Are you ready to elevate your teaching skills and make a lasting impact on your students? The Senior University Teaching Qualification (SUTQ) at the University of Twente (UT) is also known in Dutch as the SKO (senior kwalificatie onderwijs) and is developed and offered in cooperation with 4TU-CEE. Designed for experienced academic staff, the SUTQ provides a unique opportunity to dive deeper into evidence-informed teaching and create meaningful change in the classroom.
Why Join the SUTQ?
The SUTQ is more than a qualification; it’s your opportunity to transform your teaching practices, gain advanced skills, and earn recognition as an innovater in education. By joining, you will:
- Develop a critical and reflective mindset to continuously improve your teaching.
- Use evidence-based methods to tackle real educational challenges, implement innovative solutions, and evaluate their impact.
- Advance your journey toward becoming a Scholarly Teacher, as defined by Ruth Graham.
- Join a community of passionate educators, sharing insights and gaining fresh ideas through collaboration.
What Can You Expect?
The programme is project-based, allowing you to directly apply what you learn to your own teaching context. Here’s what’s in store:
- Your Own Project: Choose a project aligned with your teaching goals, such as integrating new technologies, enhancing student well-being, or refining assessment methods.
- Workshops and Collaboration: Attend expert-led sessions and connect with fellow educators to exchange experiences and ideas.
- Guidance and Support: Receive personalized mentorship and coaching to help you succeed.
- Portfolio and Assessment: Showcase your project outcomes and reflections in a portfolio, assessed through an interview to confirm you meet SUTQ standards.
Who Can Apply?
This programme is open for applications from experienced UT teaching staff who have completed the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) or an equivalent certification.
Your Time Investment
The SUTQ takes about 200 hours over 1–1.5 years, with monthly sessions that include workshops, inspiration sessions, and peer feedback. Additional meetings and self-directed work are also part of the journey.
Start Your Journey Today
The SUTQ is a chance to grow, innovate, and make an impact—both for your students and your career. Are you ready to take the next step? Download our Brochure for more information how to apply. Applications are welcome between March 31 and April 25, 2025.
- The foundations of the SUTQ
The Senior University Teaching Qualification (SUTQ) is designed for teachers aiming to advance their professional development and engage with the university's teaching community. The University of Twente follows Ruth Graham's Career Framework for University Teaching, which includes four levels of professional development. T
Figure: Spheres of impact. Taken from The Career Framework for University Teaching by Ruth Graham. https://www.teachingframework.com/framework/spheresofimpact/
Core Concepts of SUTQ:
- Learning and development towards becoming a Scholarly Teacher.
- Educational design research.
Obtaining the SUTQ certificate could help in progressing on the UT Teaching Framework for Recognising and Rewarding Teaching Achievements from Level 2 (Skilled and Collegial Teacher) to Level 3 (Scholarly Teacher).
Educational Design Research
The scholarly teacher, should be able to conduct educational design research to work evidence informed and to generate new knowledge from research in teaching practice. This approach involves iterative development of evidence-informed solutions to practical educational problems, providing a basis for scientific inquiry. It aims to solve significant issues while generating new knowledge to benefit others facing similar challenges. This methodology forms the basis of the SUTQ approach and will be explained to you in a series of workshops, and be practiced in a SUTQ project.Key Benefits of SUTQ
- Promotes evidence-informed innovative teaching practices.
- Enhances the quality of education within programs.
- Recognizes and rewards experienced teachers.
- Fosters the development of educational expertise.
- Builds a community among experienced teachers.
- Improves peer guidance for new and UTQ teachers.
- Facilitates knowledge sharing across educational programs.
Publications about the SUTQ trajectoryVeen, J.T., Hahnen-Florijn, M.E., Poortman, C.L., Schildkamp, K. & McKenney, S.E. (2017). Senior University Teaching Qualification via Engineering Education Research and Design. Paper presented at the 45th SEFI Annual Conference, 18-22 September 2017, Azores. Paper
Poortman, C. L. , Rouwenhorst, C. , ten Voorde-ter Braack, M. , & van der Veen, J. T. (2020). The Senior University Teaching Qualification: Engaging in Research, Design and Building Community in Engineering Education. In J. van der Veen, N. van Hattum-Janssen, H-M. Järvinen, T. de Laet, & I. ten Dam (Eds.), Engaging, Engineering, Education: Book of Abstracts, SEFI 48th Annual Conference University of Twente (online), 20-24 September, 2020 (pp. 1053-1063). University of Twente. Paper
For more information on the SUTQ, please contact:
