Get support for your educational challenge!
There are no "silver bullets" for educational issues or digital education. Each situation is different: the student demographic, the learning objectives, the available teaching time or the didactic framework of the programme. Even relatively simple questions such as: "how can I ensure that students prepare for lectures" or "what is the best tool to support peer review" can prove difficult to answer.
As a teacher, you can turn to publicly available resources such as websites and books for answers, but the best and fastest route to good advice is to consult with experts. You can find these experts at your own faculty or the VU Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), the VU Education Lab or the process management of Student and Educational Affairs. Do not hesitate to contact them.
Faculty support
If you are a teacher and need support in setting up or improving your course, your faculty support is the first stop. Your faculty contact person is there for you. They can give you first-hand advice, provide specific resources or instructions, or connect you with experts in the faculty or at VU who know more about your specific subject. For example, LEARN! Academy, the VU Education Lab or the process management of Student and Educational Affairs.
Information sources at VU
Information on didactics and ICT tools for on-campus, online, blended and hybrid education can be found on VU NT&L Teaching and Learning Tips and in the public Canvas courses Online Education, Getting to Know Canvas and Getting to Know TestVision.
Information about VU's video services Kaltura can be found through the Kaltura support site.
Between September 2021 and September 2022, more and more didactic tips and information will appear on vu.nl.
Do you want to innovate as an instructor and apply for subsidies? Then check out the pages on the incentive schemes for educational innovation and ask for support from the SOZ administration staff.
Develop your expertise
Nothing is more beneficial to the quality of education than a teacher who is 100% familiar with the teaching profession. To achieve this, you can participate in a wide range of activities at VU.
Advanced trainings and workshops
Through the VU Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL), teachers can participate in training and coaching or attend seminars on various didactic topics.
Teachers can also participate in many workshops through the VU Education Lab and receive support from VU Education Lab student assistants.
You can also submit your educational question via this simple online form. The question will be sent to the relevant expert at VU, who will then contact you.
Teaching qualifications
VU teachers are required to obtain at least the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ). This programme introduces lecturers to the basic principles of designing and implementing high-quality higher education.
In addition, teachers are encouraged to obtain the Senior Teaching Qualification (STQ) and the Educational Leadership Course (ELC). In these programmes, teachers work on didactic excellence, educational innovation and educational leadership.
Read more about educational quality in general here.