THEME: Inspiration on how SDU CTL can help you

Developing a pedagogical framework for teaching at the Faculty of Science

Development of a new pedagogical framework for teaching at the Faculty of Science. The framework is an extension of the faculty's educational strategy and at the same time constitutes the local implementation of the underlying principles for teaching and learning at SDU.

The faculty wanted sparring and support for pedagogical quality assurance of the pedagogical framework.

SDU CTL's role has been to:

• participate in a working group
• helping to plan and conduct focus group interviews with students
• organising a thematic workshop on first-year teaching with focus on themes that the framework suggests for the first year
• sparring on the implementation plan for the pedagogical framework.

Poul Nielsen, Associate Dean for Education at the Faculty of Science, describes: “The benefit for the faculty has been that the new framework is pedagogically sound and applicable in practice in the teaching environments. We have jointly created a thorough implementation plan and laid the foundation for a pedagogical development of the faculty's teaching that reaches far into the future”.

The pedagogical framework for teaching replaces the previous model. The implementation plan contains 7-8 themes that will be worked on continuously. For example, the creation of inspirational examples and competence development for teachers, where SDU CTL will also play a role.

Support for a new master’s degree

Competence development for lecturers on the MA in Population Studies at Faculty of Business and Social Science.

The head of studies was faced with a major challenge that the centre, which had not previously taught to this extent, now had to carry out a full education. The teachers represent many nationalities and different teaching cultures without being particularly familiar with the framework for teaching practice at SDU and the underlying principles for teaching and learning. In addition, the newly admitted students represent many countries and are recruited from many different bachelor programmes.

SDU CTL has helped by designing training for the teachers. We have held:

• an introductory course for teaching at SDU (a course which is close to what we have in our course catalogue, but which can be requested by larger groups of teachers)
• a course on Team Based Learning - as it was our assessment that it is a good way to get the diverse group of students to meet each other's skills and to create network for collaboration between the students
• 2 workshops on accommodating diversity and internationalization in teaching
• feedback on course descriptions and the learning goals for the new courses.

Jana Vobecká, Chief Academic Officer, PhD describes: “The set of tailor-made courses allowed the teachers to ask specific questions to their course needs and design, reflect on the structure and goals of their courses, and provided concise guidance to standards and teaching philosophy at SDU”.

The first semester of this new education has just started, and the teachers now feel more comfortable and prepared to plan and handle their teaching. SDU CTL will continuously be available with sparring and guidance for the lecturers and head of study.

Implementing generative AI in a Humanities course

A teacher from the Faculty of Humanities, Cindie A. Aaen Maagaard, wanted feedback on her ideas for using generative AI in her course. A consultant from SDU CTL was able to direct the teacher to a course on the use of generative AI in teaching, developed of It-vest (SDU, AAU and AU), which was able to systematise the development of this teaching initiative by involving the participant's practical world.

The teacher now has the opportunity to be inspired by webinars, resources and develop their teaching practice with feedback from SDU colleagues and SDU CTL in a competence development programme. 

The It-vest programme will be offered again in August 2025, but it is possible to register for the standalone webinars on generative AI, which will be offered here in September/October 2024 - read more here.

Adjustments to existing programme at the Faculty of Engineering

At the Faculty of Engineering, there were various challenges in the BEen in civil Engineering. One of the challenges was group work and a huge amount of traditional campus teaching. At the same time, the lecturers wanted to make changes in the programme structure. 

SDU CTL has helped with:

• sparring with the head of study and teachers on opportunities and restrictions on the design of the programme
•  focus group interviews with students from selected semesters
• thematic workshops for teachers
• going through the programme structure, goal descriptions and teaching methods.

Thomas Asmus Pedersen, Vice head of section, Associate Professor, describes: “As the new curriculum is implemented and rolled out, the teaching staff must work on reorganising large parts of the teaching into more facilitative teaching, where the students must be students to a greater extent and take greater responsibility for their own learning processes”.

In the coming semester, the teaching team will work on developing new semester projects, and the curriculum's exam profile will be adjusted to include a greater variety of assessment formats.

Strengthening the programme's profile and goals

SDU CTL often helps individual teachers adjust the objectives, learning activities and exam formats for their current course. This is usually done through one or two short 1:1-meetings and feedback on goal formulations.

Here's an example where an entire programme needed a ‘make over’.

The Master's programme and the Master’s programme for working professionals in Clinical Nursing at the Faculty of Health Sciences

Here, everyone experienced a challenge with fine-tuning the academic level of teaching.

SDU CLT has contributed by:

• convene a theme day where the objectives of the curriculum were reviewed with a focus on level progression and the content throughout the programme.
• subsequently, SDU CLT has provided feedback on goals and course descriptions etc.

Helen Schultz, Associate Professor, PhD, Head of  Master's programme in Clinical Nursing describes: "Objectives and course descriptions in the curriculum have been revised so that there is a clearer common thread and progression through the programme. Both teaching objectives and exams have been revised".