Let us start with a fictional student exprience that captures the heart of this research programme, in which we study higher education.
On her first day at university, Sara sits in a crowded lecture hall, unsure whether she belongs. The pace is fast, the expectations unclear, and everything feels both exciting and disorienting. As the weeks unfold, she realises that learning here is not just about mastering content — it is about finding her voice, navigating feedback, forming a new identity, and discovering how she fits into a larger academic and social world.
How do learning, motivation, identity formation and educational practices interact in higher education, and how can higher education contribute to the development of engaged, critical and inclusive learners and professionals? This research programme focuses on understanding learning and development in higher education across diverse disciplinary, institutional and professional contexts.
Our work examines how students and professionals learn, develop and participate in higher education, and how teachers, peers, educational environments, curricula, pedagogical approaches and institutional structures shape these processes. We study learning as situated and relational, embedded in social, cultural and organizational contexts, and connected to broader societal questions about equity, professionalism and the role of higher education.
The programme brings together interdisciplinary research on:
learning, motivation and engagement in higher education;
professional identity development and transitions between education and practice;
educational practices, curricula and assessment in academic and professional programmes;
equity, diversity and inclusion, participation and belonging in higher education;
the values, norms and purposes underpinning higher education and academic work.
Methodologically, the programme combines qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods approaches, including design-based and practice-oriented research, and works in close dialogue with educators, students, institutions and policymakers. By linking empirical research with conceptual and normative perspectives, the programme aims to contribute to evidence-informed, reflective and inclusive higher education, and to support lifelong learning and development.
Program Chairs: Dr. Mariëtte Huizinga & Dr. Anne de la Croix