UCU Workshops and Seminars for Faculty Development
The target audience consists of teachers at UCU and at participating University Colleges in the
Netherlands. We will work with our sister college UCR in Middelburg, and the Deans of three
additional University Colleges in the Netherlands have expressed an interest in collaborating: AUC
(Amsterdam), LUC (Leiden), and UCM (Maastricht). Offerings at those institutions will be open to
UC teachers.
Preliminary overview
We identify the following themes and sub-themes in liberal arts teaching:
A. The liberal arts philosophy:
1. History and ideals
2. The curriculum
3. Individual teaching philosophy
B. Teaching one’s discipline in a liberal arts and sciences program:
1. Context and history of the discipline
2. Different ways of knowing, grand problems, interdisciplinary teaching
C. Liberal arts teaching skills
1. Teaching to a (culturally and academically) diverse group
2. Teaching across a language divide
3. Teaching interactively (small groups, discussions)
D. Personal development of students
1. Evoking excellence (honors)
2. Contact with the individual student (individual guidance)
3. What college does to students: intellectual and ethical development
Date1
Title
Moderator(s)
Topic
Type
Tues. March 3
Interdisciplinary teaching
B2
Workshop
Tues. April 7
A1
Seminar
Tues. April 28
(Working title)
Liberal arts in the Netherlands
The international classroom
Ria vd Lecq
Fred Wiegant (?)
James Kennedy
Lonia Jakubowska
Annemieke Meijer
C1
Workshop
Tues. Sept.
SUMMER BREAK
Evoking excellence
D1
Workshop
Tues. Oct.
Teacher as educator
D2
Mtg. PC
Tues. Oct/Nov
Leading discussions
C3
Workshop
Tues. Nov.
Individual teaching philosophy, II
A3
Mtg. PC
Tues. Dec.
Development and motivation
Rob van der Vaart
Karin Scager
Jocelyn Ballantyne
Christel Lutz
Hetty Grunefeld
UCU colleague
Hetty Grunefeld
UCU colleague
Christel Lutz
Renske de Kleijn (?)
C3
Workshop
1
Meetings will be held at UCU, in the afternoons (most likely 3-5pm); dates are confirmed but may move
depending on what other colleges offer; the date for Kennedy is fixed.
UCR Faculty Development
Friday 27 March/Undergraduate Research
Friday 22 May
Michael Burke
Gerda Andringa
9.30-12.30
In what ways is it possible to move beyond a model in which students are taught about
research skills and methods to a model in which students are actively engaged in research
activities – individually or collaboratively, in a student community or in a faculty-student
project? What strategies exist to support student research and which case studies may provide
helpful examples that may be adapted and applied within LAS curricula? To what extent are
opportunities for student research influenced by disciplinary paradigms (e.g. independent
research projects in the arts, collaborative projects in the sciences)? Is undergraduate research
suitable for all students? What are the implications for curriculum design?
Friday 27 March/
Friday 22 May
Sofie Loyens
Remy Rijkers
14.00-17.00
The workshop “I will teach you a lesson: A state of the art overview of educational psychology”
will address questions such as: How do we learn and what implications does this have for
teaching? How can we handle individual differences in the classroom and make sure that every
learner optimally performs? What consequences does the digitalization of our society have for
education? These, and other essential questions that you might have encountered in your
educational practice, will come to the fore in this workshop. Not only answers to these questions
will be discussed, but there will also be room to exchange experiences and best practices.
(Dates either/or)
Amsterdam University College faculty development seminars and courses
Title of
workshop
21st-Century
Skills:
Computational
Thinking
Brief Description
Computational thinking is a
digital age skill which is
important for everyone, and
not only computer scientists.
We all need to understand
how, when and where
computers and other digital
tools can help us solve
problems. We also need to
know how to communicate with
others who can assist us with
computer-supported solutions.
It is a way of solving problems,
designing systems and
understanding human behavior
by drawing on concepts
fundamental to computer
science.
Target
group
UC faculty
from all
disciplines
Offered by
UC science
faculty
Michiel van
Drunen
Half-day.
UC faculty
from all
disciplines
who use
discussions
widely in
the
classroom
UC faculty
from all
disciplines
Emma Cohen de
Lara, Hilla
Dayan
This course
has already
been offered
successfully for
interested
AUC faculty.
Half-day.
Maurits de
Klepper
This course
has been
offered in Jan.
2015 for
interested AUC
faculty.
2 hours with
follow-up in 4
weeks’ time on
content of
films
produced.
Breanndan O’
Nuallin and
other interested
faculty
Additional
Comments
Half-day.
When would this approach be
suitable and how can it best be
incorporated in (parts of) the
LAS curriculum?
The Role of
Science in a
Liberal Arts
and Sciences
Curriculum
The details of this proposal are
currently in development, in
consultation between the HoS,
Sciences and the Science
teaching faculty.
Classroom
strategies,
Discussion
techniques
This course looks at practical
strategies in the classroom to
manage discussions successfully.
Flipped
Classroom
This course focuses on the
making of instructional
films/videos to be studied outside
the classroom in order to free up
more time in class.
How to
develop
effective
assessments
This was cited widely in BKO
questionnaires as a desirable
training course for AUC teachers.
UC faculty
from all
disciplines
VU examination
centre, Johanna
de Groot,
member of AUC
Board of
Examiners
Forrest
Bradbury
Marco de Waard
Principal
Educator
seminar
These seminars will disseminate
the results of the Principal
Educator projects among fellow
UC faculty
UC faculty
from the
relevant
discipline
for the PE
project
Technology in
the Classroom
These seminars will develop
practical skills, e.g. prezi,
smartboard.
UC faculty
Expertise AUC
faculty
Managing
Workload
This seminar will address the
issues involved in managing
workload effectively
UC faculty
Cor Zonneveld
This course
still has to be
developed.
Could be a
short series.
These
seminars can
be given at the
end of the PE
projects.
Half-day per
seminar.
This was also
indicated in
BKO
questionnaires.
Half-day per
workshop.
Half-day
workshop
Registration: HR Assistant m.e.saaijer@uva.nl (Michiel Saaijer)
1. Faculty Development group
A Faculty Development group has been set up with members:
Breanndan O’Nuallin
Allard den Dulk
Wade Geary
Melanie Eijberts
Emma Cohen de Lara
2. SKO educational leadership
Educational leadership is a key criterion for advancing to ‘docent 1’ and for obtaining the SKO
certificate. We are looking into possibilities for training for this for our faculty.