Eastern Studies, Arabic and International Studies. They are intended for students with limited or no contact with the language or culture of the region, but whose focus is more on heritage. These students often feel excluded from the courses because the level is too high. The aim of the project is to create inclusive language programmes and to develop courses and teaching material that match the needs of this specific group of students.
Anne van der Wal-Remy - African Languages and Cultures
The African digital age. Collecting and analysing ephemeral sources with students of history
Theme: The Value(s) of Knowledge
Traditional skills of analysing sources are often inadequate to prepare students of history for working with digital sources and online collections. The digital literacy of these students, including critically assessing and authenticating online sources, is essential to become a fully trained historian. This project focuses specifically on digital access in Africa. History students who are specialised in African history are trained to select, assess, evaluate and archive primary online sources.
David Ehrhardt - Leiden University College The Hague
Personalising skills learning. Using a skills journal to enhance student self-directed learning and deliberate practice
Theme: Bildung/Personal development
Transferable skills are becoming increasingly recognised as the cornerstone of personal development. This project implements, evaluates and disseminates within Leiden University College a method for learning skills using a skills journal. It allows students to develop the habit of improving their acquisition of skills through self-directed, well-considered skills practices. In their skills journal they keep a record of their personal skills-based learning objectives, and the feedback they receive.
The Comenius teaching grants are funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, and are administered by the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (Nationaal Regie Orgaan Onderwijsonderzoek, NRO), a subsidiary of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). By explicitly valuing excellent and inspired teaching, the government wishes to make a contribution to more varied careers for lecturers and researchers at research universities and universities of applied sciences.
Each year, forty inspiring lecturers in higher education are awarded a Comenius grant of 50,000 euros. They can use this grant to implement a small-scale innovation project in their own teaching practice.
The NRO also awards grants of 100,000 euros to lecturers for projects that extend beyond their own teaching and grants of 250,000 euros to leading lecturers in higher education. NRO also subsidises research on teaching.
- Read more about applying for a Comenius grant at Leiden University
- If you have any questions, please contact Kathelijne Smits, Student and Education Affairs