Degrees of Freedom

In this episode, we explore a provocative question raised in Tassos’s Research Methods course: Can scientists truly live up to the ideals of "disinterestedness" and "communalism" in an academic world dominated by competition and the "credit cycle"? We are joined by Stefanos Zelkas Sapountzis, whose inquiry instigated this discussion, Ivar Hjortfors Lozanovic, master student of Philosophy and Psych...

We are joined by the Chair of the EuroSoTL Network, Irma Meijerman, to discuss the evolution, challenges, and rewards from engaging with the EuroSoTL community. As the academic landscape shifts from expertise-led instruction to evidence-based pedagogical practice, how can individual educators navigate this change without becoming overwhelmed? Irma shares the story of how a grassroots need for conn...

Join our conversation with Helga Dorner, Associate Professor at Eötvös Loránd University, as we explore the transformative world of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Recorded on-site at the EuroSoTL 2025 conference in Groningen, this episode explores what it means to treat the classroom as a site for inquiry, problem-solving, and professional growth. And what challenges and opportun...

Join our conversation with Chris May, Maya Schroevers and Marieke van Vugt  as we peek into the world of well-being and mental health in educational institutions. Starting from the challenges faced by staff and students, we explore the importance of cultivating emotional health and its role in fostering understanding and resilience. Mindfulness emerges as a valuable tool to support both well-being...

For the first episode of Season 4, Philip Ball and Brian Ostafin join us to talk about curiosity and wonder. Tracing the historical evolution of these emotions and exploring their psychological underpinnings, we look into the challenges of harnessing them productively and constructively in education and scientific research. Along the way we touch upon many themes, and revisit our thoughts in light...

This episode continues the discussion we started in the episode on reading, https://soundcloud.com/degrees_of_freedom/s03e04-learning-to-read-and-reading-for-learning In this episode we investigate good and bad practices in academic writing, discussing many tips to help oneself to overcome the writer block and make the most of their writing experience. We touch upon a wide variety of topics: writi...

Ungrading is perhaps hard to define, in broad strokes this is a movement that aims at improving the educational experience shifting the focus from the grade transaction to fostering effective learning experience. This does not necessarily mean removing the grades but often leads to deep changes in the way grades appear in our courses. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Berfu Ünal and Dr. Tamás G...

In this episode we meet Ludi and Emma from FSE Radio and Simon Fokkema from Teaching Talks, the other two educational podcasts at our University. Together, we revisit the theme of our first episode: what is the point of higher education? We discuss how the role of higher education is changing in an ever evolving society, starting from the current experience of our students, wheter this does fall s...

We return with the first episode of 2024 with a conversation on Academic Reading. Reading skills develop actively in early childhood, but are given little attention later: the assumption is that once you learn to read, you're ready for all reading. How true is this, though? In this episode we ask whether there are different types of reading, what kind of demands do different types of academic text...

In the third episode of this season we talk with philosopher Leah Henderson and political scientist Léonie de Jonge about public trust in science. We answer the question why trust in scientific findings is important, how reasoning and discourse skills are developed in higher education, and debate whether education is political (and what this means). We also talk about the conference Nothing But Th...

Welcome to the second episode of Season 3 of the Degrees of Freedom Podcast. In this episode we are going to have a discussion about Open Educational Resources (OER) and the Framework for Open and Reproducible Research Training (FORRT). Joining us are Flavio Azevedo, assistant professor of political psychology and cofounder of FORRT, and Martijn Blikmans-Middel, academic information specialist for...

Welcome to Season 3 of the Degrees of Freedom Podcast! We open this new season with a conversation on Paulo Freire's seminal book Pedagogy of the Oppressed and his ideas on Critical Pedagogy. Our guest is Marco de Carvalho Filho, who transitioned to researching, developing, and implementing evidence-informed educational practices after a long career as an internal medicine specialist in Brazil. In...

