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“The teachers keep us focused and out of our comfort zone.”

Michael (international student) and Teade (Lecturer, High-Tech Embedded Software) talk about collaboration and being open to new visions and impulses.

Michael & Teade

Sure thing. We’ve been working on some semi-smart robots. And one that’s really smart for the Robo Cup. Currently I’m working with a team on a more advanced robot: a hospitality robot. One that welcomes guests, shows them around, and asks for details related to their visit.

Maybe, but not in the way we did it here. The teachers don’t really teach. They give you the basic knowledge. Inspire you, help you find your way, and coach you. What you do with that depends on your commitment and your imagination.

Projects like these, and the soft skills you develop, will make it much easier to get started at a company. This way of teaching helps you adapt much better to new situations and technologies than just learning ordinary skills and gathering knowledge.

They discuss theories and have a lot of contact, especially at the beginning of our studies. Your mentor supports your personal growth. You can approach other teachers if you want to expand your horizons. That’s very valuable.

They provide the connection with companies and external partners. They keep us focused and, when needed, take us out of our comfort zone. For example, by introducing us to new people who can help us, and vice versa.

They keep me on track with my projects. And not just by asking if I’ve completed my assignments. They want to make sure that I get knowledge and insights from my activities. As soon as they know you can handle the freedom, they let you do your own thing.

They should get less knowledge from books, and learn more about the concepts behind programming. You have to be able to keep up with new technologies. Sticking to just one technology is a really bad idea.

Usually when people talk about the future it sounds abstract and distant. Our teachers really give us the feeling that we can make a difference in that future. That gives me the feeling that we are NEW GEN ICT. Literally the next generation of ICT professionals.

Michael

International student

“The future can feel abstract and far away, until you meet teachers who make you feel that you can really have a major influence on that future. It’s up to you to really make it happen.”

We work in a practice-oriented way. We develop things and we investigate why things don’t work. What I like the most is finding out how people learn best. I try to coach each student as personally as possible.

We’re a very open and practical bachelor programme. We have loads of contacts with companies which are facing many practical issues. We help to find the answers and gain knowledge, just like them. As a neutral party, we help several companies and learn a lot in a short space of time.

Well, for example, with healthcare robots you see that companies buy them but don’t use them. We want to know why. We discovered that the robots could not find their way around buildings properly. So we will look for a workable solution.

On every project, you’ll receive unexpected answers or feedback from the organisation you’re working with. It’s precisely these answers that are of interest to you as a student and a future ICT specialist. They teach you something about dealing with new factors and improvising.

As a lecturer I have a guiding role, but I like to participate myself. Just like my colleagues, the teachers. They teach, they coach, they do research. And they work with the students as much as possible.

To some extent we see the students as partners. But, as a lecturer, you are, of course, there to teach them something. So the broad outlines stay with us.

Initially, the content of the teaching has nothing to do with the research. But we also put questions from the research to the students. We see whether we can improve the research through their answers. In this way, we also work from practice.

Teade

Lecturer High Tech Embedded Software

“We are a study programme full of open-minded people who really dive into the content. Different generations of people who are open to new things and different perspectives. And different ways of learning and collecting information. That creates a special dynamic.”