"ICT is always in the process of development, and the rapid techniques required in practice are rarely offered in education."

"ICT is always in the process of development, and the rapid techniques required in practice are rarely offered in education"

Frank Arnold joined TRIMM as a system engineer for two days a week since August 2018. He also works three days a week as a teacher at the ROC van Twente in Hengelo. In this interview he gives an insight in the world of a hybrid teacher.

Hi Frank! Tell us, what exactly is it you do at TRIMM and the ROC?

I've been teaching ICT at the ROC for five years now and I've started working at TRIMM as a system engineer at the end of August 2018. Originally I have a background in business, I worked as a system engineer at several companies. I really enjoy transferring the knowledge I gained to my students. ICT is always evolving, so after five years of additional training and courses to stay up-to-date, I wanted to add a little extra. The rapid techniques the client asks for in practice are not always incorporated in education. As a teacher, you share the accurate information, but this is not always relevant. For example, a student who goes on an internship sometimes experiences that something is requested from the company, but the student is not yet able to execute it.

How do you feel about the combination as a teacher and system engineer?

The combination of teaching and practice is difficult, it takes a lot of time to combine it. The preparation of the lessons, for example, has to be planned in between. I also have a mentor class and receive e-mails from the students when I work for TRIMM. I always respond to the essential questions. Despite the fact that it is a challenge to combine it, I enjoy it a lot! TRIMM is a very nice company, I feel really appreciated and have nice colleagues!

Why did you want to become a hybrid teacher?

ICT is always developing, and so I noticed that I missed the connection with the professional field during the lessons. Furthermore, I don't want to be a dull teacher. I like to be up-to-date on recent issues in the field. As an ICT specialist at a company, you often have emergency support services and weekend support shifts. However, through my group of acquaintances and via LinkedIn, I made contact with a TRIMM employee, and that's how the whole thing started to work out. I work two days a week at TRIMM. I can see what is actually happening in practice and make a connection between practice and education.

Interesting! Do you have more examples?

Yes, I have a good example: I am teaching virtualisation with Windows Azure and I have wrote my lesson plan for it. You generally use this lesson plan every year and adjusting it takes a lot of time. But now I see Docker being used in practice, so now I adapt my lessons to this. Another example is Powershell, which I recently saw at TRIMM. The next day I could write it down and tell my students: guys, you can do this! That is the nice moment of hybrid teaching.

Are there more hybrid teachers in your network?

There are not many colleagues who combine teaching with practice yet. I often hear from my colleagues: I think that's very cool too! I think I have stirred up a little fire with this. In my social environment I sometimes hear from people in the field that they sometimes want to teach for a day or two a week. So the other way around it also occurs. I read more and more about hybrid teaching and hear from many people that they really like it, a good thing!

What was your first impression of TRIMM?

My first impression of TRIMM: a fantastic workplace in a beautiful building! It gives a comfortable feeling, and the atmosphere is not very business like. The building is literally and metaphorically open, you can see every team working together and everyone is easily approachable. The teams are working hard, and now and then a nerfgun passes by, haha! During the lunch break, people prepare their meals in the kitchen, which creates a pleasant atmosphere. On Tuesday we go to the cafetaria and everyone joins each other. I also feel there is a lot of knowledge and quality at TRIMM, because there are many disciplines working alongside and together.

What else do you do besides TRIMM?

I love to go to FC Twente with my friends. I am also passionate about Formula 1. Every year I choose a race to visit, last year I went to Hockenheim, the year before I was in Austria. While enjoying breakfast, I sometimes watch formula 1 together with my neighbours in the morning, or with a beer on Sunday evening. Besides that, my work is really my hobby and I am still working on it at home. 

What is the beauty of hybrid teaching?

People sometimes ask me why I want to be a teacher. It is mainly the challenge. Sometimes I have students who are not motivated. But after a while you will meet the same students who graduated and started working in the business sector. Then you see that they have found their place, that's very special! An example: I nearly had a student to stop during his internship because it didn't go well. Yet after a while he ended up in a nice company and continued his education at HBO. In addition, students come by and show their propaedeutic with pride and they say: things are going well sir! It is really great to see people growing and to be part of that.

Thanks for this interview Frank!

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