Every UT teacher is required to have a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ, or in Dutch: BKO), as proof of didactic skills and teaching competencies. At the end of 2018, only about 60 percent of UT lecturers had such a certificate. This was mainly due to a large group of teaching staff with years of teaching experience, who had previously been exempt. 'We want to certify this group as well, but by means of tailor-made certificates. With such a long experience, you don't have to follow the entire UTQ trajectory,' said then-rector Thom Palstra in 2018.
This Spring, the S&T faculty started its own tailor-made approach: an accelerated UTQ trajectory for fifteen experienced lecturers. CELT, the Centre of Expertise in Learning and Teaching, and the S&T faculty supported the pilot. 'Part of a regular UTQ programme is the writing of an extensive report in which you provide evidence that you have the required competences', explains Linlin Pei, one of the CELT educational advisors involved in the pilot. 'Especially in view of reducing work pressure, we decided to organise this pilot differently: less focused on writing and more on cooperation and exchanging experiences.'
For the pilot, the faculty selected motivated lecturers who had previously started a regular UTQ trajectory but never completed it. 'Most likely because it is such a time-consuming process, averaging about two years. The participants in our fast track are all good lecturers with extensive experience. What was still missing was a certificate to validate their expertise,' says the educational advisor.
Instead of two years, the first five candidates completed their UTQ-dossier after only two months. The rest will soon follow, says Pei. 'We want to evaluate the pilot this summer and set clear criteria for future participation, among other things. For now, this fast track is only available for S&T teachers. From September onwards, we hope the next batch will start.'
