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Running head: Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands Peer Review of Professional Development of Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands: Setting a benchmark for further improvement (Paper produced for the 2018 ICED conference) J.A. (Jaap) Mulder University of Groningen R.A.H. (Riekje) de Jong Utrecht University Contact Name: Jaap Mulder Address for correspondence: P.O. Box 11044, 9700CA, Groningen, The Netherlands Email Address: j.a.mulder@rug.nl

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 2 Abstract Over 75% of teaching staff at 14 research universities (most are top-200 universities) meet the requirements for the mutually recognized ‘University Teaching Qualification’ (UTQ). This calls for a new step. In 2016-2017 a peer review procedure was introduced to improve the quality of the UTQ, Continuous Professional Development and Leadership Programmes. Stakeholders (students, lecturers, deans of education, programme directors, HR experts and educational developers) discussed the above at four conferences, which were organized and hosted by a cluster of three or four universities. With this nationwide peer review, Dutch research universities set a new benchmark for university teacher/lecturer quality: results, recommendations for universities, main trends, best practices and recommendations for future development.

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 3 Peer Review of Professional Development of Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands: Setting a benchmark for further improvement The Netherlands currently has 14 research universities, all of which offer quality education and conduct high-level research (most are top-200 universities). In the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU), Dutch universities work together towards improving research and

• teaching. In early 2008, all Dutch research universities signed an agreement regarding a

University Teaching Qualification scheme (UTQ; in Dutch: Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs, BKO). This means that teaching professionalism is mutually recognized and that university teaching staff with a UTQ certificate are automatically considered qualified for academic teaching by all 14 participating institutions (appendix 1). Encouraged by the 2012 performance agreements with the Minister of Education, the universities have made a strong commitment to UTQ in recent years. This resulted in the fact that 75% of lecturers met the requirements for the UTQ in 2016/2017. This calls for a new step. The VSNU decided to organize a peer review where all of the participating universities have established and executed a peer review procedure in order to improve the quality of their lecturer development: University Teaching Qualification, Continuous Professional Development and Leadership Programmes. The peer reviews were conducted by representatives

• f all stakeholders (students, lecturers, deans of education, programme directors, HR experts

and educational developers), using a framework of seven topics based on items from the 2008 mutual recognition agreement and some items for future development. The peer reviews were discussed during four conferences. Each conference was prepared and organized by a cluster of three or four universities. The aim is to set a new benchmark that yields recognizable results and useful recommendations for all the participating universities. In this paper the approach and the results

• f this nationwide peer review will be presented. The main trends, best practices and

recommendations for the future will also be discussed.

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 4 Why a peer review? The discussion about an external audit of the quality of the UTQ procedures and practice in the universities is not new. In 2010/ 2011 a pilot project was organized where six universities established a quality audit procedure in order to improve the quality of their Teaching Qualification Scheme, and provided a starting point for a national audit system. The external UTQ audit was conducted on the basis of a framework containing all the items from the 2008 mutual recognition agreement (appendix 1). The aim was to develop a useful, efficient and flexible audit system that yields recognizable results and useful recommendations for the

• universities. In this pilot project, six universities had their UTQ systems audited by an external

audit committee in four audit sessions. The strengths of that audit approach were:

• The external audit takes place on a single day
• It involves little preparation time on the part of the university or the audit committee
• It involves all parts of the university

Participants concluded that it was possible to organize a serious and unbureaucratic

• audit. However this procedure did not get enough support at national level. To gain the support
• f all universities, it was required that the approach had to be: simple in structure, avoided

bureaucracy, adaptable to priorities in institutions, attractive to use and inspiring for further development. That’s why an alternative design was introduced: a peer review organized and executed by universities themselves in the inspiring form of a peer review with one work conference per cluster of three or four institutions. These institutions jointly and simultaneously carried out the peer review. The work conference consisted of two parts. The first part was about the quality assurance of the UTQ, the second part about teacher professionalization after the UTQ (appendix 2). Exchanging self-reflection and experiences as peers creates an inspiring learning environment in which there is a lot of common ground in thinking about teacher

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 5

• professionalization. Each university can develop its own interpretation that fits in with its own

strategic educational policy. This creates the conditions of openness where:

