'Dr. Love' Tila Pronk nominated as Teacher of the Year 2022
Passionate, enthusiastic, committed and cheerful. Those are the words you hear when you ask people to describe Tila Pronk. With her inspiring lectures on love, relationships and online dating and her heart for student welfare, Tila is rightfully our nomination for the Teacher of the Year 2022 election.
On April 19, the Intercity Student Consultation (ISO) will select the national Teacher of the Year 2022 from many entries from higher education institutions throughout the Netherlands. With great pride we have nominated our own Teacher of the Year Tila Pronk. As far as we are concerned she is the real winner, regardless of the choice of the ISO. Watch the video and find out why:
Both in content and form of her teaching, Tila Pronk puts the student's perception of the world at the center. By using many examples from current affairs. But also, for example, by cutting up her online lectures into short knowledge clips. "My mission as a teacher is to make students enthusiastic about the subject matter. I want to give them a different view of the world around them and their own role in it. I do this by actively involving students, and using students' perceptions as a starting point. For example, online dating. But also events like the storming of the Capitol. And the mental implications of the corona measures."
Role model
What makes Tila such a great teacher? Students praise her enthusiasm, passion and energy. "Even with online lectures, the energy was splashing off the screen," thinks sociology student Simone Willekens. "With Tila's lectures, I didn't feel like I had to sacrifice anything compared to physical lectures," says freshman Kyle Zonneveld. Esmée Vesseur wrote both her bachelor's and master's thesis with Tila Pronk: "She knows how to seamlessly connect to the perception of the student. For example, with her research into online dating. How cool are you if you offer a thesis on Tinder as a teacher?"
"Tila Pronk is a fantastic teacher. Students love her," says Vice Rector Magnificus Jantine Schuit. "She gives great lectures and has a sense of involvement and responsibility for the well-being of students. That is incredibly important, especially in these times. As Executive Board we can only endorse all the praise from students and colleagues. It is therefore with great pride that we nominate Tila Pronk as our Teacher of the Year."
Tila: "All the nice words around this nomination are humbling. In my teaching I always try to put the perception and interests of students first, so that education becomes both a learning and an inspiring experience for them. This way the knowledge gained will better sink in and stick. This nomination shows me that I am on the right track and I am extremely grateful for that."
More about the Teacher of the Year 2022 election (in Dutch) via Docent van het Jaar – ISO
Students about Tila Pronk
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Esmée Vesseur
Alumna"Tila is enthusiastic and inspiring. She has helped my self-confidence grow. A true role model"
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Kyle Zonneveld
Student"Tila's positive energy was refreshing after all those months behind my screen."
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Simone Willekens
Student"Tila has opened my eyes to psychology; what she told me has always stayed with me"