Education and Learning Sciences

The Education and Learning Sciences group, led by Perry den Brok, aims to understand and facilitate learners throughout their lives to contribute to worldwide challenges in a meaningful, responsible and critical manner. Sustainable development is more than just knowledge creation and innovation: it concerns the drive of individuals and groups. This drive is reflected in the so-called Inner Development Goals, which concern skills and qualities such as being, thinking, relating, collaborating and acting. In our research and education, the development of these Inner Development Goals are central.
Our research
ELS research aims to provide added value with respect to learning and educating for responsibility, sustainability, and agency: creating environments in which individuals and groups take an active, emancipatory and engaged role in contributing to solving complex, societal problems, and doing so with attention for people, planet, profit and prosperity. We focus in particular on those competencies and qualities that are relevant for responsibility, sustainability, and agency: competencies such as creativity, problem solving, and acting ethically, and qualities like empathy, caring and being mindful.

Education

Education by Education and Learning Sciences
The Education and Learning Sciences group offers courses in three fields of education and learning: skills training, teacher training, and thematic courses. We also offer thesis and internship possibilities related to education and learning, often in co-supervision trajectories with colleagues from other chair groups.
Publications & Projects
Our research aims to provide added value with respect to learning and educating for responsibility, sustainability, and agency: creating environments in which individuals and groups take an active, emancipatory and engaged role in contributing to solving complex, societal problems, and doing so with attention for people, planet, profit and prosperity. We regularly publish the results of this research in scientific journals, professional journals, scientific and popular books, and proceedings.
Highlighted projects
- Sustainable leadership growth through inner development
- The path towards antifragility in higher education: developing future nurses' capabilities to flourish in the face of adversity.
- From carpenter or nurse to teacher: the professional identity development of VET second career teachers during their alternative certification programme (ACP).
Chair Holder
Perry den Brok is chair of the Education and Learning Sciences group. His research interests lie in the field of educational innovation in Higher Education, rich and innovative learning environments, teacher learning and profesional development. He also conducted quite some studies on teachers in secondary education, for example on topics such as classroom management. Recently, teaching with ICT has become a topic of interest. Perry is currently member of the WUR Educational Innovation Board.
prof.dr. PJ (Perry) den Brok
Professor/Chair
