My teaching philosophy is rooted in providing future-proof education, which is high-quality, interactive, and experiential and adapts to technological advancements and the evolving needs of learners. The way universities around the world struggle to address the sudden popularity of ChatGPT emphasizes the importance of this approach. More details about ChatGPT-proof approaches can be found in an article of mine on Higher Education, a top educational journal (JUFO3) (Tran et al., 2024a).
Specifically, I emphasize engaging teaching methods, such as gamification and simulations, to create interactive and experiential classroom experiences. In my role as an educator, I strive to maintain high educational standards while fostering empathy. I continuously update learning objectives to align with emerging technologies (e.g., generative AI) and maintain strong connections with the job market through alumni networks. Grounded, forward-thinking assessments and ongoing research into educational practices ensure that my teaching remains innovative, relevant, and impactful.
This teaching philosophy will be elaborated in the following part, which will be organized to cover the three components of Biggs’ constructive alignment (Biggs, 1996): (i) teaching and learning activities, (ii) learning objectives, and (iii) assessment. Additionally, I embrace the philosophy of continuous development in all these three facets to ensure the delivery of high-quality education.
First, in terms of teaching and learning activities, I strive to offer an experiential and interactive environment. These include in-class interactive quizzes and polls, as well as simulations and other games. This effort has been recognized and praised by students in many of my courses.
“I really liked how interactive the whole course was. I think I learnt a lot more than usual when participating during the lectures and not only after them. The assignments we had were all also quite different from each other which was a very nice thing! This was my favourite course in Aalto Uni so far! :)” (B.Sc. student, Aalto BIZ).
My expertise in gamification has gained recognition beyond the Netherlands, as demonstrated by my invitation to assist in setting up a simulation for the Supply Chain Management Strategy course at WU Vienna University of Economics and Business.
“I really enjoyed the way this course was arranged. Doing simulations and case exercises really helped to understand and learn course material. I also liked that exam is 30% of the grade and you get points throughout the course. It has been nice to notice that I have really learned things during the course and I don't have to start learning just when studying for the exam.” (B.Sc. student, Aalto University)
I developed this expertise during COVID-19 as a doctoral student when I took over the entire second-year course Process Analysis and Management in 2020. I adapted the course for online compatibility, replacing onsite games such as the beer game with digital simulations from Harvard Business Publishing. Even though back then this adaptation was driven by the need to teach remotely, it also addresses the current need for more interactive and experiential classroom activities in response to advancements in generative AI tools (Tran et al., 2024).
“Tri made the atmosphere really warm even though the course was held online. You explained things really clearly and there was always opportunity to ask more. Thank you for a really interesting course! :)” (B.Sc. student, Aalto BIZ).
“Tri Tran explained hard topics well and in an enthusiastic and easy to follow way.” (B.Sc. student, Groningen)
My teaching persona is empathetic, motivating, and engaging while upholding high standards and encouraging student excellence. I was described by students as an enthusiastic and knowledgeable lecturer who is warm and genuine. I believe that the modern lecturer should go beyond knowledge transfer and become a coach, a catalyst, an inspirer, and a motivator for knowledge acquisition.
“I really liked the teacher. Tri did a great job, and he seems like a genuine person, which made learning easier for me because I enjoyed listening to him. Thank you, Tri. The main point why I fill out this form is that I could say this!” (B.Sc. student, Aalto BIZ).
“Very friendly and nice teacher, motivating! Liked the use of polls during lectures. The division of credit among simulations, assignments and exam was good” (B.Sc. student, Aalto BIZ).
“I’ve enjoyed your classes because of your enthusiasm, willingness to share knowledge, and great sense of humor.” (M.Sc. student, Groningen).
Second, the learning objectives are evolving due to the changing roles of technology. To address these changes, new learning objectives need to be constantly updated and informed about the changing requirements from the job market for our graduates. This is an ongoing research project of mine, working with several stakeholders, including alumni and recruiters. This project has been recognized by several top universities. For instance, I was invited to give lectures at other universities within the ENLIGHT network, such as Uppsala University, on AI in education, specifically on the topic of Educational Quality in the AI era.
“Dr. Tri Tran is a recognized expert in AI in education, leading the Community of Practice on AI at the Teaching Academy of Groningen.”(Uppsala University)
“The workshops received outstanding evaluations from both participants and hosts, highlighting their interactive format and Dr. Tran’s pedagogical skills.” (Teaching Academy of Groningen)
This also reinforces my connections with alumni and the job market trends, ensuring that my teaching aligns with current professional demands. The main goal of this is to ensure that my teaching is practically relevant and that my graduates can prosper in the job market.
