Science Skills team helps students develop essential skills for the job market: ‘This is what energises us’
As a student, you’re expected to write papers and collaborate. But how do you do that if you’ve never been taught? Thanks to the Grassfields grant, the Science Skills team can scale up its Skill’Ed project and finally provide students with structured support in essential skills.
As soon as you walk into the room, the enthusiasm is palpable. Together with Lisann Brincker and Iris Hoogesteger, Marjo de Graauw has been working for years on what started as a small initiative and has since grown into a major project in educational innovation. With the recently awarded Grassfields grant, they can now further expand the Science Skills Platform under the name Skill’Ed: the platform where students can purposefully develop the skills they need as both scientists and professionals. For De Graauw, this was the only logical next step. ‘We can finally do what we were already envisioning ten years ago.’
From problem to platform
In 2015, De Graauw noticed that students received little to no guidance on assignments. ‘They were expected to write reports and give presentations, but no one explained how to do that,’ she says. ‘Even though these are crucial skills.’ In her view, things had to change: ‘If we’re sending our students into the job market, they need to be properly prepared.’
Together with student assistants, she developed an initial, small-scale version of the Science Skills Platform. What began as a modest initiative quickly grew into a community in which lecturers from different programmes contributed ideas about the skills students need. ‘The group kept growing, and so did the list of skills.’
Over the years, the team expanded further, including the addition of educational specialists Brincker and Hoogesteger. ‘We’re constantly looking for common ground,’ Brincker explains. ‘That way, we can efficiently develop materials together that are usable for everyone.’ Other faculties are now also joining. ‘Each faculty brings its own expertise,’ says Hoogesteger. ‘That fits perfectly with our platform. It’s a shame if everything remains fragmented. Now we’re bringing it all together in one place: Skill’Ed will become the starting point for working on your development, both professionally and personally.’
Visible impact on students
The platform clearly meets a need, as shown by its usage. Within courses where modules are offered, 75 to 90 per cent of students make use of them. The effect is visible: students become more skilled and achieve better grades. In some cases, the average final grade increases by as much as 1.5 points.
Benefits for lecturers too
It’s not just students who benefit. Lecturers also notice a difference in their teaching practice. ‘You increasingly see that people realise there’s a lack of knowledge about collaboration,’ says Brincker. Students who use the modules are more likely to speak up and can better articulate the challenges they face. ‘Students signal issues earlier, which allows you to address problems at an earlier stage.’
An important principle remains that using Skill’Ed should not increase lecturers’ workload. ‘Nothing is compulsory; it has to be workable above all,’ says De Graauw. The team actively supports lecturers in integrating modules into their courses. So far, lecturers experience this as an improvement.
'In some cases, the average final grade increases by as much as 1.5 points.'
Next step: university-wide rollout
With the Grassfields grant, the interfaculty team can take further steps over the next three years. September 2026 is the first milestone. ‘We want to make part of the platform available in every faculty,’ Brincker explains. ‘We want to test how it is received by students and lecturers.’
In addition, work is underway on a recognisable environment within Brightspace, an expertise hub, and a lecturer toolkit. This toolkit will become a practical database with, among other things, examples of lecture slides and concise descriptions of modules. ‘A package that lecturers can start using straight away,’ says Brincker.
Passion for educational innovation
For De Graauw, educational innovation goes beyond her job – it’s her driving force. ‘This project and the team started small and have grown so much. It gives me a huge amount of energy. It keeps me going so I can continue working on other projects,’ she says. At the same time, she observes that educational innovation does not always receive the recognition it deserves. ‘Passion alone is not enough. There needs to be recognition and support. It would be great if we all took a closer look at our education.’
Future vision: growth and pride
Looking ahead, the team hopes that Skill’Ed will continue to develop into a tangible learning environment that keeps evolving. ‘This is the place where we give students the space to grow personally. We want students to leave here with confidence and say: I studied in Leiden. That is Skill’Ed for us.’