Project Course in Higher Education Development
The course aims to support individual teachers as well as groups of teachers to critically engage with, analyse, and explore various pedagogical needs and interests, and to support them in pedagogical development work.
The instructional language for this course is English, though participants can submit their reports in either English or a Scandinavian language.
Description
The course provides a supportive structure for academic teachers’ pedagogical development. The central activity in the course is pedagogical development work in the form of a substantial participant-initiated project. The project can be carried out by an individual teacher or a group of colleagues. The content and form of the project is primarily defined by the needs for pedagogical development identified in the course participants’ respective departments. To facilitate progress, participants participate in four scheduled workshops, as well as engage in individual and group assignments throughout the course.
The course requirements regarding the scope and complexity of the project content depend on whether the project is an individual or collegial undertaking. Examples of suitable projects include:
- Development and/or re-design of a programme
- Development of specific features of a programme from a pedagogical perspective (e.g., progression).
- The planning and execution of a well-defined inquiry project, which is closely related to participants teaching practice.
There will be ample opportunities in the course to further shape each project. Language of instruction is English.
Course Dates
The course runs from 2 September 2024 – 15 January 2025.
The course facilitates the following workshops:
- 18 September 9:15-12:00
- 9 October 9 9:15-12:00
- 27 November 9:15-12:00
- 21 January 9:15-16:00
All course activities take place in Room M313 at the MNO Building (Sölvegatan 16).
Scope & Assessment
The course is equivalent to three weeks of pedagogical training, corresponding to 120 hours of full-time work. To receive a certificate, course participants shall demonstrate achievement of the intended learning outcomes by:
- Attending at least 80% of classroom activities.
- Submitting individual and group assignments.
- Writing an individual assignment about the process, outcome, and (planned) implementation of their pedagogical development project, which meets the assessment criteria.
Note: The first workshop is foundational to your progression throughout the course. While absence at the other workshops can be supplemented by a written make-up assignment, non-attendance in the first workshop will necessitate your deferred enrolment in a subsequent iteration of the course.
If a participant does not complete a course within the specified time, all course components must be submitted within three years of commencement in order to receive a course certificate.
To receive a course certificate, the participant shall demonstrate an ability to:
- Analyze the relevant educational environment to identify areas in need of development.
- Relate the project to relevant academic literature by identifying and making use of pedagogical theories and methodologies of relevance for a chosen project.
- Conduct a pedagogical project based on an identified need for development which will benefit the relevant educational environment.
- Design and evaluate effective pedagogical measures with consideration to the relevant educational environment, as well as to educational research.
- Critically reflect on the relevant educational environment to make informed decisions for continual improvement, thereby enhancing pedagogical self-efficacy.
Participants enrolled in the course shall have completed five weeks of pedagogical training before the course start, for example, the courses ‘Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’, or equivalent, and ‘Course Design in Higher Education’, or equivalent.
There is no formal course literature; participants are encouraged to review relevant literature in the execution of their projects.
Who is this course for?
This course is suitable for groups of colleagues or individual academic teachers who want to undertake a substantial pedagogical development project of identified need and relevance to their teaching environment.