The assessment methods are designed to be grounded and robust, ensuring that they are resistant to challenges such as misuse of tools like ChatGPT. For instance, in the Strategic Supply Chain Management M.Sc. course, I use The Fresh Connection strategic simulation to teach students about supply chain coordination. For assessment, instead of relying on the KPI in the simulation, which can be unreliable, I designed role-play presentations where students, acting as Vice Presidents of different departments, review their past performance and future strategies to lecturers, acting as CEOs. This simulated boardroom meeting not only allows students to reflect upon the learning objectives but also provides students with some real-life experience, such as presenting to stakeholders. For the Humanitarian Supply Chain Management M.Sc. course, I designed a video assignment where students apply for funding for their organization to improve supply chain preparedness. This provides students with another way to showcase their skills and knowledge beyond written assessment. Both of these assessment methods are ChatGPT-proof: Students may use ChatGPT to generate content, but they still need to understand, digest, and present the information convincingly, thus still achieving the learning objectives.
In line with the philosophy of continuous development, I conduct research on higher education to understand the existing literature and generate original insights (e.g., Tran et al., 2024a; Tran et al., 2024b). This helps me remain informed about the latest developments in business education worldwide. Additionally, I run a Community of Practice and collaborate with pedagogical experts to foster an environment of shared learning and innovation. This community and the involvement in educational research allow me to be connected with a large network of educators and educational specialists from the Teaching Academy of Groningen and from other partner universities globally, such as Uppsala University (Sweden), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), and the ENLIGHT network in Europe.
References
Biggs, J. (1996). Enhancing teaching through constructive alignment. Higher Education, 32(3), 347–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00138871
Tran, T. M., Bakajic, M., & Pullman, M. (2024a). Teacher’s pet or rebel? Practitioners’ perspectives on the impacts of ChatGPT on course design. Higher Education, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01350-7
Tran, T. M., Bakajic, M., & Ruissalo, J. (2024b). Integration without Over-reliance: Exploring future impacts of Large Language Models on knowledge and skill development in higher education. In Decision Sciences Institute Annual Conference.
I have extensive teaching experience in courses of various types (from conceptual and qualitative to quantitative and mathematical modelling) at various levels (from bachelor’s to doctoral), which makes me a versatile and adaptable lecturer.
In the past five years, as a main lecturer, I have been involved in the teaching of a total of 12 unique bachelor’s, pre-masters, and master’s courses in Operations and Supply Chain Management across three universities: Aalto University School of Business, WU Vienna, and University of Groningen (see Table 1). My courses range from quantitative and analytics courses (e.g., Logistics and Supply Chain Operations, Logistics Systems and Analytics) to conceptual and strategic courses (e.g., Strategic Supply Chain Management). Furthermore, I also teach methodological courses, such as Research Methods for SCM. Before becoming a main lecturer, I assisted a total of seven courses at Aalto University School of Business as a doctoral student.
I have developed new curricula for several courses at the University of Groningen, Aalto University School of Business, and WU Vienna (see Table 2). Overall, I am recognized by colleagues, both internal and international, for my expertise in gamification and simulation, especially strategic supply chain management games.
I have an extensive track record in student supervision. In Groningen alone, I supervised at least 89 students in the past four years. Furthermore, I am also co-advising a doctoral candidate at Aalto University School of Business (see Table 3a and Table 3b in the appendix).
My supervision skills and effectiveness are illustrated by the success of my students. I helped several of my master’s thesis students publish their theses. Additionally, I have also brought a total of five former master’s students to EurOMA to present their master’s theses.
I have extensive experience in curriculum development at both the course and program levels. At the course level, I have developed and redesigned curricula for multiple courses at Aalto University School of Business, the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Groningen, and WU Vienna University of Economics and Business. At Aalto BIZ, I designed approximately 60%-70% of the master’s course Logistics Systems and Analytics to address overlapping content with a bachelor’s course. At the University of Groningen, I redesigned the master’s course Humanitarian Supply Chain Management to accommodate structural changes in the degree program, which required reducing lecture durations from three hours to two. With WU Vienna, I helped integrate a strategic simulation into the master’s course Supply Chain Strategy. In addition to these, I have also developed exam question banks and new lectures for multiple courses (see Table 2 for details).
