Eppinga, Maarten

Position / Title

Guest lecturer

Department

Academic Foundation Year and SISSTEM (Faculty of Arts and Science)

ORCID

0000-0002-1954-6324

Fields of Specialization

Environmental Science
Plant Biology
Ecology

Last updated January 22, 2026

Biography

Maarten Eppinga is passionate and interested in researching Marine Biology and Conservation.

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 15

Open Access
The GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap: a roadmap for in-depth holistic evaluation of the integration of the GreenComp framework in higher-education curricula
(2025-01) Mertens, Anouk; Eppinga, Maarten; Arens, Patrick; de Scisciolo, Tobia; John, Nigel; Sultan, Salys; Buys, Nadine; Mijts, Eric
Purpose The GreenComp framework identifies 12 competences for sustainability as common ground for higher-education curricula. The framework can be used for self-assessment and the review of curricula. However, a step-by-step method to conduct such a self-assessment is not yet available for the GreenComp framework specifically. Therefore, the authors present the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap allowing to evaluate the extent to which the frameworks’ competences for sustainability are integrated in higher-education curricula. The application of the GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap to a curriculum taught at the University of Aruba, allows to report on the benefits, limitations and future potential of the approach. Design/methodology/approach The proposed mixed-method approach combines hybrid qualitative and quantitative data collection on the integration of the 12 competences for sustainability of the GreenComp framework in higher-education curricula. The authors showcase its potential through application of the GreenComp framework as an evaluation tool to a science, technology, engineering and mathematics-based bachelor program taught at the University of Aruba. Findings The GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap not only allows for an evaluation of the curriculum and identification of competence gaps. It also supports educators to conduct a self-reflection on individual course(s) and the program as a whole. The paper shows promising results that the roadmap developed could be a reproducible approach. Moreover, it provides guidance to other higher education institutes for self-evaluation and self-reflection on how the competences for sustainability are integrated in their curricula and how this can be enhanced in the future. Originality/value The need to integrate sustainability throughout higher-education curricula is broadly recognized. The GreenComp Evaluation Roadmap contributes to the literature by offering a methodological approach to evaluate the integration of the 12 competences for sustainability throughout a curriculum.
Open Access
Mapping for Sustainable Development: Comparing different mapping techniques for monitoring mangroves to reach SDG 15 and 6
(2024-09-09) Ricker, Britta; Eppinga, Maarten; Jurgens, Sharona; Mijts, Eric
Mapping the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is necessary to identify where to place localized interventions to meet these goals. The UN Statistics Agency is responsible for establishing and curating SDG indicator data to measure how close or far each country is to achieving the goals. Each UN member state may voluntarily share their SDG indicator data as a form of data sovereignty. While the value of mapping the SDGs is clear, governments are not urged to collect or share spatial data for mapping the SDGs. Many countries with the most missing SDG data are islands, some of the most vulnerable countries (Gosling-Goldsmith et al., 2020). SDG indicators related to the environment can be challenging to collect and require localized data collection strategies, otherwise valuable and vulnerable ecosystems may risk being missed from data collection efforts (Hák et al., 2016; Kulonen et al., 2019).
Open Access
Pre-University engagement and education for sustainable development in Aruba: The Academic Foundation Year
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024) Chapman, Mollie; Eppinga, Maarten; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, Eric
Purpose Universities of Small Island States (SIS) have the potential to fulfill a crucial role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also face barriers to local capacity building. The University of Aruba partly addresses these challenges through the development of The Academic Foundation Year (AFY), a one-year pre-university program aiming to optimally equip students for higher education. This study aims to assess to what extent the program can foster the local embeddedness of the students in ecology, culture and history and an understanding of opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in SIS. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide examples of how the program incorporates education for sustainable development and how it emphasizes experiential learning. In addition, quantitative survey data and qualitative analysis of focus group meetings are used to reflect on the program’s achievements and its potential for further development. Findings The survey results suggest that AFY courses not only increase knowledge but also change students’ perceptions regarding sustainability. Indeed, key impacts emerging from the student focus group related to both academic preparation and engagement with sustainability. Reflections by teachers emphasized the importance of experiential learning, an expansive view of the SDGs and preparing students as citizens. Originality/value This study highlights that the program could provide a starting point for the development of similar initiatives in other SIS, the common basis being the fostering of sustainability literacy and social adoption of the SDGs.
Metadata only
Pre-University engagement and education for sustainable development in Aruba: The Academic Foundation Year
