Courses for staff


Course didactics for Continuing Education

Universities, in addition to education for initial students, also have Continuing Education (CE) as their task. Education for (external) professionals requires a certain design and supervision. This type of education brings many opportunities, but at the same time also comes with challenges for course design, supervision, and assessment. The characteristics, expectations, and (learning) needs of the professionals and the great diversity within the target group mean that this type of education requires a different approach than education for initial students.

In order to support lecturers in the (further) development of this type of education and to learn from each other, the alliance partners offer the course ‘Didactics for Continuing Education’.

Course content

The course consists of three plenary sessions and individual coaching, peer-to-peer feedback, and reciprocal exchange. Session 1 covers the vision on Continuing Education and the characteristics of Continuing Education, in session 2 we will cover the design of Continuing Education, session 3 is a review session in which the focus is on the application of the learned material in practice.

Session 1: Vision on Continuing Education and the characteristics of Continuing Education

Date: 23 May 2024, 10-16 hours (including lunch)

In session 1, we will focus on the vision on Continuing Education and the characteristics of Continuing Education. What are the reasons for promoting lifelong learning? What does the organization want to achieve with Continuing Education, and what role are you willing and able to take in this? Furthermore, we will look at the characteristics, needs, and expectations of professionals and pay attention to the characteristics of Continuing Education. To what extent is it different from education for initial students? Time investment: 6-hour session plus 4 hours of preparation.

We expect participants to have knowledge of didactics on the UTQ-level and be familiar with the principles of constructive alignment, formative and summative assessment, and theories on motivation. For participants who want to supplement or refresh their knowledge on educational design we have a module ‘Refreshing prior knowledge’. Time investment for this is 1-4 hours.

Session 2: Design and supervision

Date: 13 June 2024, 10-16 hours (including lunch)

In session 2, we will focus on the design and the content of Continuing Education. How to achieve Continuing Education that is attuned to the field and the participants? How do you design Continuing Education to what professionals want and need to further develop themselves? Which supervision style fits with the needs and characteristics of professionals? Which difficult situations can be encountered in Continuing Education groups, and how do you handle them? In this session, you will learn to make conscious choices for course design, work forms, supervision, and assessment methods that suit professionals. Time investment: 6-hour session plus 6 hours of preparation.

Session 3: Concluding session

Date: 29 August 2024, 9.30-13 hours (including lunch)

Between sessions 2 and 3, the participants work on atelier assignments in which there is room for personal learning goals and working on preparing or designing their own Continuing Education. During this period, exchange and discussion is possible via the Ulearning platform, four (online) peer-feedback sessions take place, and participants receive an individual coaching session.

Session 3 is a concluding session in which participants present their assignments and findings to each other. Based on the conclusions from the atelier assignments and additional input, we will jointly choose a few themes to explore in more depth. Time investment: 4-hour session plus preparation of in total 15 to 20 hours. Namely: 4 peer-feedback sessions on 18 Juni, 26 Juni, 2 July and
27 August from 9-10 hours, an individual coaching session of 1 hour and working on atelier assignment(s): 10 hours

Target group
Teachers and developers (coordinators) of CE from faculties and departments of TUE, UU, UMCU, WUR and from other universities are welcome.

Number of participants
8 – 16

Location
The course will be given at a location in the centre of Utrecht (walking distance from Utrecht central station).

Programme supervision:
The course will be given by Sanne Elling and Hester Glasbeek, Educational Development & Training, Utrecht University.

Cost
The course costs €1.990,-

A reduced rate applies for participants working at one of the four EWUU-partners (Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University, and UMC Utrecht).

Information and registration
For more information, or a provisional registration you can contact:
Sanne Elling (s.k.elling@uu.nl)