In the first episode of Degrees of Freedom, we try to figure out what the point of University education is. How much of it is structured development and how can students think about creating their own self-development path?

To help us navigate these issues, we speak with Klaas Van Veen, Professor in Education Studies and Vice Dean of Education at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences of the University of Groningen.


Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Sally Ainsworth, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren https://www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep1 - What's the point of University education?

The lecture! Mainstay of university teaching for hundreds of years, mow much maligned for not promoting active learning, for not focusing enough on the student, for being ineffective and uninteresting. For being too old-school. Is the lecture dead and should we think of it in those terms?

In this episode, we speak with Dr Simon Dalley, lecturer in Social Psychology at the University of Groningen about what lectures are (and can be), how to think about structuring them, and how teachers and students can approach and best prepare for them.

The books we mentioned were:
- What's the Use of Lectures, by Donald A. Bligh https://tinyurl.com/2p8wpd77
- How Learning Works: 7 Research-based Principles for Smart Teaching by Susan A. Ambrose et al. https://tinyurl.com/wc23p4kv
- The Craft of University Teaching by Peter Lindsay https://tinyurl.com/ywvxazpw
- Interactive Lecturing: A Handbook for College Faculty by Elizabeth F. Barkley and Claire H. Major https://tinyurl.com/5n93ub8s

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Sally Ainsworth, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren https://www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep2 - The Lecture is Dead, Long Live the Lecture!

It's the holy grail of teaching: engaged students! But what does this mean exactly and how do we know when we have it?

In our third episode, we speak with Dr Jolien Mouw, assistant professor in Education Science at the University of Groningen about how to think about student engagement and how to achieve it!


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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Sally Ainsworth, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren https://www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

Ep 3 - Set course, engage!

A festive episode this time, focusing on the 2022 Best Practice in Teaching and Learning Awards and the winners from the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen. Each year, the four programmes in the Faculty nominate teachers for the Best Practice award and we're lucky to speak with all of them.

In this first part, we speak with Michelle de Jong from the department to Teacher Education and Mark Nieuwenstein from Psychology. They share with us their views on teaching (and teaching awards!), the guiding principles behind their teaching practice, and some advice for new and old teachers.

For more information on the award, have a look at the 2022 Education Festival page here: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/latest-news/events/education-festival/best-practice-award

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Colm O'Fuarthain, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren https://www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep4a - Teaching and Learning Awards 2022

This is part B of our conversations with the winners of the 2022 Best Practice in Teaching and Learning Awards at Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences at the University of Groningen.

In this episode, we speak with Rozemarijn van der Ploeg and Tina Kretschmer from the department of Educational Science in Groningen. They share with us their views on teaching (and teaching awards!), the guiding principles behind their teaching practice, and some advice for new and old teachers.

For more information on the award, have a look at the 2022 Education Festival page here: https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/latest-news/events/education-festival/best-practice-award

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Colm O'Fuarthain, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren https://www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep4b - Teaching and Learning Awards 2022

We're joined in this episode by Laurent Krook who is e-Learning coordinator at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences to talk about live streams. After two years of hybrid or fully online lectures, we seem to be moving away from live streamed lectures as the default. Changes are always challenging though, so we discuss how such decisions are made and communicated. In the process, we also address the upsides and downsides of live-streamed lectures, in terms of accessibility, educational utility, and the character of higher education.


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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Colm O'Fuarthain, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren https://www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep5 - Gently Down the Stream

We're really excited to share the conversation we recently had with Dr Maria Ioannou and Dr Ferdinand Lewis on the topic of project-based learning (PBL). PBL is a learning method that centres very much on the student's experience and accentuates active participation and creation. It's common in some fields of higher education, but less so in the social sciences. With Maria's and Ferdinand's experienced guidance, we explore the benefits and challenges of this approach.

You can learn more about Maria Ioannou here: https://www.rug.nl/ucg/about-us/education-teaching-staff/dr.-maria-ioannou?lang=en
and Ferdinand Lewis here: https://www.rug.nl/ucg/about-us/education-teaching-staff/dr.-ferdinand-lewis

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Colm O'Fuarthain, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep6 - Project-Based Learning

We are delighted to present to you this episode featuring Dr Brian Ostafin and Dr Marcello Seri. In this podcast we touch upon the definition and origin of failure, as well as the overall difference and importance between successes and failures in multiple aspects of life. Alongside these experts in their fields, we delve deep into the meaning of failure and how we can reflect on it in order to grow.

