Honours+ Workshops
In order to successfully conclude the programme, you need to have attended at least 2 workshops.
Choose min. 2 workshops to attend (although you are welcome to attend them all)
Interdisciplinary Research, where to begin?
For most Honours+ students, this project will be the first time conducting interdisciplinary research, and that is no small feat. Working with team members from different academic backgrounds can be incredibly rewarding, but also challenging. How do you move beyond disciplinary or even multidisciplinary work, and truly integrate your different perspectives into a single, coherent research question and approach?
This workshop is designed to help you and your team lay the right foundation for your project. You will learn what makes interdisciplinary research distinct, how to develop a shared language within your team, and how to negotiate a meaningful research question that combines your diverse expertise. From there, we’ll guide you through the first steps of taking your question into the research cycle.
In this workshop, you will:
✅ Understand the difference between disciplinary, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary research;
✅ Explore techniques to build a common language and shared understanding within your team;
✅ Learn strategies for negotiating and refining interdisciplinary research questions;
✅ Gain practical tips on how to structure your team’s research process effectively.
We strongly recommend that at least one member of each team attends this workshop, so your team can benefit from a clear and informed start to your Honours+ journey.
Your Workshop Host
Roosmarijn van Woerden (UvA)
Available sessions:
- Wednesday 19.11.2025, 18:00-20:30 hrs;
- Thursday 20.11.2025, 10:00-12:00 hrs.
All “Interdisciplinary Research, where to begin?” workshops will take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X. All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
How to Formulate a Good Research Question
Your H+ Challenge provides a unique opportunity to collaborate with fellow students and engage in independent, interdisciplinary research. During your studies, you have already conducted research with varying subjects and scales, but the essence of your work remained the same: trying to answer a particular question.
Before you design your H+ research, collect and analyze your data, it is imperative to be explicit and clear about what you are trying to find out. Your task therefore, requires a disciplined and thoughtful transformation of your ideas into clearly formulated research questions. Developing a good research question is one of the most challenging stages of your research process.
In this workshop we will discuss the process of research and the scientific method, and focus on the first stage in research, namely identifying a problem in the real world and forming a research question to address it. We will also reflect on how to bring together your personal skills and how to make your research questions more relevant by employing an interdisciplinary perspective.
In preparation for this workshop, please read:
Trochim, W. M. K., Donnelly, J. P. & Arora, K. (2015). Research methods: The essential knowledge base. Cengage learning. Chap. 1, pp. 3-32
! If you cannot find a copy of this work in the library, know that we will send you the required chapter also via email 2 days prior to the workshop.
“Interesting and useful in coming up with a good research question.”
Your Workshop Host
Eli Sapir
Available sessions:
- …..
- …..
All “How to Formulate a Good Research Question” workshops are scheduled to take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X. All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
Finding your Way through the Methods Maze
How do you select and develop a methodology that suits your team’s research question?
The process of comparing and considering research methods can feel like entering a maze.
In this workshop, you will acquire strategies that will help you with this process. We introduce you to some key principles of research methodology, and map out the main pros and cons of a range of research methods.
Moreover, you will actively work towards choosing a methodology that fits with your research question through a set of group exercises. In short, one of the most valuable workshops this year to lift your Team Challenge to the next level.
“The workshop was very relevant to the project I am currently working on. I appreciated that there was some time allocated to put into practice the information that was given to us, I found it very helpful”
Your Workshop Host
Tim Huijts (ROA)
In his research, Tim Huijts examines how social, national, and institutional factors influence inequalities. He focuses particularly on social inequalities in health, and on how these inequalities can be explained and diminished. In addition to his research expertise, Tim Huijts has ample experience in teaching, course development and management, and project management.
Available sessions:
- Monday 12.01.2026, 13:30-16:30 hrs
- Wednesday 04.02.2026, 09:30-12:30 hrs.
All “Finding your Way through the Methods Maze” workshops are scheduled to take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X. All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
Creative Problem Solving
Creativity is one of the most crucial skills for the 21st century, a key driver of innovation, opportunity, and change. In an increasingly complex world, the ability to think creatively and approach problems from fresh perspectives has become an essential quality for leaders and professionals alike.
This hands-on workshop offers you an engaging introduction to creative problem-solving techniques and the creative process. You will practice applying creativity to real-world challenges: a business case as well as a question, problem, or case you bring yourself. Together, we will generate a wealth of out-of-the-box ideas, and explore how to select and combine the best ones. Along the way, you will discover effective tools for both divergent and convergent thinking, and learn what makes a strong starting point for creative work.
We will close the session by reflecting on how to apply your new creativity skills to your current or future projects. Step into this workshop to unlock your creative potential and make innovation part of your toolkit!
