The teaching path was unplanned for Pieter Brons, a Technical Manager at ALTEN Netherlands. Pieter began tutoring others while he was still a student himself. Supporting and guiding others is an integral part of his approach, which he has shown by becoming a part-time teacher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) and the Delft University of Technology (TU). Bringing his own practical experiences into his lectures is very important to him, demonstrating to students the real-world applications of their theoretical knowledge.

A Teaching Background

Initially, Pieter tutored high schoolers, assisting them with homework on various topics like history and mathematics. Eventually, he extended his support to university peers in subjects like statistics and business mathematics, courses considered quite challenging. These experiences complemented his own studies and fostered an appreciation for teaching. “Teaching always came naturally to me, partly because my father was a scholar in philosophy at the University of Amsterdam, so there’s a bit of a teaching tradition in my family.”

Pieter had briefly considered becoming a full-time teacher while completing his master’s degree. He followed along with an honours programme that included a PhD proposal intended to encourage students to stay in academia, however, he felt more drawn to working in practice. Over the years, he conducted training sessions in Excel and built dashboards and reports to further develop his skills. Eventually, upon reconnecting with the faculty of VU Amsterdam, an avenue opened up for Pieter for part-time teaching in analytics-focused courses. “They asked if I would teach part-time in some analytics courses, so I began tutoring Business Analytics and later gave a few guest lectures.”

Bringing Theory to Practice

In teaching, Pieter aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice, focusing on practical, data-related challenges that organisations often deal with. “I explain data-related challenges that organisations deal with, what kind of challenges they face when implementing data platforms, and how much of a gap there can be between theory and practice.  Students often learn state-of-the-art concepts, while businesses may be a few steps behind.” By addressing these topics, Pieter helps students understand the discrepancies between academic concepts and business realities.

Another key area of focus is data—how organisations handle faulty data and become more data-driven. To make these topics engaging and relevant, Pieter presents students with practical scenarios, providing them with a deeper understanding of their significance. For instance, during a lecture at the Delft University of Technology, he discussed the various roles within the data field, such as cloud engineering, data engineering, and data science, outlining their differences and the skills required in practice. “I hope to give students a sense of which parts of the theory are most relevant in practice. I encourage them to start small, understand stakeholder needs, and recognise the importance of organisational context in technical projects. Students from technical backgrounds often focus solely on what’s technically possible, so I emphasise that any solution needs to be valuable within the business context to be effective.”

A Typical Day as a Teacher

Pieter’s teaching methods take on various forms, from structured guest lectures to tutorials. Guest lectures often involve presenting prepared material, though creating a dialogue with students is a persistent challenge. “It can be hard to find common ground because students don’t yet have the real-world experience to fully relate to certain concepts.” Tutorials, on the other hand, involve guiding students as they work on projects, addressing knowledge gaps, and troubleshooting issues.

Business Analysis emerges as Pieter’s favourite subject to teach. These courses challenge students to think critically about business challenges and values and to identify areas for improvement. “I aim to have students think beyond the technical side and consider the business implications, which is an essential skill in any role—whether consulting or working in-house”.  

Trends in Business Analytics

The shift from system architecture to analytics and algorithmic approaches is a notable trend in Business Analytics. “I hope to see a balance where technical aspects and organisational impacts are integrated, encouraging students to master predictive and prescriptive analytics, which are necessary to understand the technology and its organisational implications.” Preparing students to navigate this is key to ensuring they are equipped for a world increasingly driven by algorithmic decision-making, without losing the human expertise necessary to interpret results.

A Partnership with Practical Impact

Pieter’s role within ALTEN and his connection to the university faculties has enhanced his teaching, as he is able to provide real-world examples drawn from his own consulting experiences. This practical perspective not only enriches the classroom discussion but also allows students to foresee how theoretical knowledge can be applied in business settings.

The latest project Pieter will be involved in, alongside colleague Robert van Uden, is the Software Modernisation, Mass Refactoring Project for the Technology, Policy and Management Masters at Delft University of Technology. As part of their Integration Moment course, under Pieter’s and Robert’s guidance, students will be advising ALTEN Nederland on a Mass Refactoring project utilising AI. The challenge they will be presented: How can AI be leveraged to make large-scale code refactoring more efficient and effective? Through their collaboration with ALTEN, students will explore this question, contributing insights to develop practical and real-world solutions based on four pillars: commercial, organisation, security, and financial. In January 2025, they will share their findings, providing ALTEN with actionable ideas on how AI can revolutionise the refactoring process. Pieter’s teaching background, along with Robert’s expertise, will prove to be a valuable combination for students to succeed in presenting their exciting projects.