You can learn more about Marcello Seri here: https://www.rug.nl/staff/m.seri/
and Brian Ostafin here: https://www.rug.nl/staff/b.d.ostafin/

Some of the books mentioned in the podcast were:
* Erich Fromm's To have or to be https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/25490.To_Have_or_to_Be_The_Nature_of_the_Psyche
* Ernest Becker's The denial of death https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2761.The_Denial_of_Death?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=zylVxcGv01&rank=1
* Harry Frankfurt's The reasons of love https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3494.The_Reasons_of_Love?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=POyiRGBItK&rank=1
* Hartmut Rosa's The uncontrollability of the world https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52592768-the-uncontrollability-of-the-world?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=QtNL2RM5B2&rank=1
* Robert Putnam's Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/478.Bowling_Alone?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=ZocaKxs2Zg&rank=1
* Anthony Kronman's Education's End: Why our colleges and universities have given up on the meaning of life https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1749052.Education_s_End?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=z9IsILBrrt&rank=1

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Colm O'Fuarthain, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep7 - Failing Forward

We bring this episode to you featuring Selena Dolderer, a coach, trainer and consultant in the BSS faculty at the University of Groningen. Today we touched upon everyone's personal experiences of studying, working and combining that with life. As an experienced consultant, Selena shares with us a lot of tips for students starting out at university, or for those already studying, some great advice that can be applied in all areas of life. 


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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Colm O'Fuarthain, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren https://www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep8 - Growing into University

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 about all of our experiences with learning, how to become motivated to learn and the processes of learning.

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Colm O'Fuarthain, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S1 Ep9 - Learning To Learn

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 giving some useful recommendations along the way!

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Amy O'Connell, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep1- Starting out at Uni

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 start a business whether you are studying at university or not and learn some helpful tips!

For more information about VentureLab North follow this link; https://venturelabnorth.com/

To sign up for VentureLab North's weekend;
https://venturelabnorth.com/program/venturelab-weekend

Support Fahd's business here (it's amazing curry); https://www.instagram.com/curryme_nl/?hl=en

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Amy O'Connell, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep2 - Building a Business While Studying

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 student and professor perspective. Tune in for an insightful discussion!

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Amy O'Connell, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep3 - Lectures as Shared Experiences

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 field of linguistics, and also teaches and researches at the University of Groningen. We discuss topics such as the differences between teaching in study programmes- how both teachers and students interpret it, as well as hierarchy in the classroom, various techniques in order to humanise learning experience and whether or not there is a difference between online and in-person education (as well as so much more!).

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Amy O'Connell, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep4 - Humanising Higher Education

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 importance of self-reflection. Bart is now a PhD student who initially completed his Bachelors in Psychology, therefore participating in these courses. Together, we gain some insight on self-reflection to see what it means to everyone, while investigating how we all engage in it individually.
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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Amy O'Connell, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep5 - Reflection as a Tool for Academic Success

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 continually pushes for more diversity in teaching bodies and teaching practices throughout the university.  Sofie is a 4th year PhD-student at the Sociology department. She is a co-founder and the former chair of I-BSS(Inclusion at Behavioural and Social Sciences). She avidly promotes many inclusionary causes through her work at the university. Throughout this episode we share and learn from our thoughts and experiences in regard to diversity and inclusion.

Some links:
Information about the EQUiiP programme can be found on its website: http://equiip.eu/
The University of Groningen has its own information page for staff and students here: https://myuniversity.rug.nl/infonet/medewerkers/faciliteiten-voorzieningen/onderwijsondersteuning/equipping

Since we talked about how small things can make a big difference. 
here is a link with quick wins for teachers who want to improve digital accessibility in their courses - https://ecio.nl/digitale-toegankelijkheid-quick-wins-voor-docenten/ (NL only). 
and if teachers want to join a community of practice on Inclusion and Diversity in teaching and learning, they can email the Teaching Academy Groningen at: tag@rug.nl



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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis, Amy O’Connell, Malcolm Davis, and Evan Meighan, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep6 - Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education

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 become the source of much unrest. And certainly in some academic circles. 

But what is Chat GPT exactly? Is it new technology? And are fears about it rendering the need for human creativity unnecessary well-founded? Joining us this episode to break down this interesting development in the world of academia and beyond are Malvina Nissim and Patrick Darwinkel. 

Malvina is a university professor of Computational Linguistics and Society. She is known for her wide range of knowledge on computational linguistics and her informative speeches as well as participation in formative conversations on Chat GPT. 

Patrick is an extremely passionate recent graduate of the Information Science bachelor programme and works on software in the security domain. His bachelor thesis was closely linked to the base technology used in Chat GPT and similar models. Tune in for a very informative and needed discussion on this very controversial AI-tool! 


