Margot Koster appointed professor of Higher Education Research in Biology

Utrecht University has appointed Margot Koster as Professor of Higher Education Research in Biology. With this new chair, research into university-level biology education gains a strong and permanent position within the Faculty of Science. “Biologists study just about everything,” says Koster, “so it’s time we also take a serious, scientific look at our own teaching.”

How do you ensure that a student truly understands what is happening during a lab practical? And how can students continue to develop critical thinking skills at a time when AI seems capable of taking over that task? These are the kinds of questions biologist Margot Koster explores as she takes a critical look at university-level biology education.

Koster was originally trained as a microbiologist and has been closely involved in education within the Department of Biology for many years. She previously served as Chair of the Board of Examiners and as Programme Director of the Bachelor’s in Biology. Currently, she is Head of the Biology Teaching Institute and the department’s Board Member for Education. In 2018, she was elected Lecturer of the Year at Utrecht University.

In her new role, Koster will focus on how biology students learn at university. “Research into biology education mainly takes place in secondary schools,” she explains. “In the Netherlands, systematic research into teaching within university biology programmes is still rare. And that’s remarkable, especially now that so much is changing.”

Major developments

Those changes are wide-ranging. They include the rise of new technologies such as AI, growing attention to sustainability, tighter budgets, and a renewed educational model at the university that places greater emphasis on personal development and social engagement. All of this calls for thoughtful adaptation of teaching practices.

Optimal learning from lab and field work

One of the key themes of Koster’s chair is the effective use of practicals and fieldwork. Hands-on learning is essential in biology, but it is also intensive and costly. Koster and her team will examine which forms of practical education truly help students develop knowledge, skills and motivation.

Which forms of practical education truly help students develop knowledge, skills and motivation?

Another focus area is academic writing and critical thinking, particularly at a time when generative AI tools are becoming increasingly accessible. Writing is not only a way to demonstrate knowledge, Koster emphasises, but also a powerful way to deepen understanding. Her research will explore what students actually learn from different writing assignments, and how the learning function of writing can be safeguarded in a rapidly changing digital world.

From research to lectures

A central challenge will be ensuring that new insights about teaching are put into practice. “Teaching is sometimes seen as something you simply do on the side,” Koster says. “Universities often hire people for their scientific expertise and assume they will automatically be good teachers. But good teaching doesn’t just happen.”

Her dual background as a microbiologist and education leader puts Koster in a strong position to bridge the gap. She understands the language of researchers, while also being able to engage with educational research. This allows her to translate insights into concrete improvements in the classroom.

Education deserves the same reflection and scientific underpinning as any other academic domain

The new chair is also intended to strengthen a culture in which the quality of teaching is taken seriously and supported by research. Education, Koster believes, deserves the same reflection and scientific underpinning as any other academic domain.

What does it mean for students?

For students, the impact will be gradual but meaningful. Decisions about courses and teaching methods will increasingly be based on educational research. The questions guiding this work are practical and recognisable: How can students get the most out of lab classes? What helps them develop critical thinking through writing?

This research will lead to better-informed choices in how education is designed. And that directly benefits students

This may not immediately translate into higher grades, Koster notes, but it will lead to better-informed choices in how education is designed. And that directly benefits students.

A starting point for future education researchers

After many years of dedication to teaching and educational innovation, Koster sees her professorship as both a personal milestone and a sign that the university takes education seriously. The Department of Biology is a natural home for this chair: it offers the largest Bachelor’s programme in Biology in the Netherlands and educates more than one-third of all university biology students in the country.

Koster hopes the chair will also pave the way for a new generation of scholars who combine expertise in biology and educational research. “I see this professorship as a starting point for others who want to continue building this field in the years to come.”