The Degrees of Freedom podcast aims to empower learners and teachers in Higher Education in their goals. We host conversations between teachers and students on pedagogical, practical, cultural, and inspirational topics with the goals of strengthening the community and its members.
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The podcast is produced at the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Science of the University of Groningen, in The Netherlands, by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri.
In this episode, we explore a provocative question raised in Tassos’s Research Methods course: Can scientists truly live up to the ideals of "disinterestedness" and "communalism" in an academic world dominated by competition and the "credit cycle"?
We are joined by Stefanos Zelkas Sapountzis, whose inquiry instigated this discussion, Ivar Hjortfors Lozanovic, master student of Philosophy and Psychology, and we welcome back Maarten Derksen, historian and philosopher from the Psychology department. Together, we deconstruct Merton’s Norms, describing the traditional ethical pillars of science, and contrast them with the pragmatic pressures of publishing, funding, and reputation. We then relate this with embodied training, asking how higher education can move beyond purely intellectual instruction to account for the emotional, physical, and human dimensions of being a scientist.
Links for the episode:
Maarten Derksen’s professional page (https://tact.technology/)
Robert K. Merton’s "The Normative Structure of Science" (1942) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mertonian_norms)
The DORA Initiative (https://sfdora.org/) and the Recognition & Rewards movement (https://recognitionrewards.nl/) in the Netherlands
Degrees of Freedom s3e8b, (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/degrees-of-freedom/episodes/S2-Ep8b---Teaching-and-Learning-Awards-2023-e2oidag) where Maarten Derksen previously joined as guest
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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl (https://www.annecaesar.nl)
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com (https://silvermansound.com).
19 Mar 2026
S4E04 - Tales from EuroSoTL Conference 2025 - Building Bridges in Higher Education with Irma Meijerman
We are joined by the Chair of the EuroSoTL Network, Irma Meijerman, to discuss the evolution, challenges, and rewards from engaging with the EuroSoTL community.
As the academic landscape shifts from expertise-led instruction to evidence-based pedagogical practice, how can individual educators navigate this change without becoming overwhelmed? Irma shares the story of how a grassroots need for connection transformed into a formal European network and offers advice for academics looking to turn their teaching curiosities into researchable projects.
Links for the episode
Irma Meijerman's website (https://www.uu.nl/medewerkers/IMeijerman)
EuroSOTL 2025 (https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/organization/service-departments/teaching-academy-groningen/activities/eurosotl-2025/)
The Utrecht roadmap to SoTL research (https://www.uu.nl/en/education/centre-for-academic-teaching-and-learning/educational-scholarship/scholarship-of-teaching-and-learning/utrecht-roadmap-for-scholarship-of-teaching-and-learning)
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Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
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Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl (https://www.annecaesar.nl)
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com (https://silvermansound.com).
18 Mar 2026
S4E03 - Tales from EuroSoTL Conference 2025 - An interview with Helga Dorner
Join our conversation with Helga Dorner, Associate Professor at Eötvös Loránd University, as we explore the transformative world of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). Recorded on-site at the EuroSoTL 2025 conference in Groningen, this episode explores what it means to treat the classroom as a site for inquiry, problem-solving, and professional growth. And what challenges and opportunities we face in this fast changing world.
Links for the episode
Helga Dorner's website (https://helgadorner.com/)
EuroSOTL 2025 (https://www.rug.nl/about-ug/organization/service-departments/teaching-academy-groningen/activities/eurosotl-2025/)
- - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - -
Produced by Tassos Sarampalis and Marcello Seri, at the University of Groningen
- - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - + - - -
Illustrations by Anne Caesar van Wieren www.annecaesar.nl (https://www.annecaesar.nl)
What's the Angle and Zen Garden are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Shane Ivers of silvermansound.com (https://silvermansound.com).
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