The 4TU.Centre for Engineering Education (4TU.CEE) will get involved in a large-scale NWO research project. It involves 25 higher education institutes that will investigate what and how teachers learn when they innovate their own courses. The research is funded by the NRO (Nederlands Regieorgaan Onderwijsonderzoek), a sub department from NWO especially focused on research on education. 4TU.CEE is strongly involved in the research project, with professor Jan Vermunt (TU/e) and professor Perry den Brok (WUR) as project leader and assisting project leader, respectively, and with research to be conducted at various of the 4TU institutes.
Changing roles of teachers
Higher education in the Netherlands is in the midst of a host of innovations in teaching and learning: learning analytics, personalised learning pathways, flipped classrooms, competency based teaching, collaborative learning in interdisciplinary projects, challenge-based learning, and technology enhanced learning are only a few examples of such innovations. These innovations require different roles from teachers. Unfortunately, in the introduction and evaluation of such innovations what teachers learn and what skills, knowledge, views and identities they (need to) acquire is hardly ever taken along.
Research in its infancy
Research on teacher professional learning and development in higher education is still in its infancy. A variety of professional development initiatives is being practiced, for instance workshops, teacher research, learning through reflection, peer coaching, āscholarship of teaching and learningā programmes, learning communities and networked learning. A solid research base founded on research about whether, how and why different approaches work in different contexts, however, is lacking. Moreover, research on teacher professional development is often disconnected from research on student learning.
The granted NWO (NRO) research project aims to answer the question whether, how and why different approaches to teacher professional learning and development work for different innovations, contexts and populations. This will be done by conducting a literature study, doing a broad as well as an in-depth study of existing cases, and an intervention study, in which data will be collected on the innovation (context), teacher activities, support for teachers, teachersā learning and the effect on students.
The project in which both universities and universities of applied science are participating will have a duration of 3.5 years and will start in September 2020. Results of the study will be communicated regularly via the 4TU.CEE website and other channels.