2009 Van der Schroeff Award for Tiago Fernandes da Mata

The 2009 Van der Schroeff Award for the best lecturer at the FEB was presented to Tiago Fernandes da Mata during the Faculty's new year's reception on 5 January.  In addition to the coveted trophy, the winner also received a cash prize of one thousand euro.
This year's jury was made up of Peter Boswijk, Randolph Sloof and Otto Kruse (FEB student council chairman). There were 17 nominations for the award, often accompanied by extensive reasons for why the candidate was nominated. Based on this and supplemental information, the jury selected three finalists. In its report, the jury had the following to say about the finalists: 

Third place: Indra Wahab

Indra personifies dedication. Even though he has officially retired, he still gives Microeconomics tutorials to large groups of first-year students. He is an extremely motivated lecturer who can explain the most complicated concepts clearly. Students value his patience and willingness to answer all their questions and these are qualities he has demonstrated throughout his career. As one of his colleagues put it: ‘Indra is living proof that teaching keeps you young - he is an example to all of us'.

Second place: Jonathan Pinkse

Jonathan has taught a number of different courses varying from lectures to large groups to small-scale masters courses. He is excellent at motivating students and making them enthusiastic about the subject matter. He was successful in doing this in his first-year Organisation & Environment course where he succeeded in giving an interactive lesson to 700 students. His approach is highly appreciated by students and this is reflected in their evaluations of his lectures. He is often described as an energetic and passionate lecturer who is constantly updating and improving his courses.

First place: Tiago Fernandes da Mata

Tiago teaches various courses in Economic History & Methodology. The evaluation grades given by students for his courses are exceptionally high: a minimum of 9. The same is true for the second-year courses he teaches. Students appreciate the different techniques he uses to get students to participate in his lectures - for example, he asked his students to defend the theories of Keynes and Hayek in front of a jury - with the resulting debate continuing long after the lecture was finished. His excellence as a lecturer also demonstrates that the BKO certificate (teaching and learning in higher education) has proved a valuable resource. It not only improves the skills of the participants, more experienced lecturers who act as mentors also benefit from the programme. As Tiago's mentor stated ‘his lecturing style is contagious. I can learn a lot from him'.
The jury concluded that Tiago Fernandes da Mata is a deserving winner of the 2009 Van der Schroeff Award for the best lecturer.