At the program level, I contributed to the redesign of the Supply Chain Management master’s program at the University of Groningen. Furthermore, I am coordinating the development of a joint dual master’s program between the University of Groningen and Aalto University School of Business.
In terms of educational leadership, I was appointed Leader of the Community of Practice: AI in Education, a structural position (0.2 FTE), at the Teaching Academy of Groningen. My main responsibilities include coordinating stakeholders on AI-related initiatives. I played a key role in university-wide AI policymaking, making the University of Groningen one of the first institutions in our network to establish AI policies. I have also collaborated with educational specialists to organize AI training sessions and an AI Summer School for educators in the Groningen area. My leadership in AI in education is recognized internationally, as demonstrated by invitations to give lectures at Uppsala University and assist with organizing their two-week AI week.
Besides my leadership role at the Teaching Academy of Groningen, I also serve as the coordinator for several courses, including Master’s Thesis SCM, Research Paper Pre-M.Sc. SCM/Technology and Operations Management, Strategic Supply Chain Management, and Logistics and Supply Chain Operations. In this role, I oversee multiple lecturers within each course to ensure consistency and alignment across pedagogical activities.
I have completed the Dutch University Teaching Qualification (UTQ). This is a pedagogical training program for university lecturers that lasts around one year. I completed this program within four months. This program covers comprehensive pedagogical training, including teaching and learning activities, learning objectives, course design, and assessment. Most importantly, this program teaches educators the importance of constructive alignment between teaching activities, learning objectives, and assessment methods.
Prior to the UTQ, I also took the introductory course A! Peda Intro and Pedagogics in Digital Learning at Aalto University. Additionally, in 2023, I attended the EurOMA early career workshop where we discussed supervising master’s and doctoral students. The complete list of my pedagogical training can be found in Table 4 in the Appendix.
I am currently following the Dutch national Senior Teaching Qualification at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen.
I am the teacher with among the highest student evaluations in our department. Specifically, I was the only lecturer in my department to make it to the top 5 most valued lecturers in the faculty in 2023 (student evaluation: 4.9/5), with my course being among the top 5 in the faculty. My current average evaluation is 4.6 (as of February 2025).
Typically, students appreciate my enthusiasm and willingness to share knowledge, as well as my detailed and timely feedback and clear expectations. Students also appreciate me for creating an interactive and safe environment where they can ask questions and discuss relevant topics.
The typical concerns are regarding the pace of the lectures and workload. I have addressed these concerns by reducing the workload for students, as well as coordinating the deadlines of my course. I also created modular lectures to help students who need extra help. For instance, I created several SPSS video tutorials for students who are not familiar with regression analysis and SPSS.
Feedback from the teaching demonstration during the Peda Intro course at Aalto University
1. “Enthusiasm and good atmosphere during teaching. Good interaction with the audience. Using creative and relevant methods in online teaching (e.g., drawing exercise). Strong substance knowledge of the topic at hand.”
2. “The information was communicated clearly and in a way that engaged the audience. The slides were well prepared and made the presentation easy to follow. The drawing task was a great way to activate the audience.”
3. “Very good and professional presentation: fluent rhythm, excellent verbal communication, and interaction with the students. Hard subject, warm, and kind atmosphere!
The drawing task was fantastic: very good practical example of “creativity vs. lean operations”. The task worked very efficiently also online and in shorter time frame. In the presentation, diagrams or mind map type of text layout helped following the topic.
The images and examples on how the lean operations can be applied (various ways in many fields) brought practical approach to the topic. (sorting, colour coding, aircraft maintenance examples etc.). Interesting (generic) topic for many different students with versatile backgrounds, not only for the ones studying in BIZ.
Even though the topic itself was new to me, through practical examples, I find the lean operations relating closely to service design and project management (designing a website, (online) store, stock, planning a design process etc.)”
Teaching Innovation Grant 2023. I received a Teaching Innovation grant to address sustainability and ethical issues in the course Research Methods for Supply Chain Management.
Formally appointed as the Chair of Community of Practice: AI in Education at the Teaching Academy of Groningen in 2023.
Top 5 Most Valued Lecturers 2023: I was the only one from our department on the list of Top 5 Most Valued Lecturers according to student evaluation out of a total of approximately 400 lecturers in the Faculty of Economics and Business.
Formal recognition letter from the Faculty Board 2024 for my commitment to education, including fulfilling my heavier-than-normal workload and helping other colleagues.
Invited to run a course on Educational Quality during AI week at Uppsala University in 2024.
Invited to run two lectures/year on simulation at WU Vienna School of Economics (ongoing).