VU works in various ways to develop and professionalise its lecturers.
Teaching Framework
Since 2015, VU has been working with a Teaching Framework as a tool to recognise, track and make transparent progress and achievements in education. Scientists and their managers can use the framework to make clear agreements on development paths. At programme and department level, the framework is a tool for mapping teaching expertise in the workforce.
The Teaching Framework was updated in 2024. The framework reflects VU's educational vision and the ideas of Recognition & Rewards. The framework also aligns with national requirements, such as the UTQ competencies. The framework focuses on the following competencies:
- Working together and contributing to the team;
- Leadership;
- Social action;
- Ability to change (entrepreneurial attitude)
The Teaching Framework (2024) describes four stages of development:
- From novice teacher to competent teacher
- From competent teacher to reflective educational professional
- From reflective educational professional to educational innovator/specialist
- From educational innovator/specialist to educational leader
The Teaching Framework fulfils the objective from the Education Agenda 2023-2028 (available in Dutch) to strengthen teacher development within VU. In doing so, we strive for a VU-wide shared and supported ambitious culture in which lecturers are further professionalised, in which they provide challenging teaching and in which they are recognised and rewarded.
The aim of the Education Framework is threefold:
- Increasing the recognition and visibility of education in the careers of academic staff;
- Supporting the professional development of academic staff in the field of education by describing this development in the various career stages;
- Strengthening the career perspective for scientific staff who focus their careers on ensuring the quality of education, innovating education and solving bottlenecks within education up to the highest level in the organisation.
Adoption of Guideline Educational Qualifications
The guideline Educational Qualifications UTQ, STQ and the Educational Leadership Course (ELC) has been adopted. This guideline details the applicable rules and obligations regarding these qualifications/learning programmes. The starting point for the guideline is that lecturers are qualified for the proper performance of tasks, activities and roles they perform in the field of education. In terms of content, the Teaching Qualifications Directive follows the described relationships between the teacher level, career stage and the corresponding teaching qualifications as described in the VU Teaching Performance Framework. VU has had a UTQ guideline since the national recognition and adoption of the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) in 2008. This guideline with the new Education Qualifications guideline.
More information: Guideline Educational Qualifications: UTQ, STQ and ELC (available in Dutch)
Development path for teaching professionals
The VU Centre for Teaching and Learning offers a multifaceted offer for teachers to further develop themselves: a development path with teaching qualifications and education, training and coaching for teachers. You can find the offer here: VU Centre for Teaching & Learning - Building education together