Martijn Smeenge named BUas Lecturer of the Year 2025-2026
Martijn Smeenge from the Academy for Tourism has been awarded BUas Lecturer of the Year 2025-2026. For the third consecutive year, Smeenge also won the title of Tourism Lecturer of the Year, receiving the highest number of student votes. The BUas Participation Council organized the annual Lecturer of the Year election in late 2025, announcing nine domain winners at the End of Year Party on 18 December.
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What makes Martijn stand out?
Smeenge is recognized as a pioneer in activating education and student ownership. His teaching approach centers on the ‘Hero to Host’ philosophy, shifting control from lecturer to student through continuous interaction and feedback. Rather than one-way instruction, his classes function as cyclical learning processes where students learn from each other and real-world practice.
As a work placement and graduation supervisor, Smeenge introduced innovative peer-learning methods. He was the first to encourage students to visit each other's internship locations, allowing them to learn from different business environments. His graduation learning communities enable students to actively support each other toward successful completion.
A frontrunner in curriculum innovation, Smeenge has integrated design thinking into the program, teaching students to tackle complex issues through user-centered, iterative approaches with rapid prototyping and testing.
Colleagues describe him as a catalyst and ‘quiet force’ for innovation, driven by a clear vision: students shouldn't be trained for society, but developed with society, with higher education functioning as a collaborative lab for addressing real societal challenges.
Next step: national election
BUas has nominated Smeenge for the national Lecturer of the Year election, organized by ISO. Results are expected at the end of March.
