Professional Development in University Teaching and Learning

In the fast-changing higher education landscape and the context of new approaches to learning and teaching at universities, there is a growing need for professional development for teaching faculty. New initiatives that emphasize teaching excellence have encouraged universities worldwide to look at possible ways to further develop the teaching skills of their faculty members. Universities - particularly those in Central and Eastern Europe and the Global South – often lack sufficient experts who can engage as higher education advisors or trainers in the areas of teaching and learning. 

This course aims to help universities of the OSUN network and beyond conceptualize and design their own, in-house professional development and other initiatives that improve teaching and learning (across the disciplines) and bring the quality of their education to high international standards. It is designed for representatives of universities where educational development is an emerging area of practice and therefore there is a need for peers who could design, implement and evaluate professional development initiatives in teaching and learning. 

The course intends to bring together two larger groups of university staff: teachers and (current or future) agents of change in professional development activities (consisting of department or unit heads, and trainers (we plan to accept approximately 25 participants).

Each day of the course will consist of a morning session that discusses with all participants the most important issues, concepts, approaches, best practices, and guiding principles in a given aspect of teaching and learning, and professional development. 

In the afternoons, participants will be divided into groups, on one hand, to delve deeper into the topic of the day in a smaller group of peers and course facilitators, and on the other hand, to receive further guidance on how to design possible professional development activities, what training materials to use, what the challenges are.