To boost the professional development of EUR lecturers, the CLI offers the SUTQ and LEC courses. These are being organised by research and training institute Risbo. After completing a course, the lecturer is awarded a certificate and registration in EUR's HR system.
In the Leadership in Education Course (LEC) at multidisciplinary level is key. In this course, lecturers learn to shape innovation in terms of content and process. Participants are nominated by the Dean.
Various (former) participants talk about their experience with the LEC. Read their personal story here:
ESE Programme Director Dr Brigitte Hoogendoorn followed the Leadership in Education Course (LEC) in 2017-2018 when she was bachelor coordinator. “Further developing in education management and sharing experiences with like-minded people were the main reasons for me to follow the LEC.”
‘My manager at the time had also followed the LEC, and I started the course after we discussed this together. The great thing is that you follow the programme with colleagues from LDE (Leiden-Delft-Erasmus), so in my case I could share my experiences with Delft and Leiden colleagues as well as my ESL colleague.”
Huge enrichment
“Programmes such as Earth Sciences, Geography and Urban Studies are completely different studies in terms of size and content. But although every study programme has its own signature and culture, you’re still confronted with similar issues. Exchanging, sharing and learning from each other is a huge enrichment.”
Active in education management
“Not many colleagues are involved in education management within a faculty. So it’s not always possible to share your frustrations, the things you’re really happy about and the things that aren’t noticeable. I can still do that now with colleagues from my own LEC academic year. Even though the contact frequency isn’t that high, you know that the door is always open if you want to discuss something.”
Insight in educational issues
“The LEC is partly about education management and partly about educational issues. What I found really useful was understanding how the university is financed. How is that arranged at faculty and university level and from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science?
I also still remember the insight I gained from one of our former Rectors, Henk Schmidt, about the introduction of Nominal = Normal. Initially, I just accepted that as a fact, but he also showed me the scientific justification behind it. This still helps me in my daily work during the recent debate about the possible abolition of the binding study advice. I now understand much better why the BSA was introduced and can justify why this is in the interests of students.”
Recommended
“I’d certainly advise all bachelor coordinators to follow the LEC. I’d highly recommend it for all people with an above-average interest in education management.”
ESL Programme Director, Dr Eva Boomsluiter, will complete the Leadership in Education Course (LEC) in May 2021. “The LEC gives you a good foundation for your role as programme director.”
“I have been programme director of the Summary Law Master degree since September 2019. The Dean put me forward for this course in the context of that position. It’s also a good match for the role of programme director or in developing towards that position. For example, one of the components is the accreditation of a programme and everything that involves. How can you influence this as programme director?”
Building a network
“One of the biggest assets of the course is building a network and exchanging experiences between participants in similar positions but in other universities and faculties. What are your experiences, what do you come up against and how do you resolve this? You can learn a lot from each other, but it’s also really stimulating to work together.”
Broader vision
“What did the LEC offer me? My vision on management and management styles is much broader and deeper. My idea was always that management is really a project with fixed deadlines and a fixed goal. During the course I became familiar with other forms of management, the colours of De Caluwé with different styles and the natural process approach of management. We were given many tools and guidelines on how to handle management issues. The practical side of the course is also stimulating, such as producing a structured stakeholder analysis. I’m also using that in my daily work. I’ve developed more feelers: who plays a role and when do I involve those players?”
Dr. Mariëlle Linting, program director of Pedagogical Sciences at Leiden University, she took part in the Leadership in Education Course in 2018-2019. "It can really be an eye-opener to talk to people from a different study or institution about things that you take for granted in your daily life, such as the design of research methods."
“Immediately in the first year that I became program director, I had the opportunity to register for this course. I wanted to follow a leadership training anyway, and could also meet the condition to have a suitable project ready to work on during this LEC. Everything came together nicely. ”
Insight and self-confidence
“I would definitely recommend taking the LEC for any starting program director. This course can guide you well in your first steps as a program director. I do realise that the training takes a lot of time; you should not take it lightly. It is intensive and a lot of work with several assignments, both individually and in groups. If you can really take the time and space for it seriously, the course will provide useful insights into yourself and you will strengthen your self-confidence. ”
Develop educational vision
“The different perspectives and different contexts from other universities is what makes it even more interesting. Even more interesting than exchanging experiences with colleagues from your own university, who always share the same context with you. Also the content of the course, such as sessions about curriculum change or about developing an educational vision. What do you think about good education? Link that to the literature and look for arguments for it. You never really take the time to find out and write it down properly. A useful basis to take further. ”
Education Manager International Studies Dr Jaap Kamphuis started the Leadership in Education Course in 2018. “You learn to look at a study program from an educational perspective, without having to be an expert in it right away. That additional perspective is very useful. ”
The course was the ideal way to reflect with other people in similar positions on how to approach a curriculum renewal, finding a better connection with the labor market or building a community. As a new education manager I received a large humanities education from 1500 students and I first tried it out myself for a year. That is a good way to find out where the gaps are in your knowledge and skills. How do I get this done again? You can use the course well for that.
Educational perspective
What helped me the most is not so much the interaction and the network, however useful, pleasant and enriching they may be, but the substantive side of the training. Especially the new perspective that you get from the educational side, plus how you deal with projects, processes, how you bring people along, organize support and the fact that you do not have to be afraid to open up
Being open to other ideas
What I thought was very important was the insight that you can have your own ideas about how things should go, but I found that in general the best approach to make it as open as possible. Also accept schools of thought that go in a completely different direction than you had thought of yourself.
