University Teaching Qualification (Dutch: Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs)
The University Teaching Qualification (UTQ; Dutch: Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs – BKO) certificate is an official Dutch benchmark for university teachers. All Dutch universities acknowledge the UTQ certificate for didactical ability to teach and design academic education. Professionals with this qualification have the knowledge and skills necessary to design education and deliver it to students, are structurally and responsibly involved in education, and are able to supervise, instruct, test and assess students, both individually and in groups. For the full UTQ competency profile see the bottom of this page.
The UTQ trajectory is a certification trajectory, which means that, to receive the certificate, a teacher must be able to demonstrate that they possess the above-mentioned knowledge and skills. It requires that they already have a substantial amount of teaching experience, and ideally, structured training, as it is a certification trajectory and not a training trajectory.
A focus point of the UTQ trajectory is to link the experience a already has obtained / is obtaining to (didactical) literature. During the UTQ trajectory they will read didactical literature and relate this to their teaching practice in order to make the development as a teacher also (more) theory based. This will function as a kick-start for the rest of their continuous professional development.
The trajectory
To obtain the UTQ certificate TLC-FMG organises, together with TLC Central, a trajectory consisting of several group meetings, coaching, building a portfolio and an assessment. The (final) product of the trajectory is in the form of an online structured portfolio, as this format enables to provide an overview of proof for the competencies. The UTQ portfolio is intended as an authentic reflection of the teacher’s development and competence, supported by didactical literature. It includes their vision, choices and reflection and should be representative of their thinking, actions, and language use. At the end of the trajectory this portfolio will be assessed during an assessment meeting.
Once a year there is a certification ceremony in which teachers who have passed the assessment will receive their UTQ certificate.
Practical info
| Target group | All teachers with (what we recommend) at least two years of substantial teaching experience at a university who are nominated for participation by their department.
Based on their teaching experience (as demonstrated in an educational CV) a teacher will be assigned to either the regular trajectory or the trajectory for experienced teachers, by their departmental UTQ coordinator and TLC-FMG’s UTQ coordinator. |
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| Group size | Max. 16 participants per group. | |
| Language | English (unless a group only consists of Dutch speaking participants). | |
| Time investment |
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| Dates |
It could be decided, when there aren’t enough registrations, to not let a group start. |
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| Registration | Registration for the UTQ trajectory goes via the departmental UTQ coordinator (see below); they are able to evaluate whether you are eligible to do the trajectory. The departmental UTQ coordinator will register the UTQ candidates of their department to TLC-FMG’s UTQ coordinator. Deadlines for registration to TLC-FMG’s UTQ coordinator: 1 May (for September start) and 1 November (for February start). |
Contact
| Department | UTQ coordinator | |||
| TLC-FMG | Alma van den Berg | bko-tlc-fmg@uva.nl | ||
| Communication Science | to be added | |||
| Psychology | to be added | |||
| Child Development and Education | Bonne Zijlstra | b.j.h.zijlstra@uva.nl | ||
| Anthropology | Cristina Garofalo | c.garofalo@uva.nl | ||
| Sociology | Cristina Garofalo | c.garofalo@uva.nl | ||
| Political Science | to be added | |||
| Human Geography, Planning and International Development | to be added |
Below you can find the competency profile for the UTQ. This profile is based on national agreements.
1. Course design
This task area involves designing a robust learning environment. When designing (blended) education, a lecturer will focus on a contact moment or series of contact moments and the corresponding teaching methods, study activities, teaching material and ICT applications in education.
As a lecturer, you will be able to…
- align your course component with the vision of the institution (or faculty or degree program), the curriculum as a whole and related course components;
- design or redesign (blended) courses based on recent academic literature and studies that pertain to the field of study;
- formulate clear learning objectives, keeping in mind the level of the course and the exit qualifications of the degree programme. When doing so, you will consider learning objectives, teaching methods and tests in relation to each other (constructive alignment);
- design a robust learning environment, focusing on the creation of an active learning process for students, involving varied, effective and activating teaching methods, teaching materials, course materials, ICT and multimedia;
- design an inclusive and socially-safe learning environment in which students feel at home and are given equal opportunities;
- consider contextual factors like students’ prior knowledge, background and motivation in your educational design;
- collaborate with others in the educational organisation in a professional manner, both within the educational team and with students.
2. Teaching
This task area relates to the proper delivery of teaching, which focuses mainly on groups of students.
As a lecturer, you will be able to…
- clearly explain the subject matter or skills to be learned at a level appropriate to students, focusing on the learning objectives and on making the importance of the subject matter to be learned clear;
- use teaching methods and teaching material (including ICT) that are relevant and also motivating, activating and educationally-sound;
- respond to students’ (baseline) situations and their interests, taking inherent differences into consideration, so that an inclusive and socially-safe learning climate is created;
- supervise and optimise interaction within group processes;
- have an interest in and respect and appreciate the individual student’s input and respond to it;
- communicate with students enthusiastically, clearly and in the language of instruction;
- promote the critical academic approach and problem-solving skills of students;
- schedule your activities such that you are able to perform your teaching duties in a responsible manner.
3. Testing and assessing students
The testing and/or assessment of results is an essential task area, whether teaching groups or providing individual supervision. Testing and assessment can be either formative or summative.
As a lecturer, you are able…
- to choose assessment formats that are appropriate for the educational learning objectives at hand and the exit qualifications for the degree program and that also reflect the assessment policy of the institution (or faculty or study program) and the relevant regulations, such as the Teaching and Examination Regulations and the Rules and Guidelines of the Examinations Board;
- to design examinations and assessment tools (or components thereof) that reflect the desired learning outcome and meet the applicable quality criteria;
- after a test has been administered, to evaluate the test material and update it where necessary;
- while teaching, to regularly assess whether students are developing the desired knowledge, skills and attitudes and then give them feedback on this;
- to give students constructive feedback on the content and process (including the academic integrity) of their work.
4. Supervising students
Throughout their studies, students are supervised both in and outside of class. As a supervisor, you will adapt your supervision style to individual students, know how to motivate them and maintain a balance between your role as a supervisor and assessor.
As a lecturer, you will be able to…
- employ different styles of supervision, depending on the needs that students have;
- supervise individual student projects. These could be work placements, theses, research, a part of supervision at the workplace or other individual student projects;
- give students constructive feedback on the content of and process underlying their work;
- reserve enough time to supervise students and be approachable for students;
- have an interest in, respect and appreciate the individual student’s input;
- refer students appropriately in the event of problems or stagnation;
- strike the right balance between being a supervisor and an assessor.
5. Evaluating one’s own teaching
The professional approach required of a lecturer will form the basis of your performance as a subject specialist. This professional approach will largely be informed by a positive attitude towards teaching and students. This includes evaluating one’s own teaching and one’s own role as a lecturer.
As a lecturer, you will be able to…
- formulate and communicate your own vision on teaching and learning, in line with the vision of the UvA and your faculty/degree programme;
- improve your teaching, based on evaluation data and your experience of teaching;
- proactively ask colleagues, coordinators, teaching support staff, students and others for feedback on the design, implementation and testing of teaching and individual supervision and then incorporate this feedback into your teaching;
- reflect on your actions as a lecturer in every aspect of your teaching and also on your awareness of inclusiveness and social safety;
- continue to develop yourself, further to innovations in academic education and your own field of study;
- reflect on and discuss teaching activities and your growth and development as a lecturer, based on evaluations and results. You are able to set achievable and measurable goals for yourself in respect of the above too.