Sofie Loyens

I am a full Professor of Excellence in Education, with Educational Psychology as my focus area. In my research, I try to answer questions such as “How can we create a learning environment for students in which they can optimally learn?”, “How can we foster motivation?”, “What are good study strategies?”, and “How can we incorporate physical activity in the classroom?” I came to UCR to set up the Roosevelt Center for Excellence in Education (RCEE), a research community that deals with the question how we can get the best our of all learners. I supervise Ph.D. candidates on this topic as well as related topics. UCR’s interdisciplinarity is what I like most here, classrooms full of students with a different background and a different package of courses makes teaching so much more interesting and challenges me as an instructor.

Remy Rikers

I am a full Professor of Learning and Instruction in the department of Social Sciences. I received my master’s degree in Cognitive Science from the Radboud University (RU) and my Ph.D. in Medical Education from Maastricht University (UM). Since my Ph.D., I have published over 100 articles, books, or chapters in the area of (medical) education, problem-based learning, instructional design (in particular Cognitive Load Theory) and expertise development. I have also presented over 100 papers or invited addresses at national and international conferences. I have been a member of the VENI/VIDI committee of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), NWO Top Grants, and the Australian Research Council (ARC). I have served as a reviewer for many international journals within medicine, medical education, and educational psychology. Currently, I serve as a Senior Editor of Health Professions Education, Associate Editor of Advances in Health Sciences Education, and am an editorial board member of Contemporary Educational Psychology, and Education Sciences.