✅ Understand the role of creativity as a key skill for innovation and problem-solving;
✅ Learn and practice techniques for divergent and convergent thinking;
✅ Gain experience generating and selecting creative, out-of-the-box ideas;
✅ Identify effective starting points for a creative process;
✅ Discover how to apply creativity skills to your own projects and assignments.
“Very good workshop. Useful and learned some interesting techniques.”
Your Workshop Host
Marcel Stolk (Mast Creativiteit)
Available sessions:
- Tuesday 10.03.2026, 13:30-16:30 hrs;
- Wednesday 11.03.2026, 09:30-12:30 hrs.
All “Creative Problem Solving” workshops will take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X. All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
Time Management
If you want to excel it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to do more, quantity wise. It foremost means that you deliver better quality. However, of course you really excel when you can do more and do it better.
The problem with our brain is that it needs to be able to focus on the task at hand and that’s hard when there’s so much going on. If you’re stressed, lack a good overview, or your life is just an all-around mess, it’s probably hard to excel at anything.
In order to overcome this, you should:
- know how your brain works to steer it away from procastination, “multitasking”, and distractions (e.g. a pesky social media habit);
- know how your brain processes information;
- streamline all the work that is coming at you (emails, homework, assignments, papers etc.);
- plan ahead for the large tasks so that you don’t have to do everything at the last moment;
- keep a good overview of everything on your plate and decide what to focus on.
In the Time-Management workshop we promise you one thing: we are going to cover all of these subjects (and more) in a non-boring fashion. You will be provided with ready-to-use insights and practical tips on how to stay on top of things with the use of the latest insights and technology (you may expect many useful suggestions for how various specific apps can adequately support time management).
“Since I have many problems with time management, and the anxiety that comes with it, I found this workshop very useful for my future career as well as overall wellbeing.”
Your Workshop Host
Patrick Stastra (TijdWinst)
I encourage organizations and their workers, entrepreneurs & students to work, collaborate, communicate and learn smarter. All done by workshops, inspiring talks & e-learning programs.
“My 3 hour workshops and 1 hour talks are full of practical exercises, ideas and tricks, always served with a hint of theory (e.g. Getting Things Done), scientific foundation and a lot of enthusiasm. All my efforts are focused on changing your behavior to work, collaborate, communicate or learn smarter from the next day on.”
Available sessions:
- Tuesday 03.03.2026, 13:30-16:30 hrs;
- Wednesday 15.04.2026, 09:30-12:30 hrs.
All “Time Management” workshops will take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X. All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
Science of Well-being
During this workshop we will dive into the Science of Well-being.
By teaching you how the brain works and providing you with recent findings on how to boost optimal functioning, this workshop will help you capitalize on positivity and improve your productivity, performance and well-being.
This workshop will be brought to you by drs. Barbara Kuiters. She is a skilled psychologist with an expertise in positive psychology and neuroscience. She runs a successful company as a psychologist, therapist and teacher to educate other (mental) health professionals on the power of positive psychology.
“I very much enjoyed it. It gave a lot of new insights and I found it very helpful.”
“This trainer is a delight to be around, her advice is helpful and she is very enthusiastic, empathetic and understanding”
Your Workshop Host
Barbara Kuiters
In addition to scientific substantiation and theory, Barbara’s offer has a great focus on actual practice. Just fully understanding the theory is not the same as experiencing the content. The translation from theory to behavior is where sustainable behavioral change takes place. That is why the effects of her education, training and coaching trajectories reach further than usual.
Available sessions:
- ….
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All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
Stress Management
We all experience stress from time to time, at work, during our studies, or when life throws us an unexpected challenge. That’s perfectly normal. But when does stress stop being helpful and start becoming harmful? How can you recognize the warning signs and take action to protect your well-being?
This workshop provides you with essential insights into what stress really is, where it comes from, and how it affects your body and mind. You will identify your personal stressors, explore ways to manage them more effectively, and learn how to build up the resources you need to stay balanced and healthy, even in demanding times.
Gain clarity, awareness, and practical tools to take charge of your stress:
✅ Understand what stress is and how it impacts your health;
✅ Recognize your own stress signals and sources;
✅ Learn how to manage stressors more effectively;
✅ Discover strategies to strengthen your personal resources;
✅ Build habits that help you stay resilient under pressure.
“It was by far the most helpful and interesting workshop! It really helps to self-reflect and understand what I need to be aware of and identify potential problems.”
