Mission
Methods and Skills sees itself as a connecting team within the faculty. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of our education and research in research methods, statistics and professional and academic skills, we naturally collaborate with other teams. We are committed to bridging the gap between research and education so that our education in methods, statistics and professional skills closely aligns with current scientific insights, the needs of students and their future fields of work. In addition, we contribute to strengthening research within the social and behavioural sciences by providing researchers with the latest methods and techniques. Each Methods and Skills team member has expertise that ties in with specific themes and lines of research, which are further explained below.
Research
Methods and Skills has two primary domains of research, namely 1) research into methods and techniques of research and their disclosure, and 2) educational research into the promotion of skills of students and academically trained professionals. In both domains, the focus is mainly on applied research directly linked to practice. With our research into educational development, we promote evidence-informed improvements in skills education.
Click on a research topic to learn more about our research:
- Effective and Efficient Learning Environments
- Digital Education Opportunities and Implications
- Applied Research Methods and Statistics
- Design as research method
- Measuring daily life
Education
Methods and Skills play a unique role in creating societal impact through education and research. We are responsible for developing both academic and professional skills in students and supporting them in discovering their professional identity and attitude. We promote this by providing space for personal development and learning skills, which are essential for life-long learning and responsible citizenship.
Our education prepares students for academic professional practice in a rapidly changing society, focusing on internationalization, diversity, digitalization and complex societal issues such as migration and climate change. We stimulate the development of self-regulation, psychological skills and personal maturity, which are important for working with vulnerable target groups.
In a time of rapid knowledge dissemination, we focus on analytical skills, critical thinking and adaptability. By promoting self-regulating learning skills, we prepare students for future challenges, such as AI and other developments that require lifelong learning.
As ‘scientist-practitioners’, we connect educational innovation with scientific evaluation. Our modules serve as a testing ground for evidence-informed innovations, and we develop accessible learning resources and open tools, such as the Sharestats database, to make knowledge more accessible to everyone.
Impact
Methods and Skills is leading in designing and providing education that contributes to academic and professional development within psychology and between pedagogical sciences and psychology. This is mainly done through knowledge exchange on skills and collaboration in joint education in methods and techniques. We share our expertise by actively contributing to EUR-wide research into educational innovation through the Community for Learning and Innovation (CLI) and the advisory committee of Erasmus Education Research (EER).
In our education, we therefore explicitly strive to fulfill a bridging function within (post) initial education, by providing specialization-transcending education, and between (post) initial education and academic professional practice, through our active participation in, and coordination with, relevant professional associations in both science and practice. To this end, the team develops various products for lecturers, students and educationalists in higher education.