By Sofie Astrup, AAU Communication and Public Affairs and Marianne Fuglsang Welling Farsinsen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: AAU

“It’s not the curriculum that needs to be taught; it’s us.” This is how the students who nominated Niels van Berkel describe the way Professor Niels van Berkel from the Department of Computer Science approaches his teaching. According to the students, he makes complex subjects engaging and involves them in the learning process, turning them into active collaborators of their own education. Additionally, he discusses his teaching methods with other teachers in the faculty and shares his experience with younger colleagues. All these are initiatives that greatly benefit the students.

Niels van Berkel teaches in the programmes Interaction Design and Software and brings learning to life through his high level of engagement. According to his students, he is always available for a chat and regularly checks in on their well-being, both academically and personally—whether they meet him at the university or in the supermarket.

“If there is an opportunity to act on the students' requests, he does so immediately. One example was when students mentioned that the tables in the design studios were too low for comfortable working. Niels took the initiative to 3D-print extensions for the table legs, making them higher and more functional.”

- Excerpt from the students' nomination statement.

Successful learning is something we create together

Niels van Berkel is proud that students appreciate his approach to learning, as he believes that successful learning is created in collaboration between students and teachers. He is also honoured that the students took the time to nominate him for Teacher of the Year.

“I organise my teaching with a focus on student engagement. I also strive to align my teaching methods with their interests and knowledge to make the lessons relevant to real-world problems. I hope this approach activates the students and sustains their interest in the course material,” says Niels van Berkel.

The students agree and describe how his way of involving them in academic content makes the learning process highly motivating. In courses with a more flexible curriculum, he encourages students to suggest topics they would like to learn about. The students describe how he challenges them to think critically about technology's role in society and to develop solutions that put people first. This ensures they do not just learn about the theory behind subjects like AI but also develop an understanding of how to apply this knowledge in practice.

Through his inclusive approach, Niels van Berkel fosters collaboration and knowledge sharing across different degree programmes. Together with his students, he explores new ways to create more intuitive, ethical, and human-centred solutions within artificial intelligence. His recently developed course in ‘Human-Centred AI’ has now been integrated into the curriculum for the Master’s programme in Digitalisation and Application Development.

“I am motivated to create an engaging teaching environment where students feel comfortable exploring and discussing new ideas and concepts. It gives me a sense of achievement when I see students grow academically and master topics they previously found challenging,” concludes Niels van Berkel.

Niels van Berkel is now a candidate for the title of Teacher of the Year at AAU, which will be announced at AAU's annual celebration on 4 April 2025.