The teams of TU/e Innovation Space and UU Mixed Classroom have won the first Dutch Higher Education Awards of 1,2 million euros and 800.000 euros. Minister van Engelshoven presented the prize during the online Comenius Festival. Both teams work on topics that form the basis of the collaboration between the partners of the alliance TU/e, WUR, UU, UMC Utrecht, such as new teaching methods like Challenge Based Learning. The partners work together across disciplines and with various stakeholders to create solutions for societal problems of the future.

Challenge-Based Learning

TU/e Innovation Space is the centre of expertise for Challenge-Based Learning (CBL). By working together on real-life challenges in multidisciplinary teams and in collaboration with industry and societal partners, students are intrinsically motivated and progress through steep learning curves. Student learning is central to this. In teams, they learn how to solve complex challenges, deepen their knowledge and acquire new knowledge and professional skills. TU/e is offering this innovative way of learning to more and more students. CBL is now also central to the TU/e educational vision for 2030.

Future challenges

In the UU Mixed Classroom of the Urban Futures Studio, students and policy staff investigate together how we imagine the future and how we can do better. There is an exchange of knowledge between students, policy staff, but also scientists, artists and designers, and students are taught to look for solutions in a learning way.

Challenging future generations

The strategic alliance TU/e, WUR, UU, UMC Utrecht contributes to societal transitions in the fields of health, food, energy and sustainability. The collaborating partners strive to do that by putting young researchers, lecturers and students at the helm and by collaborating across the borders of the scientific disciplines. The alliance is going for new teaching methods such as Challenge Based Learning, in which students from the various institutions and from various disciplines cooperate on current social issues.

Higher Education Award

The new education prize is the counterpart of the Spinozapremie for research and was established to underline the high quality of education at universities and colleges.By awarding the prize to three different teams of lecturers from academic and higher professional education instead of choosing one winner or letting individual lecturers win, Minister van Engelshoven wants to appreciate and stimulate cooperation and innovation in education. The prize also sends the message that you can make a career in higher education not only as a researcher, but also as a teacher.

Foto: Inge Hoogland