UT Rector Tom Veldkamp appointed the first seven Teaching & Learning Fellows last April as part of a pilot from the 4TU.Centre for Engineering Education. Over the next two years, the fellows will have the opportunity to improve their own teaching with the help of practice-oriented research.
Each faculty nominated one fellow for this pilot.4TU.CEE supplemented the group with two "senior fellows". The fellows are appointed for two years. "During that period they are given extra time - one day a week - for education. Not so much for teaching, but mainly for research and development of education, "explains 4TU.CEE coordinator Ineke ten Dam.
Seven fellows
The 5 faculty fellows are: Anne Leferink (TNW), Léon Olde Scholtenhuis (ET), Tracy Craig (EEMCS), Janneke Ettema (ITC) and Anna Bos-Nehles (BMS). The two senior fellows are Raymond Loohuis and Robin de Graaf. This first group mainly focuses on the implementation of challenge-based learning at the UT.
The 'Teaching and Learning Fellows' pilot differs from initiatives such as the Senior Teaching Qualification, explains Ten Dam. "The SKO is more of a training programme. These fellows have already earned their spurs in education, on the basis of which they have been nominated. This is more of an appreciation for what they have already done in the field of education."
And, Ten Dam emphasizes: "The pilot is also a way to give the fellows a boost to make a career in education. A lot of hard work is being done on the revision of the remuneration and appreciation culture at the UT, which is still very research-oriented. This is one of the steps we are taking."
The intention is that a new group of seven Teaching and Learning fellows will start next year. The first two groups are funded by 4TU.CEE. In case of a positive evaluation of the pilot, it is intended that the UT will support the project financially.
Source: UToday