Romanian national Alexandru Iosup (EEMCS) received the overall prize of ‘Best Lecturer at TU Delft’ during the Best of TU Delft Awards held at the Aula Congress Centre on November 13, 2014.
Known for his unconventional use of gamification in his courses Iosup was one of six international awardees during this year’s event.
Each year, TU Delft honours the most outstanding lecturers and graduates from each of the eight faculties as well as the university as a whole. In order to determine the awardees, the faculties are tasked with selecting their Best Graduates, while their respective student associations nominate the Best Lecturers. Electric Engineering Master student Jörn Zimmerling was awarded overall Best Graduate.
“Naturally, education is part of our core function as a university,” said TU Delft Rector Maginifcus Karel Luyben in his opening speech. “What all good teaching has in common is that it brings out the best in students.” In turn, these students are willing to go the extra mile for an exceptional teacher. “Our best graduates of today are those students that made the most of their time here in the university,” Lubyen claims. “[Of course], they are also inspired by their lecturers.”
In order to bring out the best in his students, Alexandru Iosup employs game tactics in his teaching. The Parallel and Distributed Systems Assistant Professor allows his students to choose their own path for each course, including the level of challenges suitable to them. During the lectures, Iosup implements a special point system, which rewards students for a number of activities, including asking the right questions. Rewards range from homemade brownies to the privilege of determining exam questions or being invited to bonus lectures on special topics. Indeed, Iosup’s unique approach to teaching has garnered him well-deserved recognition as TU Delft’s Best Lecturer.
“I’m happy that I got this award,” Iosup said. “I’m interested in these new types of techniques for teaching and I guess this is what really got it. I’m happy that this kind of novelty is recognized because it’s risky and not every university would be willing to do it, to try new things.” According to Iosup, the award signifies the end of a five-year cycle where he sought to creatively improve his teaching approach. The lecturer aims to further explore gamefication as a learning tool and the positive effects it has on students.
Comments are closed.