After having worked at several institutions in the Netherlands and Sweden, where different education systems were used, I realise that the problem-based learning system helped me learn how to think, in addition to learning the content of the program.
Brittany Evans
Alumna Brain & Cognition - Assistant professor at the Institute for Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University (Sweden)
After the Bachelor level courses in Psychology, I completed the Master courses for the Clinical Psychology programme. During the Clinical Psychology courses I realized that, rather than going into clinical work, I wanted to continue studying human behaviour. So I enrolled in the Brain and Cognition programme to prepare myself for a career as a researcher. After that I did PhD and postdoctoral research before continuing as an assistant professor, during which I also work as an academic developer. The Brain and Cognition programme gave me a solid base on which I was able to build a research career. The courses and the practicals were interesting, up to date in terms of research in the different fields, and relevant. They helped me to develop the skills I need as a researcher.
At the end of the programme, I still wanted to learn more, and I had the skills I needed to figure out how to study this further in my own research. The teachers in the programme were closely involved in helping us to develop these skills, and worked with us in our development. Also, the problem-based learning environment made developing skills like critical thinking, independence, and team-working possible. After having worked at several institutions in the Netherlands and Sweden, where different education systems were used, I realise that the problem-based learning system helped me learn how to think, in addition to learning the content of the programme. Having studied in a problem-based learning system has also helped me in my work as an academic developer and as a teacher in a very direct way. In short, the Brain & Cognition programme fueled my fascination with the biology of human behaviour, and helped me build a foundation of skills that I use as a researcher and a teacher.