Aleid de Jong works as a project lead and educational advisor at the Centre for Academic Teaching and Learning (CAT) at Utrecht University (UU), the Netherlands. The CAT supports, facilitates and advises university teachers from all faculties in further improving and innovating their courses. Aleid is passionate about connecting university education to society, to make sure that the university can provide students and other learners with the knowledge and skills they need in a rapidly changing world.

At the CAT Aleid leads the pilot project ‘edubadges’. Edubadges are digital certificates that show you have acquired certain skills or knowledge. Edubadges are awarded digitally via the secure and reliable SURF platform (https://www.surf.nl/en/edubadges-issuing-digital-certificates-to-studen…). In the pilot project edubadges, the university tests the award of edubadges and researches the added value of edubadges according to teachers and learners. As a project lead of the project edubadges, Aleid connects people from different departments within the university to realise the overall project goals: privacy, security, IT, education policy, teaching staff and learners. Furthermore, she makes sure that the project aligns with (inter)national developments with regards to continuous education, flexibilization in education and enhancing the transition to the labour market.