About us

Meet the founders and learn more about our mission. Get inspired, start implementing the tools in your education and spread the word!

Our goals and vision

We live in a complex world amid societal transitions, such as climate change, population growth, healthcare accessibility and digitalisation. Shaping these transitions to support a sustainable future requires vision, leadership and skills to initiate and direct change processes. This calls for education where students learn the skills and attitudes to shape transitions. For example, being able to collaborate and reflect, connect perspectives and build bridges between people and ideas, have the guts to experiment, dare to go against the flow and be resilient.

Empowering students in co-creation

The Transition Makers Toolbox is a collaborative initiative of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies (IIS) at the University of Amsterdam and the alliance of Technical University Eindhoven, Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University and University Medical Centre Utrecht (EWUU), supported by the Teaching & Learning Centre of the University of Amsterdam and Liberal Arts and Sciences and University College Utrecht at Utrecht University. Together with teachers from 9 higher education institutions across the Netherlands, we have developed these tools to empower your students to contribute to tackling complex societal challenges.

Meet the founders

Ilja Boor

Senior curriculum developer
University of Amsterdam

“I am driven to co-educate students who possess the ability to solve complex problems and shape societal transitions. This is not something that comes naturally, but it can be learned by practicing with the right teaching materials. For this toolbox, we designed educational materials in co-creation with educators from different universities. I am convinced that many more teachers than we know are already working on this. It is so valuable to form a community where we can exchange ideas and experiences. I have already experienced how inspiring and insightful it can be to work together in such a diverse group. I’d love to get in touch with you and learn from each other.”

Sabine Uijl

Former project leader education & strategic programme manager
alliance TU/e, WUR, UU, UMC Utrecht

“Community-engaged learning, challenge-based learning and societal impact education are different terms for teaching students to become future changemakers and providing them with the competencies and skills to work on societal transitions. As an education innovator, I develop this kind of education within the Eindhoven-Wageningen-Utrecht alliance. Many teachers and educational developers are looking for relevant tools for their education. This toolbox offers those teachers a community to connect and co-create, beyond the limits of their institute, which is exactly what this kind of education envisions. I truly believe in this practice-what-you-preach approach.”