Dr. Marjoleine Heijboer

Biography

Since August 2019, Marjoleine Heijboer has been working as a lecturer in Educational Sciences at Utrecht University, and since August 2023, she has combined this with a PhD research. Before her work in Educational Sciences, she worked nearly 20 years as an educational advisor, addressing learning and development issues for various organizations, primarily in the public sector. Her expertise lies at the intersection of workplace learning, learning culture, change processes, and organizing learning processes, both in learning trajectories and shaping academies. As a lecturer, she applies this expertise in various courses within the bachelor's and master's programs in Educational Sciences, particularly in the courses related to Learning Organizations. Since August 2023, Marjoleine has been conducting PhD research under the supervision of Mayke Vereijken and Larike Bronkhorst. Her research focuses on the role of 'brokers', i.e., professionals who bridge gaps between different practices in inter-organizational collaborations concerning complex societal issues, also known as wicked problems. These problems are characterized by high complexity, involving various organizations and stakeholders with diverging and sometimes contradictory perspectives, interests, and expertise, alongside continuing changes, multiplicity, and a lack of simple solutions. This context can provoke uncertainty, ambiguity, and tension. The question is how brokers can stimulate, facilitate, and sustain learning (the creation of new knowledge and practices) while simultaneously navigating the power dynamics that characterize these contexts.

Research Interests