Program director Ans Netjes is one of the busiest people in the ATLAS community. But what keeps her busy? Get an insight in her past year at University College Twente (UCT).
For Ans Netjes, this year has been extra special. She started working at UCT when the Class of 2018 started, and in two weeks she will see them graduate. “Currently, the third-year students are working on their bachelor assignments, and I simply love going to their presentations. Not only to hear about their work but also to see so many first- and second-years and even alumni who are interested in the work of the Class of 2018. This shows how strong the ATLAS community is.”
This community is one of the reasons why Ans Netjes enjoys working at UCT so much, but initially, she applied for the job because she loves experimenting with education. “In my job application I specifically mentioned the boldness of the assessment, I think it is great that we do not just do things in a way everyone anticipates, but we really try new things and experiment, aimed at stimulating.” The ATLAS way is continuously evolving. In the three years that Ans has worked at UCT, she noticed some development: “We look more at the consequences of the freedom we give to students and the choices we make. We do not tell students when and what to learn. We did get better at offering tools to organize and schedule how they learn..”
UCT is not about choosing courses from a schedule and going to class. Instead, Ans describes it as follows: “You do not connect the puzzle pieces, but you shape the puzzle pieces yourself. This forces you to understand what you need to achieve your goals.” These goals are described in a personal development plan (PDP) that each student writes at the beginning of the semester: “Every student must define what they want to learn that semester, and express this in learning goals. I think teachers should also write a PDP, this is also one of my resolutions for next year. In my PDP, I would include learning about how I can better help students in their academic development, but also visiting lectures and workshops of all ATLAS teachers. We can learn so much from each other.”
Learning from each other is also important for students. ATLAS students are sincerely interested in each other, and will try to learn as much from others as possible: “Of course the students here want to achieve the best, but they will never do this at the cost of the success of others. It is also typical for ATLAS students to be focused on problem-solving: the engineering way of thinking. Seeing this made me realize that I could not be an ATLAS student: I love the education style, but I am not an engineer.”
Ans will continue to experiment with education at UCT and make ATLAS the best it can be, which she cannot do without the new generation of students. Ans’ advice: “ATLAS might seem overwhelming, but take a deep breath and relax: it will be alright. If you are open for new experiences, you can get the most out of it.”
University College Twente offers a unique bachelor’s programme, Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences, to top students. Visit the University College Twente website for more information about the college and Technology, Liberal, Arts and Sciences website for more information about the bachelor program. Or visit us during the open day, a student-for-a-day or an insight-day.
