“I explore the impact of AI on meaningful creativity”
What is your connecting role within SintLucas?
As an advisor, I move between education and ICT. I continuously follow the developments within technology and digitalisation and research what these mean for SintLucas. I do this by regularly organising sessions with students and colleagues. During these sessions, I discover what they find important. Then I make the translation: which new systems and tools connect to this? I regularly share ideas and developments via the online employee portal for discussion. Can this idea make education better or more fun? We test out good ideas. An example is the ChatGPT application, which runs on artificial intelligence. You enter an assignment or ask a question and ChatGPT does the work for you. It thinks with the student, but also for them. Easy, then, but it also raises questions. Do students still learn enough if an application already fills in so much for them? And what does its use mean for the assignments we give students now? We will then discuss and test that together. Such a shared culture is very important to really determine whether and how an application is of value to our education.
What makes working at SintLucas unique to you?
Especially the culture of creative makers and the space I get to start new initiatives. And the freedom I get to do what I like and what I think is important for the organisation and the student. I always make that combination. This means that I sometimes take on work or projects outside my field of expertise. For instance, I organised the annual ‘Inspiration Day’ together with my colleagues. On that day, we literally offer an inspiring programme to all employees. The aim is to increase connection and excite colleagues in a different way. After a joint kick-off and a keynote speaker, colleagues follow workshops they have chosen themselves. A lecture related to work, for example, or a bicycle ride. At the end, we share our experiences over drinks. I get great pleasure from organising these, together with colleagues. On the one hand, because colleagues give me feedback on how much fun they had. But on the other hand, I myself find it very interesting to discover new things. This really makes this a highlight of the academic year for me. I also enjoy the spontaneous meetings between colleagues and the new cooperation opportunities that arise from this. I think within SintLucas you get much more space to organise these kinds of initiatives than in other organisations. That’s super nice, because freedom is necessary to be creative.
What do you enjoy most about your work?
It is so cliché, but no day is the same. I work on different projects, sometimes I catch classes from colleagues and I support teachers in training for the Pedagogical Didactic Certificate. I guide them in the research they have to carry out in practice for their training. In addition, there are many ad hoc jobs. I am regularly asked by other teachers to help think about a technical solution for work with students. I then investigate what might be possible within our systems. But what I enjoy most is working with students. In the form of teaching or involving them in a particular project. We just have very nice students, who are in a special stage of life. I consider it a privilege to be able to witness their development at close quarters.
More stories?
Janneke - corporate contact
"I am the link between the creatives inside and outside SintLucas." Janneke is constantly looking at what can be done. You can read about the wonderful things that result in her story.
Koen - instructor vmbo
"My printed shirts make a lot of fun." Koen tells you why having fun in class is at the centre of his Golden Circle.