A new model for competence development - experiences from Umeå university, Sweden.
Katarina Winka, Thomas Fritz
Umeå universitet, Sweden
In order to retain and develop teachers’ teaching competence, training is needed on an ongoing basis. An obstacle is that the opportunities for participation in competence development activities vary between departments, and the initiative and responsibility to enrol in this training is put on the individual teacher. Also, the individual need for competence development is often neglected when the offered training is limited.In 2007, a teaching competence inventory was conducted at X University. Teachers answered the question “What skills does a university teacher need?” The ability to use different teaching methods and the ability to use ICT as part of instruction were two of the skills that were identified. The compiled list of skills identified by the teachers has since then been used as a source of inspiration and one of the tools to identify the competence development needs and the strategy for competence development.The Center for Teaching and Learning provides training opportunities for teaching staff at our university. We have designed a new model for pedagogical competence development based on national and local guidelines, and the identified teacher skills from the survey. The training of online teaching-skills is integrated in all our courses, as is the training of different teaching methods and the scholarly approach to teaching.Our model is based on three principles.1. Develop yourself as a teacher by choosing either Complementary or Depth courses,2. Your path through the range of courses is determined by an individual competence development plan,3. In the courses the focus is to professionalize the teaching role and to develop a scholarly approach to teaching and learning.By providing template development plans, and involving the heads of departments in the planning process, the need for competence development for the individual, and the department, becomes visible. It is then possible to create opportunities for teachers to take part in competence development and for the department and faculty to plan a budget for this.The teacher has the possibility to influence the contents of the individual competence plan, but the final decision should be done together with the head of department.no references included