• Universities can learn from comparisons of each other's policies (and implementation)
• Lecturers can learn from each other's experiences
• Reflection on shared experiences stimulates progress in career development and

educational quality policy. Frame of Reference Aim of the peer review The results of the peer review should provide general answers to the questions: 1) How is the quality of the UTQ guaranteed? 2) How is the UTQ embedded in policy? By of answering these questions, it is possible to draw up an overview for each institution of its

• wn strengths and self-appointed development points in response to the work conference. In

addition, an answer can be given for each institution to the following questions: How do we continue with professional/ongoing development of academic teachers after the UTQ? And what policy and facilities do we need to create for this? This is processed in a non-public institutional report. Intended outcome at a national level The VSNU peer review ensures:

• Making visible the what, why and how of lecturer professionalization at each institution
• Sharing best practices
• An adequate response to the increasing external pressure on universities to guarantee teaching

quality;

• Formulating recommendations for the individual institutions (by the institution itself and

summarizing by the cluster) and a state of affairs report for the entire sector Two central perspectives

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 6

• The perspective of the lecturers. How does the UTQ contribute to the quality or

effectiveness of her or his teaching? How does the design of lecturer professionalization support the lecturers in their desire to further professionalize? How are the lecturers motivated intrinsically and extrinsically?

• The perspective of the institution: How does UTQ contributes to the quality of teaching

and innovation in teaching? How is professionalization embedded in the career policy? How can a better balance between teaching and research valuation be created? How continuous professional development does develops after the UTQ? Frame of reference and reporting A frame of reference was set after an initial discussion about the interpretation of the national report. The following seven themes were agreed upon:

• 1. UTQ competences
• 2. UTQ assessment
• 3. UTQ process/ trajectory
• 4. Quality assurance of the UTQ
• 5. Integration of the UTQ in education policy
• 6. Embedding in HR policy
• 7. Continuous Professional Development

The peer review led to three types of reports: Fourteen institutional reports with an improvement agenda for the institution, four cluster reports that in turn provided input for the national overall report on the lecturer professional development at Dutch research universities in the VSNU context. Approach of the VSNU peer review Each cluster of three or four institutions set a date for a work conference. In preparation for these conferences, an organizing committee within the respective clusters shared all relevant

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 7 documents, prepared factsheets, exchanged and analysed similarities and differences between the universities. All this generated input for the work conference. The design and procedure of each conference could differ because of the decisions that were made by the organizing committee of the cluster. At the same time, the clusters used the experiences gained with previous conferences. One cluster organized focus groups or lecturers to gather input for the conference itself. Another cluster decided to have the content and quality

• f the UTQ development programmes as part of the conference, and organized a poster market

to present best practices of the four universities. Another cluster split the conference into two parts: one part with a focus on the perspective of lecturers and staff, and the other with a focus

• n the perspective of the institutes' policy.

The conferences themselves were attended by 40 to 60 participants (Nationwide four clusters: in total 200-240 participants attended). They represented the perspectives of students, lecturers, strategy and policy staff, educational experts, professors, education directors, vice- deans and participants of the assessment committees. There were also representatives of national networks of students and the universities (VSNU and representatives from other clusters). In all cases, the programme provided an opportunity to share experiences because all clusters worked in mixed groups. For example, a joint image of the state of affairs within the

• wn institution and that of the others was worked upon. Sharing best practices gave direction to

the improvement potential. Appendix 2 provides an example of a programme in one of the clusters. Two clusters organized their conferences in the summer of 2017, the other two were

• rganized in the autumn of 2017. Reflection, reporting and policymaking was carried out in

autumn / winter 2017. In winter 2017 / spring 2018 all the results were bundled in cluster reports and a final report. The presentation of this final report was organized in May 2018, during a National Education Festival of the VSNU.

