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ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� College Utrecht tutor and lecturer Patrick Wijchers is one of the four teachers nominated for Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��’s Teacher Talent Award. Biochemist by education, he is greatly appreciated by students for his student-oriented and even transformative way of teaching.

That appreciation shows: Patrick was nominated by the ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� College’s Academic Student Council for his “ability to inspire students in such a way that their perspective on a subject is fundamentally changed and they end a course with more hunger for further knowledge than they started with.” Known for their demanding workload and high quality, Patrick’s courses may lead students even to change their future direction, according to the Student Council.

Before starting at ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� College Utrecht in 2015, Patrick worked at the Hubrecht Institute on genome biology and epigenetics, and had a few years in London after having finished his PhD in the Netherlands – a career that would seem to have been geared towards more research. But lucky for his students, he chose for education instead.

The nomination contains no little praise. Patrick, could you reflect a bit on its grounds?

Patrick: “If you ask me for key elements of my way of teaching, I can think of three things. I believe in making my classes challenging. We all know that the good students need it and the motivated ones deserve it, but it benefits also students who do less well in class. The task for a teacher, then, is to channel the challenge and provide sufficient support for those who need it.”

“I also make things personal. I try to invest in relationships with my students. It is the interaction with students that makes teaching fun, otherwise I would just make videos or do lectures. But the interaction becomes more fun and meaningful if you actually know your students. It also helps if you understand what students like and which interests they have, and then to see if I can adjust my classes accordingly. This does not mean compromising the objectives for that class, but help improve the quality of the education.”

Further, Patrick says not to be afraid to try out new things. “I keep my eyes and ears open to the experiences of my colleagues and think of ways in which that can enrich my teaching. I also encourage my students to take risks, and I think that I can learn from doing likewise. Sometimes the try fails, and often it needs some tweaking, but in general it really improves that quality of my teaching.”

You sound like a very happy teacher.

“Why I am particularly happy teaching at ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� College Utrecht is that, generally speaking, students are more motivated. I also appreciate the freedom I get - within reason, of course - to design classes the way I want and the fact that I have a decent amount of time with my students. That the ľ�ϸ���Ӱ�� College is really is a community, gives me a lot of stimulation, and it is thanks to my double role as teacher and tutor that I feel very much part of it.  Finally, I love to have such interesting and interested colleagues here.”

The winner will be announced during the Onderwijsparade, Utrecht ľ�ϸ���Ӱ��’s annual education day on 7 March.