Frequently asked questions about the UTQ

We estimate a total time of about 70 hours, including attending the sessions. When registering for the UTQ, we would advise you to reserve 4-6 hours per week, so you can do the preparation work and keep up with writing the portfolio in addition to following the sessions.

Once you have registered for a cohort, you have to attend all sessions. Should you fall ill during the course, you can work out a solution with the trainer.

If you miss more than 1 session, we request that you join the next cohort.

For a succesful completion of the UTQ project, we recommend that you are teaching a course in the same period. We ask you to improve that course, with the knowledge you obtain in the UTQ. If you are not teaching, we suggest to discuss this in your own faculty, to see whether you can follow the UTQ path. Once you have permission to do so, ask the coordinator of the course you are involved in, if you may use (parts of) that course for the UTQ trajectory.

By completing the DDE trajectory, you will receive a partial certificate for the Delivery component of the UTQ. This means that during the UTQ you are exempted from taking the Delivery session, the MicroLab (Supervision of Formative Assessment), and the lesson observation. You also don't have to provide evidence for your portfolio for this part. We offer a discount of 1000,- on the participation fee for the UTQ. Please contact the course coordinator if this applies to you: you will receive a separate registration form.

Risbo does not grant an exemption from the UTQ. EUR's policy is that every lecturer must obtain a UTQ. Only new professors, associate professors, or assistant professors with an exceptional track record (in practice mainly full professors) where the UTQ requirement may be a block to appointment, can receive an exemption. This exemption is submitted by the dean and must be approved by the rector magnificus.

For lecturers with a teaching qualification from a foreign university or a teacher qualification, we do have an abbreviated route under strict conditions. See below the regulations to qualify for an abbreviated pathway.

Are you eligible for the shortened UTQ trajectory? Then contact our secretariat and provide a copy of the certificate/diploma you obtained earlier. An educational advisor from Risbo will then assess whether you are eligible for this shortened trajectory.

The sessions of the UTQ involve working on your own products, which you will create using the preparation materials. During the sessions there is room for getting feedback from peers and experts. There might be some content topics that are also covered during basic didactics. However, this will mainly save you preparation time for the sessions. The relevance of the sessions and getting feedback is still there, even if you have taken the basic didactics course at an earlier stage.

It is EUR's policy that every lecturer must be proficient in English at least at level C1. For that reason, you will not obtain the full UTQ certificate until you have also met that requirement. Teachers from EMC are exempted from this requirement. You can contact the Language and Training Centre at the EUR (ltc@eur.nl) to have your English level assessed. If your English level is below C1, you can take a course at the Language and Training Centre.

If you already have a good command of the English language, you can ask the LTC for an exception to this assessment (e.g. if you have worked/lived abroad for some time or studied in English). The Language and Training Centre will then assess whether this is sufficient to prove level C1.

Yes! Lecturers from any University or University of Applied Sciences are welcome to follow our UTQ Trajectory. However, please first consult your supervisor. We also provide customized trajectories for any type of institution and would be happy to discuss the possibilities with you.

• During the UTQ we ask you to be involved in the coordination of a course/subject, to be able to (re)design a course during the UTQ. If you are not involved as a coordinator yourself, make sure you work closely with a coordinator of a course so you can make suggestions for the (re)design of the course.
• In addition, we want you to carry out teaching during the UTQ. In fact, we want to come and observe at least one teaching moment. It is important that we see you interacting with students. This teaching moment can be a workgroup, lecture, guest lecture, practical, etc. and can also be separate from the course you (co)coordinate. 1-on-1 supervision of students is (therefore) not suitable for an observation.

This is not possible, as we believe that you should put into practice what you have learned during the UTQ. We will schedule the observation during the kick-off session. 

We ask you to engage a supervisor during the UTQ trajectory, so he/she is aware of your development. The supervisor you choose is preferably your manager but could also be a (senior) colleague who has obtained the UTQ certificate.

The time investment for the supervisor during your UTQ is 3 hours at most. He/she will read (a part of) your portfolio (1-2 hours) and will be present during your presentation on the graduation session (1 hour).

Signing by the dean is a national arrangement so that the certificates can also be recognised by other universities.