(Emerald Publishing, 2024-01) Chapman, Mollie; Eppinga, Maarten; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, Eric
Purpose Universities of Small Island States (SIS) have the potential to fulfill a crucial role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but also face barriers to local capacity building. The University of Aruba partly addresses these challenges through the development of The Academic Foundation Year (AFY), a one-year pre-university program aiming to optimally equip students for higher education. This study aims to assess to what extent the program can foster the local embeddedness of the students in ecology, culture and history and an understanding of opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in SIS. Design/methodology/approach The authors provide examples of how the program incorporates education for sustainable development and how it emphasizes experiential learning. In addition, quantitative survey data and qualitative analysis of focus group meetings are used to reflect on the program’s achievements and its potential for further development. Findings The survey results suggest that AFY courses not only increase knowledge but also change students’ perceptions regarding sustainability. Indeed, key impacts emerging from the student focus group related to both academic preparation and engagement with sustainability. Reflections by teachers emphasized the importance of experiential learning, an expansive view of the SDGs and preparing students as citizens. Originality/value This study highlights that the program could provide a starting point for the development of similar initiatives in other SIS, the common basis being the fostering of sustainability literacy and social adoption of the SDGs.
Open Access
Pre-university education for local ownership and initiatives for sustainable development in small island states: monitoring engagement at the Academic Foundation Year.
(2023) Chapman, Mollie; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Eppinga, Maarten; Mijts, Eric
Small island states face several threats to sustainable development, including low participation grades in university education, high dropout rates, and brain drain. These issues contribute to a lack of locally developed expertise and ownership of sustainable development processes, as such creating a dependency on external consultants and expertise that may not fit the specific context of the region. To address this challenge, the University of Aruba has implemented the Academic Foundation Year (AFY) program, which has been available since 2016. This program is a full-time, one-year pre-university program designed to equip students with the necessary skills for higher education, whether in Aruba or abroad. Along with academic development, the program also aims to foster students’ understanding of their context, culture, and history, as well as the opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in small island states. To gain a better understanding of the potential and challenges for developing local ownership and initiatives for sustainable development in small island states through education, this contribution presents a study of alumni evaluations and quantitative research, along with interviews and focus group meetings with lecturers, students, and alumni of the AFY program.
Open Access
Insights from a sustainability-oriented academic bachelor program in a Caribbean Small Island State: evaluation of SISSTEM using the GreenComp Framework
(International Conference on Sustainable Development 2023, 2023) Mertens, Anouk; Buys, Nadine; Gielen, Georges; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Eppinga, Maarten; John, Nigel; Sultan, Salys; Mijts, Eric
Metadata only
Pre-University engagement and education for sustainable development in Aruba: The Academic Foundation Year.
(2023) Chapman, Mollie; Eppinga, Maarten; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Mijts, Eric
Low participation grades in university education, high dropout ratios, and brain drain are threats for sustainable development in small island states. This leads to a lack of locally developed expertise and local ownership of sustainable development processes due to the dependency on external consultancy and expertise that does not fit the context of the regions in which it is implemented. At the University of Aruba, one of the efforts to address this challenge has been the development of the Academic Foundation Year (AFY). Offered since 2016, the AFY is a one-year full time pre-university program that aims to optimally equip students for higher education, either in Aruba or abroad. Apart from the development of academic skills, the program aims to foster the local embeddedness of the students in context, culture, and history as well as an understanding of opportunities and challenges for sustainable development in small island states. This study builds on the existing extensive volume of alumni evaluations and quantitative studies with interviews and focus group meetings with lecturers, students, and alumni of the program to come to a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities for developing local ownership and initiatives for sustainable development in small island states through education.
Open Access
Insights from a sustainability-oriented academic bachelor program in a Caribbean Small Island State: evaluation of SISSTEM using the GreenComp Framework.
(2023) Buys, Nadine; Mijts, Eric; Gielen, Georges; de Scisciolo, Tobia; Sultan, Salys; John, Nigel; Eppinga, Maarten; Mertens, Anouk
Metadata only
Language passport self assessments: statistical analyses. Statistical analysis for the Maneho di Idioma Research Team
(2022) Eppinga, Maarten; Mijts, Eric; Laclé, Francielle
Metadata only
Survey Language Policy Bonaire: statistical analysis. Statistical analysis for the Maneho di Idioma Research Team
(2022) Eppinga, Maarten; Laclé, Francielle; Mijts, Eric