The Senior University Teaching Qualification (SUTQ) is a trajectory for lecturers in higher education, aiming to improve the fulfilment of their various senior teaching roles. During this poster market, participants who started the trajectory in October last year shared their education projects.
What is the SUTQ?
The Senior University Teaching Qualification (SUTQ) is a qualification that builds upon the university teaching qualification (UTQ). During the SUTQ trajectory, plenary teaching labs, individual coaching, and collaboration with peers help lecturers improve and innovate their educational practices and competences. The culmination of the programme is the final project that each participant has to develop. This project can come in the form of a course or assessment they have reimagined, an educational intervention they want to conduct, or any other innovative ideas they would like to implement. The poster market that took place on the 26th of October at the Education Lab allowed the 19 participants that started the SUTQ last October to visually present their projects. The Education Lab was buzzing with conversations about each project, the takeaways from the experience, and how that will shape the future of education.
A taste of some of the projects
Achieving sustainable and long-term improvements
Talking to the participants of the SUTQ, the range of the projects and topics was broad and focused on many different educational topics. The project of dr. Stefan Lipman from ESHPM focused on restructuring the assessment for one of his Bachelor courses through the use of interventions for behaviour change. “We partnered with four Rotterdam-based organisations to create real-time case studies for the students to work on, and be in touch with the stakeholders from these organisations to present their suggestions”, explains Stefan. The course aims at realising sustainable and long-term improvements in health or health behaviour, and the interactions with field-partners can help students practically see the impact of their suggestions. Furthermore, through working with these field partners, professional relationships can be maintained and real-time case studies can be developed for future cohorts as well.
Professional self-discovery
Shifting focus from student to working professional, the project of dr. Marilisa Boffo from ESSB focuses on professional self-discovery, and the tools provided to students to help them find their professional trajectory post-studies. The project is split into three steps; scaffold self-discovery, network and connect, and practical advice. “The timing of these steps is very deliberate- for example, we plan the self-discovery step right after the students finish their mandatory internship. This allows them to reflect on their experience and discover what they are and are not looking for in their future professional careers”, explains Marilisa. These support services are currently available to ESSB students, and also alumni in their first-year post-graduation.
Course evaluation and the feedback system
Another aspect of the educational experience that was focused on by dr. Claus Schmitt from RSM is course evaluation and the feedback system. The evaluations are an important process for teachers, as this is one of the only ways they really see what their students think of the course. Furthermore, evaluation scores also impact the professional prospects of teachers, which is something that students are not always aware of. “The current evaluation system faces multiple problems, such as the low response rate from not having mandatory completion, and low quality of feedback due to the set-up of the questionnaires”, explains Claus. In his project, he proposed a new set up of evaluation and feedback, where this is done two times throughout the specific course, and not just once at the end as is the current standard. “This allows the feedback that students suggest to be implemented while they are still completing the course, fostering a closer association between the teachers and students”, notes Claus. He also proposes that meetings with student representatives from the course are important, as well as gaining feedback from alumni who took the course, to see how the course helped them in their professional careers.
Curious about the SUTQ?
Overall, the event proved to be a great success, with mutual learning and insightful discussions carrying on throughout the afternoon at the Education Lab. If you are interested in knowing more about the SUTQ and possibly participating, you can find more information here, and you can contact Risbo here.
Want to know more about other qualifications?
The Community for Learning & Innovation (CLI) in close collaboration with research and training institute Risbo, offers various courses for teachers of the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). After completing the course, the lecturer is awarded a certificate and registration in the EUR HR system. The structural qualification programs are: the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ), the Senior University Teaching Qualification (SUTQ) and the Leadership in Education Course (LEC). A Basic Examination Qualification (BEQ) can also be obtained by following a few specific Microlabs. In addition, since 2021, teachers can also obtain the Senior Examination Qualification (SEQ).
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