Biography
“I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.”
Albert Einstein
Dr. Anna Ben Shalom is Assistant Professor and affiliated with the Center for Strategy, Organization & Leadership.
Ben Shalom teaches courses including Academic Reading and Writing, Critical and Creative Writing, Managing Change, Foundations of Business Research, Personal Leadership and Career Development, and Qualitative Research Methods. She also regularly facilitates Diversity & Inclusion workshops for Nyenrode employees. In her teaching and mentoring, she focuses on creating safe learning environments where participants engage with diverse perspectives, strengthen their academic literacy skills, and explore how they can make a lasting positive impact on organizations and society. The combination of personal development, critical thinking, and social engagement is what energizes her most.
Ben Shalom is an educator and researcher with an interdisciplinary background in the social sciences and humanities. She earned a PhD in Educational Research from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom in 2025 and a PhD in Cultural Studies from the University of Szeged in Hungary in 2011. Her research focuses on identity, social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, with particular attention to amplifying the voices and experiences of underrepresented groups within organizations. She works with critical qualitative methodologies, including participatory and emancipatory research approaches and community-engaged learning. Her work has been published in international peer-reviewed journals, and she regularly presents at European and international conferences.
Before joining Nyenrode, Ben Shalom was a Lecturer in Educational Sciences at Utrecht University. There, she taught and coordinated bachelor’s and master’s courses within the Learning in Organizations track, supervised theses and internships, and contributed to educational innovation, particularly in the areas of community-engaged learning and transdisciplinary learning. Earlier in her career, she held leadership positions in international online higher education, managing multicultural teams and receiving institutional recognition for excellence in teaching and learning. Across all her roles, she combines research, teaching, and leadership with a strong commitment to inclusive, socially engaged, and impactful education.
In her teaching, Ben Shalom encourages students and professionals to critically reflect on themselves, their environments, and different perspectives. She views learning not only as an academic process but also as a way to contribute to meaningful and sustainable change within organizations and society.
International Activities
Ben Shalom regularly presents her research and educational innovations at international conferences.
Relevant Publications
- Sjinstra, R. D. & Ben Shalom, A. (2025). Instructional Strategies to Support Second Language Learners in Dutch Primary Schools, International Online Journal of Primary Education, 14 (4), Available at https://iojpe.org/index.php/iojpe/article/view/479/389
- Szilagyi, A. (2015). ’I am different from other women in the world’. The Experiences of Saudi Arabian women studying online in International Master Programmes” European Journal of Open, Distance, and E-Learning (EURODL), 18 (1), 2015. 86-99. DOI: 10.1515/eurodl-2015-0006
- Szilagyi, A. (2014). Nigerian Students’ Perceptions and Cultural Meaning Construction regarding Academic Integrity in the Online International Classroom, European Journal of Open, Distance, and E-Learning, (EURODL), 17 (1), 172-189. (DOI:10.2478/eurodl-2014-0012)
- Szilagyi, A. (2013) Nigeria and the Cultures of Respect. Cultural Identity and Meaning Construction in Online International and Multicultural Classroom, International Journal of Arts & Sciences 6 (1), 589-618.