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 8 Results and future developments (regarding the main themes of the VSNU Peer Review) The aim of this nationwide peer review is to set a new benchmark: that consists of results and recommendations for universities, main trends, good practices and recommendations for future development at a national level. It can be concluded that after the mutual agreement in 2008 and the performance agreements in 2012, the attention to lecturer professional development has increased significantly: the majority of lecturers are UTQ-certified. The UTQ is seen as a first step in the continuous development of the quality of teaching and lecturers: Continuous Professional Development, a Senior University Teaching Qualification (STQ) and Educational Leadership are building blocks in this development. This is supported by Dutch government policy. In this section the seven main themes will be discussed with respect to the main trends and the recommendations for future development. UTQ-competences Main trends During the peer review, universities in each of the clusters compared the way in which competences (in terms of behaviour) are developed at their institution. Discussions were also held to assess whether the competences that were agreed upon 10 years ago still serve a purpose today (see Appendix 1). The UTQ framework that was agreed on in 2008 is still adequate/in

• place. It is an appropriate framework which also provides the universities enough freedom to

adapt it to their own internal policies. Recommendations for future development Recent social, technological and legal developments, as well as the strategic agendas of the institutions, have resulted in a number of competencies receiving more attention. The following strategic developments influence this trend:

• Testing, assessment and feedback
• Teaching and IT and blended learning

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 9

• Diversity and inclusion in teaching
• The lecturer’s own professional development process

Assessing the UTQ Main trends The UTQ is always assessed by an assessment committee, which comprises at least two members, and is based on the assessment of a portfolio or dossier. Lecturers use the portfolio to demonstrate that they have developed the relevant competences and to provide the necessary evidence to show that they have mastered those competences. Also included in the portfolio is a reflection on their own actions and behaviour. The portfolio has two functions: to stimulate the personal development of the lecturer and to document this development so that it can be assessed. Including a portfolio as part of the assessment procedure provides a good insight into the lecturer’s teaching-related competences. The portfolios differ between the universities. This is due to two different approaches that are used to address education/facilitation/learning pathways: 1) Assignments which contribute to the creation of a personal teaching portfolio, whereby questions are asked regarding the development of the required competences, and 2) the lecturer reflects upon their own teaching supported by documented evidence, compiled and structured as the lecturer sees fit. Recommendations for future development Encourage the universities to explore other forms of portfolio assessment that strengthen the connection between the UTQ and the further development of the lecturers. In practice, the two approaches will then start to move closer together.

• Student feedback about teaching could have a more prominent role in the portfolio and

thus when assessing the lecturer’s development. The traditional process for evaluating course units is inadequate.

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 10

• Ideally, a coach or peers would provide feedback throughout the UTQ programme, for

example after lesson observations and on teaching development, which would then motivate the lecturer to work on developing particular skills. Structure of the UTQ programme Main trends The general structure of the UTQ programme is as follows: The UTQ programme consists of an intake meeting, often based on or followed by an initial portfolio, the UTQ dossier (portfolio) for assessment purposes, assessment and, in most cases, a training course for new lecturers who do not have any teaching experience. This process results in a portfolio or UTQ dossier and concludes with an assessment based

• n that portfolio. Lecturers are expected to gain the UTQ within 2-3 years but many complete the

programme much quicker. New lecturers usually follow a UTQ programme. The UTQ programme is a training and work programme in which acquired educational knowledge in a number of workshops or courses is put into practice in their teaching. The opportunity to reflect on their own performance, stimulates the improvement of that performance. Gaining relevant teaching experience and learning how to apply educational knowledge in practice are at the heart of the

• programme. The UTQ training courses/learning pathways have a number of characteristics in

common:

• Linking theory and practice and learning and working
• The lecturer’s own teaching is used as an example and to put recently acquired

knowledge into practice

• Sharing experiences with colleagues (networking)
• Developing a vision and reflecting upon one’s own performance based on theory and

experience

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 11

• Various modes of instruction
• Design assignment
• Longer duration of the programme (min. 3 months of classroom-based sessions)

For lecturers with extensive experience (usually more than 5 years’ experience) it is usually sufficient to write and compile a more concise version of the portfolio or UTQ dossier. This way, the competences they have developed over the years can count towards their

• assessment. They often complete a customized programme which focuses on the competences

that they still need to work on and develop. The UTQ programmes are comparable and adequate. They cover the same scope and take the same amount of time to complete. Similarities primarily stem from common educational principles; differences stem from the context at the various institutions. Common bottlenecks concern facilitating and financing the UTQ programmes, and the lack of clarity regarding the level of experience required to gain the UTQ certificate. Recommendations for future development

• Providing the lecturer with both an educational specialist and a senior lecturer in the same

field to supervise them throughout the UTQ programme is definitely beneficial.

• Student learning should be more explicitly included in all the programmes, for example

in the theory discussed about student learning, but also by increasing the use of their own students as a source of feedback about both the course unit and the lecturer.

• Give the lecturer enough space and time and the right facilities to gain the UTQ.

Quality assurance of the UTQ Main trends Universities employ different approaches to guarantee the quality of the UTQ. These differences are often related to the difference of a central or decentralized organized UTQ in the university (at university level or at faculty level).

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 12 During this peer review each university discovered a number of issues which need to be improved, and incorporated those issues into its own institutional report to allow for comparisons between the UTQ programmes and to improve the university's central quality assurance system for UTQs offered throughout the university. This peer review is the first step towards an external quality assurance system for the UTQ. Recommendations for future development

• In order to ensure that it is possible to compare UTQ programmes now and in the future,

including those offered by different faculties within the same institution, 'calibration sessions' can be organized whereby, for example, random portfolios are selected to assess and compare the UTQs offered by the faculties.

• Evaluations of UTQ programmes by lecturers who have completed the programme are

very useful. The results of these evaluations can become a regular part of the UTQ quality assurance cycle. Focus group evaluations of the UTQ and lecturer professionalization have produced a lot of valuable information which can be used to implement improvements.

• Develop a (light) external quality assurance system for the UTQ, whereby the emphasis

is on sharing experiences and criteria. The peer review should be used as a source of inspiration and stimulus for this. Integration of UTQ in education policy Main trends The strategic goals of university education policy are a good stimulus for the continuous professional development of lecturers. The UTQ fits into this picture of educational and lecturer

• development. Lecturers’ development allows plenty of scope for the realization of policy

themes such as internationalization, embedding of IT or interdisciplinary. Recommendation for future development

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 13 Educational innovation is a driving force, especially for continuous professional development of teachers, and should remain so. The VSNU has been asked to include this in its vision on educational policy and innovation and to pay more attention to lecturers as partners when promoting educational innovation. Embedding in HR policy Main trends The UTQ is well embedded in the institutions’ HR policies when it comes to recruitment, permanent employment contracts and including qualifications such as the UTQ in staff members’ personnel files. At all institutions the UTQ plays a role in recruitment and selection procedures (does the candidate have a UTQ or are they willing to follow the programme in the next 2 to 3 years?) and the promotion policy (if the candidate does not have a UTQ they will not be offered a permanent contract or promotion). The maximum period for gaining the UTQ certificate varies from 2 to 3 years. Not all universities have included the UTQ as a separate component of the annual review. Appreciation for a lecturer’s teaching performance and activities throughout their career generally could play an important role when connecting lecturer professionalization to HR

• policy. This can be achieved by awarding prizes for teaching, making more time available,

providing support for Comenius applications, formal certificates (the UTQ and STQ) and financial incentives for pursuing a career in teaching. It is still proving difficult to strike a good balance in academics’ career planning between focusing on teaching on the one hand, and focusing on research on the other. A number

• f universities have adapted their career planning policy so that teaching achievements can also

play an explicit role in an academic’s career. Recommendations for future development

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 14

• The UTQ is well embedded in HR policies when it comes to recruitment, permanent

employment contracts, etc. There is room for improvement when it comes to discussing lecturer professionalization/continuous education during annual reviews and the incorporation thereof in promotion criteria. Universities can address this issue

• themselves. There is room for improvement with regard to the weight awarded to

teaching achievements throughout academics’ careers. The VSNU can draw attention to this point in the CAO.

