Maarten Koeners
Senior Lecturer Medicine & Medical Sciences
M.P.Koeners@exeter.ac.uk
01392 72 6014
Hatherly D3
Hatherly Building, University of Exeter, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
Overview
I’m trained as a biomedical researcher (experimental nephrology) and over the years I’ve become passionate about strengthening the link between learning and joy through play and compassion. See e.g. paper on the physiology of play, education incubator on the Playful University, last year’s Festival of Compassion, UoE Excellence in Education blog and recent BERA blog series and BERA podcast.
I integrate insights in the physiology of play and playful learning with my academic practice. The exciting next step I have taken is to establish the Playful University Club, and together with Adam Lusby the Playful Lab, to form global connections on the creation of holistic pedagogic practices for students, educators and innovators – enabling individual and institutional play and playfulness to foster a culture that supports joyous, authentic transition to the co-creation of knowledge and skills, while counteracting a number of barriers to innovation and wellbeing.
Qualifications
- MSc (Utrecht, the Netherlands)
- PhD (Utrecht, the Netherlands)
- Advance HE Fellowship Certificate (FHEA, PR231770)
Research
Research interests
My vision and innovative approach to learning and teaching is to strengthen the pedagogic link between joy and learning through play, compassion and connectivity. With this in mind I have established the Playful University Club through my Education Incubator Fellowship, which promotes higher education to be a place where learning is created and nurtured through joy, engagement, and play, and where learning to solve problems and overcome obstacles are rewards in their own right. By promoting playful and compassionate learning and teaching we can, I believe, address contemporary issues like fear of failing, avoidance of risk and mental ill health. My recent academic output includes attracting funding, designing courses, peer reviewed publications, research on impact, bespoke resources and workshops, including giving advice or consultancy about learning experiences and professional development. Furthermore, I am passionate to lead and create positive social change and belonging. My actions include co‑leading the Kinder Exeter Festival to promote and experience compassion through play and leading the Festival of Compassion. The latter includes a collaboration with inspirational people like Rev. Keith Magee (adviser to Obama and Biden on race) to address compassion and social justice.
Research projects
- Festival of Compassion
- Compassion and Education
- Art of Compassion
- Kinder Exeter Festival
- Compassion through Play
- Lecture For Nobody: blog and podcast
- Games Library
- Playful University
- Playful Lab
- The Playful Academic: blog series and podcast and youtube
Previous research projects
- Why does cigarette smoke promote kidney pathology?
- Carotid Body-Renal Interactions in Renovascular Hypertension
- Examining the role of intra-renal hypoxia in chronic kidney disease
- Cardio renal paradigms elucidated through an international exchange scheme (www.bristol.ac.uk/carpediem)
- The role of the glycocalyx in chronic kidney disease
- Pre-clinical evaluation of novel sulfide-releasing drugs for the treatment of chronic or diabetic kidney disease
Research grants
- 2021 Annual Alumni Fund
‘Compassion and Education’ and ‘Art of Compassion’ (PI) - 2021 Erasmus Plus
Erasmus+ Community Engagement Grant: ‘Compassion through Play’ (CI) - 2020 Exeter Education Incubator
Education Incubator Fellowship: ‘Playful University’ (PI). - 2020 Arts and Culture
Arts and Culture Fellowship: ‘Lecture For Nobody’ - 2020 Annual Alumni Fund
Alumni Annual Fund: ‘Games Library’ (PI) - 2019 BHF Research Project
Carotid Body-Renal Interactions in Renovascular Hypertension (PI; 2016-2019). - 2018 BHF Intermediate Research Fellowship
Examining the role of intra-renal hypoxia in chronic kidney disease (PI; 2014-2018). - 2017 Austin Medical Research Foundation
A breath of fresh air: measuring oxygen in diseased kidneys (PI; 2014-2017). - 2017 Marie Curie, IRSES
Cardio Renal Paradigms ElucidateD through an International Exchange scheMe (CARPEDIEM) (CI; 2013-2017). - 2015 Royal Society Project Grant
Prolonged recording of blood pressure and renal blood flow in a clinically relevant model of chronic kidney disease (PI). - 2014 Marie Curie, IOF
Rechargeable Telemetry-Based Electrochemical Sensors: Kidney Oxygenation and health (ReTeBESKO) (PI; 2011-2014). - 2009 Innovative Pilot Research Grant, Dutch Diabetes Foundation
Role of nNOS derived nitric oxide in the onset of hyperfiltration in diabetes (PI).
Publications
Journal articles
Conferences
External Engagement and Impact
Editorial responsibilities
Invited lectures
Media Coverage
Teaching
Current TEACHING ACTIVITIESDesign and production board game ‘University World’ which aims, using situational dialogue and question prompts, to support students’ transition to university as they share, deliberate, and reflect on diverse university experiences through guided persona-based role-play.
Playful Lab, a weekly meeting that explores learning through the medium of play. It is an informal in-person open group formed from the wider Exeter community, students, and staff focussed on the practice (learning through doing) of games (physical, cognitive, computer, etc) storytelling, and a little magic.
Design and deliver for Medicine and Medical Sciences: lectures (live and pre-recorded), journal clubs, and workshops.
Design and deliver transdisciplinary: workshops on playful learning and teaching, (remote) connectivity, and playful champion’s programme.
Facilitator for Medicine and Medical Sciences: special study units, structured small group learning, and problem based learning groups.
Student supervision for Medicine and Medical Sciences: graduate, undergraduate: literature review research projects, and lab based research projects.
Student supervision transdisciplinary: employability placements.