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UTQ competency profile

Explanation of UTQ/BKO Certification:

The University Teaching Qualification (UTQ; Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs, BKO) is part of the continuous professional development of the role of teacher/trainer. It forms a component of the continuous professional development of teachers and the qualitative improvement of education. The BKO trajectory consists of competency domains and learning objectives in which teachers and trainers develop towards meeting the BKO criteria. Working towards these learning objectives and competency domains supports the development of (beginning) teachers and lays the foundation for continuous development and potentially a broader role in education. To obtain a UTQ/BKO, a teacher’s educational practice must include various forms of teaching to establish a broad didactic foundation during the BKO process.

The specified competencies can be achieved within the domains of bachelor’s and master’s programs in Medicine, Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry, and related programs, such as medical (specialist) postgraduate training.
Wherever the role of ‘teacher’ and ‘student’ is mentioned, the terms ‘trainer,’ ‘researcher,’ ‘supervisor,’ ‘intern,’ ‘PhD candidate,’ or ‘resident’ (AIOS), etc., may also apply.

Training moments such as handovers, educational meetings, lab training, progress interviews, and patient demonstrations also count as education. It is important to note that these training and/or educational moments in the workplace, in the context of an UTQ/BKO, must be actively and consciously designed.

The BKO competency profile consists of the following four domains:

  1. Professionalism

  2. Developing and Innovating Education

  3. Conducting Education

  4. Assessment and Feedback

1. Professionalism

Context:
You work as an academic, critically reflective education professional and stay up to date with recent developments in education and workplace learning within your field, with an eye on your own well-being and vitality as well as that of your colleagues.

Competencies:

  • You continuously develop your teaching/training competencies by:
    • Organizing your personal learning plan and translating it into activities.
    • Basing your learning plan on the teaching/training competencies relevant to you.
    • Making use of opportunities for training, coaching, feedback, and peer review or choosing your own alternative methods.
  • You systematically reflect on your functioning in teaching/training roles and learn from it:
    • Based on situations from your own teaching/training practice.
    • Drawing on solicited and unsolicited (inter)professional feedback from various sources, including students, colleagues, supervisors, coaches, and patients.
    • Related to the principles of the curriculum and/or program.
  • You keep your subject knowledge up to date to deliver high-quality teaching/training by:
    • Following recent scientific developments in your field.
    • Evaluating scientific developments for relevance within the context of the program and implementing them in your teaching.
  • You maintain balance in your different tasks by:
    • Knowing what is concretely expected of you.
    • Performing your teaching/training tasks alongside other responsibilities.
    • Recognizing overload in time and discussing it with colleagues, supervisors, or other relevant parties.

2. Developing and Innovating Education

Context:
You develop and innovate education using the most common forms of academic education and/or training practice, considering the various teaching/training roles you fulfill.

Competencies:

  • You base your design and development of education on:
    • Solid knowledge of the curriculum, program, and/or training plans, including backgrounds, principles, final qualifications, structure, content, and assessment.
    • Educational literature and scientific insights.
    • Safety requirements for people and the environment, confidentiality around patients and patient materials, and proper handling of research data.
  • You coordinate didactic developments and improvements in education with your colleagues.
  • The learning materials you design and develop:
    • Align with the learning objectives of the education.
    • Are didactically grounded, taking into account the didactic principles applied in your education.
    • Challenge students to engage in constructive, self-directed, practice-oriented, and collaborative learning.
    • Include opportunities for (self-)assessment with feedback, allowing students to evaluate and adjust their own learning process.
    • Are varied in form and media use.
    • Provide a meaningful context.

3. Conducting Education

Context:
You carry out educational/training activities using the most common forms of academic education, considering the various teaching/training roles you fulfill.

Competencies:

  • You can explain the structure, content, organization, assessment, and regulations (OER) of the curriculum to students and colleagues and refer them to additional information when necessary.
  • The educational/training activities you conduct:
    • Challenge students to engage in constructive, self-directed, practice-oriented, and collaborative learning.
    • Suit the needs and personal characteristics of the students.
    • Support the student's learning objectives within the framework of the curriculum/program.
  • Your interaction with students:
    • Aligns with the group's dynamics.
    • Contributes to their and your academic development.
  • In your interaction with other teachers:
    • You know who is active in education inside and outside your field and collaborate as needed.
    • You consciously address the practical and social functioning of each team in or with which you carry out your educational/training activities, as well as the functioning of individual team members.
    • You align your work with the educational/training vision of your department (center) and the possibilities, limitations, and developments applicable to education there.
    • You provide both solicited and unsolicited constructive feedback to colleagues, supervisors, and coaches.
  • You ensure a reliable and safe learning environment.