Your Workshop Host
Karolin Biewald (Key2Advance)
Moreover, Karolin’s proficiency as a professional singer and musical actress has greatly influenced her work. Her education has equipped her with exceptional public speaking, presentation, and phonetic skills. By merging her analytical and creative strengths, Karolin helps individuals discover their unique voice and employ it as a potent tool for self-expression.
Furthermore, Karolin recognizes the interconnection between voice and body and works with her clients on integrating body language and movement into their communication. With her broad range of expertise and multidisciplinary approach, Karolin is an engaging trainer and consultant, enabling individuals to unlock their full potential.
Available sessions:
- Wednesday 25.02.2026, 09:30-12:30 hrs;
- Tuesday 17.03.2026, 09:30-12:30 hrs;
- Monday 13.04.2026, 18:00-21:00 hrs.
All “Stress Management” workshops will take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X. All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
The Ultimate Presentation Skills Masterclass
Presentations and pitching styles can be as versatile as the subjects that are being presented. What makes a good presentation memorable?
How can you deliver the main message of your project professionally?
From content to delivery, a strong presentation and the skills that are deployed during effective pitching can create a bigger impact with the audience, and deliver the message they need to hear. In this hands-on workshop, you will develop the draft of your final Honours+ presentation with Adina Petre, a High-Performance Coach and Clinical Psychologist who’ll help discover and develop your ultimate presenter skills.
Together with Adina who is a former TED speaker coach, you’ll learn how to structure your content and deliver it engagingly, so that you give a sound academic presentation in an entertaining fashion that will increase your chances of winning the pitch competition at the end of your Honours+ experience.
As a jury member of several pitch competitions throughout her career, Adina knows the ins and outs of what makes a compelling pitch and will be sharing them with you in this dynamic workshop.
“The workshop provided us with the right balance of theory and practice, giving us the opportunity to get out of our comfort zone and actually speak up in a safe environment. Very interesting! Would recommend!”
Your Workshop Host
Adina Petre (Insights)
I have always been deeply involved with the business community, the entrepreneurial life and the startup scene. I’ve offered workshops, trainings, and contributed to organizing events around the topic of entrepreneurship. I coached Enactus Maastricht for their first, second and third Dutch National Competitions. Meanwhile I was also working as project and community manager for LaunchBase – the first startup pre-incubation programme ever to be set up in Maastricht. I also worked for TedX Maastricht where I was part of the speaker liaison and story-telling coaches subteam. I’m always looking for interesting new projects, challenges and collaborations! But most importantly, I look for dedicated, passionate and interesting people that have a genuine desire to grow.
Available sessions:
- Tuesday 21.04.2026, 14:00-17:00 hrs.
- Wednesday 29.04.2026, 14:00-17:00 hrs (online)
The “Ultimate Presentation Skills” workshop of 21.04.2026 will take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X, the one on 29.04.2026 will take place online.
Intercultural Communication
In Honours+, you already experience what it’s like to work in a diverse, international team but have you stopped to reflect on what really happens when people with different cultural backgrounds, habits, and assumptions come together? Why does one teammate seem so direct while another avoids giving critical feedback? Why do some prefer consensus while others push for quick decisions? And how do you make sure your own communication style doesn’t unintentionally alienate or confuse others?
This workshop will help you develop a deeper understanding of how cultural differences influence communication, trust, decision-making, feedback, and teamwork. You will reflect on your own preferences, learn to recognise where others may approach situations differently, and practice strategies for bridging those differences effectively and respectfully.
In today’s global job market, intercultural competence is not just a valuable skill. It is essential for building trust, resolving conflict, and achieving results in diverse teams.
What you will take away from this session:
✅ Insight into the most common cultural differences in communication, teamwork, and leadership;
✅ Awareness of your own tendencies and how they impact others;
✅ Practical techniques to navigate misunderstandings and work effectively across cultures;
✅ Strategies for fostering inclusion, trust, and collaboration in multicultural environments.
Your Workshop Host
Klara Strecker
As an expat in an international relationship who has studied, worked, and lived within an international community for the past 10 years, I understand the unique challenges and opportunities that come with living and connecting across cultures. Among other challenges, I’m passionate about helping others navigate this complex terrain.
A significant theme in my life is finding a sense of purpose and meaning, while balancing the desire for independence and freedom with the need for deep connection with others and the natural world.
Available sessions:
- Monday 09.03.2026, 13:30-16:30 hrs;
- Wednesday 18.03.2026, 13:30-16:30 hrs.
All “Intercultural Communication” workshops will take place at EDLAB’s Tapijn Building X. All attendees will receive a reminder email with the exact location two days before the session.
Workshop Registration S.O.S.
In case you wish to change the timeslot for a certain workshop, or cancel a workshop registration completely, you need to contact the Honours+ Central Management Team.