Below are some useful links >>>

A recording of an informative presentation on Chat GPT by GroNLP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgpmbXHMEsI (and the corresponding slides: https://gronlp.github.io/chatgptslides.pdf. )

The twitter handle of GroNLP:  https://twitter.com/gronlp?lang=en

A page on AI-tools written by Edu Support: https://edusupport.rug.nl/2365784080


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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis, Amy O’Connell, Malcolm Davis, and Evan Meighan, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep7 - Is ChatGPT Going to Change Education?

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 deserve to be celebrated. For this episode, we invited two nominees of the Behavioural and Social Sciences faculty to join us on this first of two episodes in which we discuss the singular profession that is teaching. We welcome longtime educators Danny Kostons, a professor from the Department of Educational Science, and Deniz Haydar, a teacher educator from the Department of Teacher Education. Join us as we discuss their respective backgrounds in teaching, the challenges the profession can bring within the context of higher education, their nominated work, and much more!

For more information on the award, follow the link below to the 2023 Education Festival page:  

https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/organization/service-departments/teaching-academy-groningen/education-festival/best-practice-award?lang=en



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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis, Malcolm Davis, and Evan Meighan, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep8a - Teaching and Learning Awards 2023

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 deserve to be celebrated. For this episode, we invited two nominees of the Behavioural and Social Sciences faculty to join us on this second of two episodes in which we discuss the singular profession that is teaching. We welcome two experienced educators in Maarten Derksen, a professor from the Psychology department of the faculty and Marieke Haan, a professor from the Sociology department. Join us as we discuss their respective backgrounds in teaching, the challenges the profession can bring within the context of higher education, their nominated work, and much more!

For more information on the award, follow the link below to the 2023 Education Festival page:  

https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/organization/service-departments/teaching-academy-groningen/education-festival/best-practice-award?lang=en



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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis, Malcolm Davis, and Evan Meighan, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep8b - Teaching and Learning Awards 2023

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 benefit from incorporating it and also what those considering using it in their own courses may want to take note of before doing so. Our guests for this episode include two charming individuals: namely the returning and wonderful Laurent Krook and the lovely newcomer Vass Verkhodanova, professors at the Behavioural and Social Sciences (Psychology) and Campus Frysân (Language & Linguistics) faculties respectively. We hope you enjoy this informative and inspiring episode on student assessment! 


The book linked below is a useful resource for more information on Specifications Grading. For a summary description of the book's contents, follow this link: 

https://styluspub.presswarehouse.com/browse/book/9781620362426/Specifications-Grading



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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2 Ep9 - Specifications Grading

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 experiences to the table. Stacey is a senior lecturer at the RUG engaged in coordinating skills gained by students and instructor training. Evan is a passionate student instructor who began his journey in mentoring this year, he is also writing his thesis in the field of student instructors and their impact on student outcomes. Join us as share their perspectives on various aspects, including the training process, the student instructor's journey, and noteworthy findings in the field.

Through engaging discussions, we navigate the intricate dynamics of student instructors in higher education, exploring the positive impact they can have on both students and instructors alike. Whether you're an educator seeking to incorporate student instructors into your teaching methods or a student curious about the possibilities of becoming a student instructor, this episode offers valuable insights and guidance. Join us for an informative and inspiring conversation that sheds light on the transformative role of student instructors in higher education.

Interesting Resources:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/asnq326o6gpm0fu/AADo5hjRPxDTK4FKg9eSvBAYa?dl=0
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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis, Malcolm Davis, and Evan Meighan, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2E10 - Student Instructors

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 memory lane to his own PhD journey. We are delighted to welcome Marie Stadel and Nina Schwarzbach, two PhD students who co-create a blog that delves into various aspects of the PhD process and reflects on academia as a whole. In this episode, our team and guests engage in an enlightening and wide-ranging discussion. They explore the definition of well-being, highlight the resources available to support PhD students, and emphasize the significance of fostering a robust supervisor-student relationship. This is only the start of a continuing conversation in academia and we want to hear from you! What do you think about PhD well-being? Connect with us on our socials and send us a DM with your thoughts!

Marie & Nina’s Blog: https://www.growingwithacademia.com/
Malcolm’s Reading Recomendation: Managing your mental health during your PhD by Zoë J. Ayres 
https://rug.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1346156324
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-14194-2

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis, Amy O’Connell, Malcolm Davis, and Evan Meighan, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S2E11 - PhD Student Well-being

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 this episode, we talk about education as a transformative act of liberation and shed light on Freire's ideas on education and their relevance in the context of today's higher education.

Relevant links:
Marco's professional page: https://www.rug.nl/staff/m.a.de.carvalho.filho/cv
This page was mentioned in our conversation: https://www.participatorymethods.org/ 


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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S3E01 Critical Pedagogy and the Work of Paulo Freire

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 open educational resources.

Our discussion will explore different aspects of the open educational environment and open pedagogies, going through some of the main critiques and exploring cocreation of knowledge as a means to improve diversity, accessibility and promote active learning.

In our discussion we briefly tuch upon copyright laws and the policies at our university concerning the copyright of educational material. If you need clarifications and want to know more about this, you can refer to the following resources:
  - https://www.rug.nl/library/publish/copyright/researchers
  - https://www.rug.nl/library/publish/copyright/faq

Relevant links for this episode are:
  - OER support point page: http://rug.nl/library/oer
  - OER Libguide: https://libguides.rug.nl/OER
  - and specifically the resource lists: https://libguides.rug.nl/OER/OERResourceLists
  - FORRT website: https://forrt.org/

The registration for the Open Pedagogy Workshop is at https://libcal.rug.nl/calendar/workshops/op28Nov

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S3E02 - Open Educational Resources

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 The Truth, organised by the Research School of Behavioural and Cognitive Neurosciences (BCN) at the University of Groningen, on December 7th and 8th, 2023, whose aim is to shed more light on questions of truth and science communication.

Relevant links for this episode are:
  - The Nothing But The Truth conference page: https://www.nothingbutthetruth.nl
  - The BCN page: https://www.rug.nl/research/behavioural-cognitive-neurosciences/?lang=en


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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S03E03 - Education and Public Trust in Science

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 texts pose on the reader, whether the reader or the author is in the driving seat in the first place, how different reading aims lead to different reading approaches, and whether academic reading can be a joyous activity in the first place.

With us this time are two new guests:
Henrieke Krijgsheld, student of Philosophy and Mathematics. She brings a unique perspective to academic reading journeys, having switched between fields with such different types of writing and reading styles.
and Frans Sijtsma, director of the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development, who teaches a course on Scientific Reading, Debating, and Reflecting. You can read more about his work here: https://www.rug.nl/staff/f.j.sijtsma/ and about the course here: https://ocasys.rug.nl/current/catalog/course/GERMSRDR2

Some of the texts we mentioned during the episode are:
- How to Read a Book, by Mortimer Adler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Read_a_Book
- The Hocus Pocus graphic novel by Richard Wiseman, Jordan Collver and Rik Worth: https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic-books/hocus-pocus-book/
- Some mathematicians are birds, others are frogs: https://www.ams.org/notices/200902/rtx090200212p.pdf
- Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth, a graphic novel about the foundational quest in mathematics, by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos, and Annie Di Donna: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logicomix


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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S03E04 - Learning to Read (and reading for learning)

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 short in meeting their expectations, what is already going well and what can we done to improve it.

Share your thoughts on the purpose of higher education: https://forms.gle/oXh62fhTSV5s8cTJ8

Don't forget to tune in and listen to our friends:
- FSE Radio https://open.spotify.com/show/1wi0YWwEQiZHyNDEYG2KHz
- Teaching talks https://open.spotify.com/show/3RIS9KNhBy4k3eRktQyh9Z

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S3E05 Groningen Podcasters United - What's the purpose of Higher Education?

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 Görbe, which will engage with us in a reflection around ungrading: starting from its meaning, we will explore pros and cons of some of the ideas involved in the practice.

As you will hear the reflection goes deep and forced us multiple times to take a step back and reflect on our aims as lecturers and our relationship with our students and our institutions.

Links from the episode:
- Berfu Ünal personal page: https://www.rug.nl/staff/a.b.unal/
- Tamás Görbe personal page: https://www.tamasgorbe.com/
- Grading fro Growth (the website, contains plenty of experiences and comments on the research and practice around Ungrading): https://gradingforgrowth.com/
- Grading for Growth (the book): https://www.routledge.com/Grading-for-Growth-A-Guide-to-Alternative-Grading-Practices-that-Promote/Clark-Talbert/p/book/9781642673814

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.

S3E06 - Ungrading

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: writing as an act of reflection and learning, the important relation with self-acceptance and in looking for feedback, and the way our approach writing is evolving. The recent evolutions of large language models are already forcing us to revisit the way we write, not necessarily in a negative way, but they need to be used mindfully. 

Links from the episode:
- Catriona Ryan's Scriptorcube: https://www.scriptorcube.com/
- Ole Gmelin's personal page: https://www.rug.nl/staff/j.h.gmelin/
- Michael Billig's "Learn to write badly": https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/learn-to-write-badly/

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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl/
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com.


S3E07 - Developing a good relationship to writing

The Degrees of Freedom podcast aims to empower learners and teachers in Higher Education in their goals. We host conversations between teachers and students on pedagogical, practical, cultural, and inspirational topics with the goals of strengthening the community and its members.
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The podcast is produced at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Science of the University of Groningen, in The Netherlands, by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri.

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