4. Assessment and Feedback

Context:
You develop and implement assessments and provide feedback using the most common forms of academic education. Your assessments and feedback support the learning process.

Competencies:

  • The assessments you develop and use, and the feedback you provide:
    • Are discussed with colleagues and assessment experts when necessary.
    • Align with the principles of the curriculum.
    • Match the learning objectives of the educational/training unit (module, course, internship, clinical rotation, etc.) and the curriculum.
    • Provide students with insight into their competencies and areas for improvement.
    • Provide teachers/trainers with insight into the student's development.
    • Provide examiners with the information necessary for reliable evaluation.
  • You assess students’ performance transparently and fairly, providing them with appropriate feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of their knowledge, skills, attitude, and/or behavior, along with actionable ways to improve.
  • You encourage students to:
    • Use educational assessments to individually or collaboratively monitor their progress and improve their learning process.
    • Seek, give, and process peer feedback.
  • You communicate effectively with the module coordinator and contribute to the quality assurance cycle of the education program.
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Education University Teaching Qualification

About the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) in Dutch: BKO

The University Teaching Qualification (UTQ, BKO in Dutch) provides proof of the teaching competence of university teaching staff. read more
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About the University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) in Dutch: BKO

About the University Teaching Qualification (BKO)

The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU) has developed an accreditation for lecturers at Dutch universities. The University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) provides proof of the teaching competence of university teaching staff. In 2008, all Dutch universities signed an agreement on the mutual recognition of the UTQ. The details of the nationally established UTQ requirements can vary slightly for individual institutions or faculties.

Radboud university medical center’s UTQ profile

Radboud university medical center has developed its own UTQ profile based on the national requirements. The profile takes explicit account of the basic educational principles of the Nijmegen curricula.

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Akkelien Bergsma

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In brief

  • Lecturers at Radboud university medical center who are involved in initial university programs.

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    Who is it for?

    In consultation with your head of department, you can decide whether you wish to obtain a UTQ. All members of the permanent academic staff at the Radboud university medical center with a teaching position of >0.2 FTE must obtain a UTQ.

    A UTQ is a prerequisite for appointment to the positions of Associate Professor and Junior Principal Lecturer and for appointment to certain central teaching roles, such as quarterly director or line coordinator.

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    The admissions process

    Radboud university medical center has a Starting Qualification as a general springboard qualification for teaching. It is mandatory for all teaching staff and is obtained by completing the *Introduction to Nijmegen Curricula course. On completion of that course, you can use this application form to apply for the Starting Qualification.

    Once you have the Starting Qualification, you can work towards two higher qualifications:

    • University Teaching Qualification
    • Extended Teaching Qualification

    You must have the University Teaching Qualification before you can obtain the Extended Qualification.

    *For more information about this course, go to Education and search for 'Introduction to Nijmegen curricula'.

UTQ competency profile

Read the UTQ competencies for each cluster here.

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How do you obtain the UTQ?

You go through a UTQ program with a peer group and you create an individual portfolio. read more
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How do you obtain the UTQ?

If you are new to the Radboud university medical center, you can expect to take on average one and a half years to compile a portfolio. This partly depends on the extent to which you meet the assessment criteria at the start of the program and have evidence to prove this.

At the various steps in the program, online documents are available that can help you build your portfolio.

  1. Lecturer and head of department make an agreement
  2. Lecturer signs up for intake interview
  3. Intake interview
  4. UTQ program: lecturer starts the program with a peer group and compiles a portfolio
    • Start session
    • Five peer-consultancy sessions
  5. Lecturer submits portfolio to coordinator of professional development for lecturers
  6. Coordinator checks that the portfolio is complete
  7. Professional Development for Lecturers steering group assesses the portfolio on content
  8. Final assessment by Professional Development for Lecturers steering group
  9. Certificate is awarded

Principles

The UTQ program aligns with the principles of the new Bachelor’s curriculum in Medicine and Biomedical Sciences:

  • Lecturers are activated at the start session to reflect on the form that their UTQ program will take. Like students, they meet in a peer group, in which they work jointly on building their portfolio, through peer consultation and sharing experiences.
  • Lecturers work together in the program (peer consultation, peer review).
  • Lecturers are self-directed when it comes to choosing the components for their program, but there are fixed assessment times and they all maintain a portfolio.

The new UTQ program is fully oriented to the teaching practice of the lecturers; alignment with this practice is maximized through self-direction.

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Here you will find documents, formats and forms.

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