• Not all universities or faculties make time available specifically for completing the UTQ

programme or lecturer professionalization in general. Institutions can improve this by being more explicit about how they facilitate lecturer professionalization. The manager can play a significant role in stimulating lecturer professionalization. This can be further strengthened by giving the manager a role at the start and during the assessment stage of the UTQ. Continuous Professional Development: What happens after (and before) the UTQ? Main trends After the majority of lecturers gained the UTQ by the end of 2015, ideas regarding lecturer development once they had gained the UTQ started to gain momentum. There is an increasing need for formal and informal opportunities for continuous professionalization in the field of teaching and education. The universities also agreed to take steps towards developing a follow-up qualification: the ‘Senior (University) Teaching Qualification’ (STQ). Most universities have taken steps towards implementing an STQ. At least ten Dutch universities have already developed STQ criteria, facilities (programmes, portfolio tracks), and/or assessment procedures. In addition, almost half of the universities offer substantial programmes on Educational Leadership. Recommendations for future development

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 15

• Continuous lecturer professionalization starts by paying sufficient attention to teaching

in the annual reviews and the promotion criteria. In addition to the UTQ, continuous education should also be a standard component of the annual reviews. The only way to guarantee that attention is paid to continuous education as standard is by including it as an integral part on the accompanying form for the annual review and by putting a greater emphasis on teaching and professionalization in the promotion criteria.

• The final meeting about the UTQ portfolio should be the starting point for lecturers’

continuous development. The lecturers' strengths can also be starting points for how they want to develop further.

• In one of the clusters there is support for introducing a personal professional

consultation (PPC): a meeting that is held every 3-5 years and in which lecturers specifically reflect upon their development and ambitions in teaching and come up with a plan for the coming years.

• Special attention is needed for PhD candidates who, due to limited teaching duties, are

not eligible for a UTQ. A national study should be launched to identify the teaching competences that PhD candidates can develop and which type of mutually recognized certification best suits this purpose. Discussion Civil effect Thanks to the system of mutual recognition, lectures are qualified to teach at all universities in the Netherlands (and at affiliated universities in Belgium). As such, the UTQ is certainly of value (civil effect). The next step is to evaluate assess the certificate’s value in other (educational) environments. The civil effect of the UTQ can be underpinned by initiating a study that describes the UTQ (competences, knowledge base, experience level, ECTS) and then by comparing UTQ competences with competences that lecturers at universities of applied

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 16 sciences (and perhaps also graduates of university teacher training programmes) are expected to have developed by the end of their training programme. An internal and external discussion about the civil effect of the UTQ will help determine the value of the UTQ certificate in other fields than university education. Dilemmas of continuous professional development of teaching The agreement on the mutual recognition of the UTQ has had a positive impact on discussions within universities regarding staff development and continuous professional development of teaching. It has opened up a discussion on rewarding quality of education in career planning of university staff, and paved the way for a Senior (University) Teaching Qualification (STQ) and Educational Leaderships Programs. The Educational Leadership programmes and the (STQ) qualification support (and motivate) lecturers to develop a career in education and teaching. It also was expected that all lecturers, after qualifying for the UTQ, spend more time in maintaining and updating their knowledge and skills in continuous professional development activities and programmes. This not only applies to maintaining subject knowledge, but also to new challenges arising from developments such as blended learning, moocs, interdisciplinary and internationalization, etc. That is not (yet) the case. This could be caused by what we like to call the dilemmas of Continuous Professional Development:

• The balance between teaching and research. It goes without saying that there is a link

between good research and good teaching. University lecturers, however, tend to focus and experience the pressure to spend more time and attention on the activity that is most important for their own career: research and publishing articles about it. This can sometimes be at the expense of devoting time and attention to continuous professional development activities and programmes.

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 17

• Formal versus informal types of teacher development. Lecturers also make progress in

the implementation and improvement of their own teaching. Informal types of teacher development, such as improving their teaching, teaching innovations and teamwork, are better suited to lecturers' needs than formal types of development such as training sessions and courses.

• Budget. Investment in education with benefits for students & lecturers versus investment

in teacher development are high on the agenda for administrators in the university education sector.

• Motivating lecturers. External justification/control (for example by requiring lecturers to
• btain a certain number of CPD points per year) is less motivating than lectures’ own

motivation (curiosity, wanting to improve, etc.) to focus on continuous professional development. Conclusion: In order to have a clear picture of lecturers’ efforts and to stimulate them to develop as teachers and to appraise those efforts, a formalized system needs to be put in place. Registering lecturers’ (lecturer teams’) development activities tends to put pressure on them, but it helps. This is one lesson that experiences with the UTQ have taught us: mutual recognition, performance indicators and the realization of this UTQ Peer Review. New impulses for continuous professional development of teaching? Initiatives for and stimulating teacher development and careers in teaching primarily seem to be supported by teaching innovations and education (policy). It is important that HR policies and activities recognize lecturers’ efforts to improve as teachers, support them in that process and help them develop further. This way, lecturers’ continuous professional development will be promoted from three sides: from the lecturers themselves, educational policy and HR policy. A peer-review approach to the esteem of lecturers' teaching development and innovation activities might build a bridge between informal and formalized professional development. It

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 18 could help them gain an overview of their own CPD and that of their colleagues. Lecturers then (could) decide when and how to present their development activities to colleagues in order to gain feedback and new input. Once they have done this, this (event) can be formally registered. This might be a way to break away from the dilemma of points and formalization. The benefits of a Peer Review as a method to improve (Teaching) Staff Development The national UTQ Peer Review shows that focussing on sharing and improving current practice is more motivating than focussing on justification; it is more broadly supported and more likely to stimulate action. This approach, put forward by this peer review concerning the external quality assurance system for UTQ programmes, can be used as a method for universities to guarantee and improve quality in other areas. Throughout this peer review, a broad group of stakeholders from the institutions involved gained new insights by taking part in discussions and comparing each other’s UTQ procedures. The institutions can now use these insights to develop their own individual plans for improvement. Support for these plans is many times greater than support for external reviews and a formalized system of quality indicators. In this sense, the basis for mutual recognition of the UTQ, which is based on 'unity in diversity', has also proven itself. J.A. Mulder (University of Groningen, the Netherlands, j.a.mulder@rug.nl ) is coordinator of staff development at his university. R.A.H. de Jong (Utrecht University, the Netherlands, r.dejong@uu.nl) is senior educational advisor and member of the management team of the unit Educational Consultancy & Professional Development (FSC).

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 19 Appendix 1: Mutual agreement concerning the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) at Dutch universities The Board of Vice-Chancellors of the Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) have agreed, with respect to:

• Drawing attention to the quality of academic education and scholarship in university

teaching in the Netherlands,

• Ongoing staff development in teaching within each university,
• Accountability regarding ‘quality of staff’ and ‘staff policy’ with regard to the National

Framework of Qualifications in Higher Education in the Netherlands,

• Establishing professional standards regarding academic teaching, as is customary in
• ther sectors of education,
• Removing barriers to the mobility of academics (academic lecturers) between

universities, that:

• 1. Within each university the standards of an academic lecturers are laid down in a

university-wide regulation for a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ),

• 2. The University Teaching Qualification is the result of a formal assessment of the

teaching competences,

• 3. The regulation is in line with the key features of appendix 1 so the participating

universities acknowledge each other’s teaching qualification (no new assessment needed) Signed on behalf of the university Date, 28 January 2008 Characteristics of the basic University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) The participating universities attach importance to the mutual agreement of the University Teaching Qualification. They attach importance to uniformity if it is possible and flexibility

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 20 when it is needed (when autonomy is at stake, e.g. regarding differentiation and / or stressing distinct features). Mutual agreement of the basic University Teaching Qualification is possible if the regulations

• f each of the participating universities reflect the following characteristics:

Characteristics of content:

• Standards for qualification are in terms of behaviour (competences) rather than in terms
• f knowledge and understanding
• The requirements to be met correspond with international standards of academic

teaching (Dublin Descriptors)

• The requirements to be met are set by the professional practice, which implies paying

attention to teaching performance, course unit and programme design, assessment, programme evaluation, counselling and coaching of students and organizational demands (=staff is sufficiently qualified to ensure that the learning outcomes regarding the content, didactics and organization of the programme are achieved)

• Lecturers are researchers who contribute to the development of their subject/discipline.

Characteristics of assessment

• All aspects of the performance of an academic lecturer are involved in the assessment
• Concrete criteria are explicit and known in advance
• The extent of the required experience in academic teaching is established
• Reflection on one’s teaching practice is a substantial part of the assessment
• The assessment procedure is formalized to assure confidentiality, credibility and

conformability

• The expertise of the members of the assessment board is established.

Characteristics of process

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 21

• Content, method and size of the staff development programme of university lecturers

(e.g. training modules, coaching, portfolio development) are deduced from the requirements according to the regulation for university teaching qualifications

• During staff development courses, lecturers put educational knowledge into practice

The university facilitates staff development of university lecturers to the level of the UTQ

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 22 Appendix 2: Programme Cluster 1 (Universities of Groningen, Leiden, Utrecht and Twente, 23-06-2017) 9.30 a.m. Welcome, getting acquainted and introduction 10 a.m. Work groups

• 1. UTQ: Do we test the right things (competence profile) in the right way

(portfolio)?

• 2. A future-proof UTQ: Effect now and later (From the perspective of the

lecturer, the organization and the student)

• 3. ‘Life Long Learning’ workshop for lecturers (Brainstorm)

 Inspiration and motivation, what and how?  Which obstacles do we need to remove? 12.30 p.m. Lunch 1.30 p.m. Plenary presentation per work group 2.30 p.m. Best Practices after the UTQ; interactive presentation (poster session)

• Groningen: UTQ-STQ Committee; STQ programme; Professional Learning

Community in a Faculty (UMCG).

• Leiden: Teacher Academy; Student at your desk; Interrelation between

teaching and research

• Twente: Taste of teaching/bootcamp (for PhDs); STQ; Applying Ruth

Graham’s model to education policy

• Utrecht: Teaching fellow programme, Educational Leadership programme,

Centre for Academic Teaching

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 23 3.30 p.m. Wrap-up session per institution. First impressions, what have we learnt today for

• ur institution? Recommendations?

4.15 p.m. Conclusion and follow-up actions: Four presentations, recommendations for the cluster and the VSNU 5 p.m. Closing and drinks reception

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 24 References Andernach, T., Jong, R. de, Blij, M. van de (2010). Auditing Teacher Qualification Programmes at Research Universities in the Netherlands. Workshop at the ICED Conference 2010, Barcelona, Spain. Association of Universities in the Netherlands/ VSNU (2008). Mutual agreement on a national framework of a University Teaching Qualification System (Overeenkomst Wederzijdse erkenning Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs: BKO). The Hague. Graham, R (2016). Does Teaching Advance Your Academic Career? Interim report on the development of a template for evaluating teaching achievement. Royal Academy of Engineering, London, UK. Gunn,V., Fisk, A. (2013). Considering teaching excellence in higher education: 2007-2013.A literature review since the CHERI Report 2007. Project Report Higher Education Academy, York Jong, R. de, Mulder, J., Deneer, P, Keulen, H. van (2013). Poldering a Teaching Qualification System in Higher Education in the Netherlands, a typical Dutch phenomenon. Teacher training in higher education in the Netherlands, RED-U magazine, Vol 11 (3), 23-40. http://red-u.net/redu/index.php/REDU/issue/view/73 Jong, R. de, Alst, J. van, Andernach, T., Baume, D., Diez, A., Keulen, H. van, Petegem, P. van (2010). International agreement on a Qualification for University Teaching, Let’s make a start as experts in staff development. Workshop at the ICED Conference 2010, Barcelona, Spain. Jong, R. de, Andernach, T., Barendsen, E. & Mulder, J. (2011). Externe kwaliteitsborging BasisKwalificatie Onderwijs in de Praktijk, Een onderzoek naar een bruikbaar auditsysteem’. The Hague: SoFoKles.

Peer Review Professional Development Academic Teaching Staff in the Netherlands 25 Jong, R. de, (2012). Teaching quality, qualification frameworks and its external audit. Keynote speech at the annual meeting of RED-U, February 2012, Bilbao, Spain. Keulen, J.van, Alst, J. van, Jong, R. de, & Halma, A. (2006). Towards a national system of teaching qualifications in higher education in the Netherlands. Paper presented at the ICED Conference 2006, Sheffield, England. Keulen, H. van, Jong, R de, Deneer, P. (2008). Characteristics of successful faculty development programs. Paper presented at the ICED Conference 2008, Salt Lake City, USA. Mulder, J. Jong, R. de, Andernach, T. (2012). University Teaching Qualification: Quality assurance via external audits in the Netherlands. Paper presented at ICED 2012 (Bangkok)