University Teaching Qualification (UTQ)

The University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) is evidence of the didactic competence of teachers in academic education. The UTQ is recognised by all 14 Dutch universities. By following a UTQ track, you develop your didactic skills in developing, providing, evaluating and assessing high-quality education. The UTQ is the starting point of your ongoing development as a teacher. 

For teachers with a permanent contract and a teaching load of > 0,2FTE at Radboud University, obtaining a UTQ is mandatory. It is advised to obtain the UTQ within two years. You follow the UTQ track at your own faculty.  

The UTQ competency domains 

The UTQ track focuses on six competency domains: Teaching practice, Supervising students, Course design, Course evaluation, Assessment and Continuous self-development.  These competency domains are in line with the Educational vision of the Radboud University.  

The UTQ partial certificates 

To obtain your UTQ, you will first need to obtain four partial certificates: Teaching practice, Student Supervision, Course design and Evaluation* and Assessment. The partial certificates Teaching Practice and Student Supervision are part of a nationwide pilot for partial certificates in which most of the universities in the Netherlands participate.  

The partial certificates mentioned above can be obtained independently of each other and in any preferred order within the UTQ track. You will continue to work on the competency domain Continuous self-development throughout your UTQ track. For teachers who follow a regular or a modified UTQ track (see Variations of the UTQ track below), a development-focused end-conversation is held to conclude the UTQ track. The development-focused assessment takes place after you have obtained all four partial certificates. The competency domain Continuous self-development is central in this assessment. 

*The UTQ partial certificate covers two competency domains: Course design and Course evaluation. 

Overview of required teaching tasks

To work on the competency domains within the UTQ track, you need sufficient teaching experience and tasks. In the table below you can read which these are. 

Competency domain/Partial certificate Required (current) teaching tasks 
Teaching practice >0,2 fte teaching practice (lectures/turotials or other forms of education, such as practicals)
Student supervision Supervision of 2 students in a thesis or internship program (Ba or Ma level)
Course design and Evaluation Involvement in a course in which you (re-)design (a large part of) the course (if you are not the course coordinator of the course, then consult with the course coordinator about the possibilities for redesign). 
AssessmentInvolvement in a course in which you (re-)design (a large part of) the assessment (if you are not the course coordinator of this course, then consult the course coordinator about the possibilities for redesign). 

Variations of the UTQ track

Regular track

The regular UTQ track is intended for novice lecturers and educational PhD with a teaching task of > 0,2 FTE and (with the prospect of) a permanent contract or teachers with a temporary contract for 3 years or more. Note that PhD candidates with a 4-year contract cannot follow the regular track (please consult: Separate partial certificates). In the regular UTQ track, you will be supervised by a UTQ coach. During an intake with your UTQ coach, you will discuss which track is most suitable for you. This can also be a combination of the regular and the modified UTQ track. 

Modified track

The modified UTQ track is for teachers with extensive teaching experience and/or a partial certificate for one or more of the UTQ competency domains. In addition, there is a requirement of a teaching task of > 0,2 FTE and (the prospect of) a permanent contract, or a temporary contract of more than 3 years. During an intake with your UTQ coach, you will discuss which track is most suitable for you. This can also be a combination of the modified and regular UTQ track. 

Separate partial certificates 

For PhD candidates with a 4-year contract and teachers with a contract of < 3 years and/or teaching task of < 0,2fte it is possible to obtain separate partial certificates for the competency domains Teaching practice and Student supervision, if your teaching tasks meet the requirements for this (see the table with Required teaching tasks). These partial certificates are part of a national pilot for partial certificates in which most universities in the Netherlands participate. PhD candidates cannot follow the entire UTQ track because of their limited teaching load (with the exception of educational PhD candidates). This policy is in line with national agreements. 

EVC track 

For very experienced teachers (more than 10 years of teaching experience in all competency domains) or for teachers who have already acquired a didactic qualification (e.g., from abroad), the EVC track (Previously Acquired Competences) could be suitable. The faculty will have to nominate teachers for the EVC track. Based on the available experience and qualifications, we will discuss what track is most suitable for you. 

Note: Teachers cannot enroll themselves for the EVC-track via the registration form below. Please contact your faculty's UTQ contact person (see contact information below).  

Registration for UTQ programme

The first step for the regular and adapted UTQ track is to register for the UTQ track via the web form below. Enrolment is not a guarantee for short-term participation due to waiting lists at a number of faculties. For each faculty, it is determined whether and when registrations for the UTQ track will be opened based on the number of available places. 

Please note:  

  • To participate in an EVC track , your faculty must nominate you. Please contact the faculty UTQ contact person.   
  • To obtain partial certificates in Teaching practice and Student supervision, PhD candidates and lecturers with a smaller educational task (< 0,2fte) or contract < 3 years can register directly for participation in the courses Teaching practice and Student supervision (educational PhD candidates follow a regular UTQ track).  

After registering for the UTQ track, you will receive a confirmation of receipt of your registration. If there are enough available places in your faculty's UTQ track, we will invite you for an intake with a UTQ coach. During the intake, you and your UTQ coach will determine which UTQ track (regular, modified or a combination thereof) best suits your personal situation.  

Register

Contact

If you have any questions about the UTQ track, please contact the UTQ coordination team via utqcoordination [at] ru.nl (utqcoordination[at]ru[dot]nl).