Join us as we venture into an often overlooked aspect of academia: the well-being of PhD students. Undertaking and completing a PhD is a daunting challenge, making it essential to prioritize well-being throughout the process. Our hosts, Malcolm and Tassos, share a profound interest in this subject. Malcolm draws from his experience writing a report on PhD well-being, while Tassos takes a trip down...

Join us for an enlightening episode as we delve into the fascinating world of student instructors in higher education. In this thought-provoking conversation, we uncover the benefits, challenges, and intriguing outcomes associated with utilizing student instructors as an integral part of the learning process. Our guests, Stacey Donofrio, and Evan Meighan, bring their valuable insights and experien...

While not entirely new at its core, specifications grading offers in its many different forms infinitely creative and helpful ways for teachers to assess students outside of the traditional grading approach. Curious as to what this assessment form entails? Join us as we discuss this very question. We will share our experiences with specifications grading, what type of courses we believe may benefi...

The UG Best Practice in Teaching & Learning Award of 2023 was awarded to one of eleven nominees. The nominees each hailed from one of the eleven different UG faculties, each being the winner selected from a group of nominees of their own faculty. The choice at each level is notoriously difficult as all nominated practices are of exceptional quality. As such, any and all of these practices dese...

The UG Best Practice in Teaching & Learning Award of 2023 was awarded to one of eleven nominees. The nominees each hailed from one of the eleven different UG faculties, each being the winner selected from a group of nominees of their own faculty. The choice at each level is notoriously difficult as all nominated practices are of exceptional quality. As such, any and all of these practices dese...

Chat GPT has exploded onto the scene, accumulating a userbase of over 100 million within the two months since its release at the end of November 2022. Due to its multifaceted nature, its services have been used to quickly generate any and everything from good-quality cover letters to thorough pieces of relationship advice. For all the excitement this technological tool has stirred, it has also bec...

In this episode we delve into the wide-reaching themes of diversity and inclusion. Any discourse surrounding these urgent topics can, of course, only hope to scratch the surface. But progress can only be made by starting somewhere! Joining us on this episode are Liga Klavina and Sofie Lorijn. Liga was heavily involved in the Teaching Academy. As a teacher at the Psychology department, she continua...

In this episode we talk all about self-reflection. It can be difficult to reflect as it can sometimes make us feel uncomfortable, but it may be quite a powerful tool to help us grow in many aspects of our lives. To help us in this discussion we welcome Jasper Vogel and Bart Krannenborg to the podcast. Jasper coordinates and has taught courses in the programme of psychology that emphasise the impor...

In this episode, we are joined by Malcolm Davis, upcoming co-host, Tracy Poelzer and Stephen Jones. Tracy works as an Education Specialist at the University of Groningen, but has a diverse background in education including experience in both public and indigenous education systems, and from primary school to academic university level. Dr Stephen Jone's expertise is in Cognitive Modelling in the fi...

In this episode, we talk about lectures; a very familiar thing to students and professors alike! Discussing this topic with us, we are joined by dr. Sebastiaan Mathot, an experimental psychologist and professor at the University of Groningen and Mithra Hesselink, who is currently doing her research master's in psychology. We talk about all of our different experiences of lectures from both a stude...

In this podcast, we discuss starting a business. We are joined in this episode by Aniek Ouendag and Fahd Rayees, who both have a lot of experience in entrepreneurship. Fahd began a successful curry business alongside completing his Master's degree. Aniek works at VentureLab North which is affiliated with the University of Groningen and helps aspiring business owners! Tune in if you are looking to...

Welcome to Season 2 of the Degrees of Freedom Podcast! In this episode, we are accompanied by Lenno, Willemijn and Teya who are all in the second year of their Bachelor's of psychology at the University of Groningen. They recount their memories of being a first year, from challenging to exciting experiences. They talk about how they have personally developed, academically and socially, all while g...

This episode marks the final episode that Colm will join us on. We want to thank him for all his efforts and wish him all the best with his next chapter! In this episode, we are joined by Amy O'Connell, the upcoming co-host and 3rd-year psychology student. She has done a board year at VIP (study association of psychology) and has taken a year off studying to do so. During the episode, we talk abou...