UTQ Frequently Asked Questions

The UTQ programme is mainly intended for all new or less experienced lecturers with teaching duties of more than 0,2 FTE. Obtaining the UTQ qualification is obligatory for all new lecturers at TU Delft with less than 5 years of teaching experience. They are obligated to obtain the qualification within 3 years after their appointment. The various sections of the programme are also open to other lecturers wishing to further develop their didactic qualities.  

If you are a new lecturer at TU Delft with less than 5 years of teaching experience and with teaching duties of more than 0,2 FTE, you have to take the UTQ. You will discuss this with your (faculty) manager and/or HR (Human Resources). If you are excused or an exemption is applicable you will also discuss this within your own faculty. 

The full programme (including modules and final interview) costs EUR 3000. These costs are usually paid by your Department or Faculty. Please arrange this with them and ask for the relevant baancode and/or project code before applying. Each module separately costs EUR 700.

You are obliged to obtain the qualification within 3 years after your appointment. The programme has an average study load of 160 hours.

Each of the modules consists of 3 sessions. For some of the modules these sessions are in consecutive weeks, for others there are 1 or 2 weeks between sessions. The total time from start to finish can take between 7 – 12 weeks. It depends on the specifics of each course. You can discuss this with the trainer or your mentor. On average the workload per module is 40 hours. You have to finish each module within 1 year after the start, otherwise you will have to redo the whole module.

Yes. The UTQ is on top of your normal workload, with an average workload of 40 hours per module. The modules are quite intense and especially DEVELOP and ASSESS are considered most time-consuming. You need to prepare for the sessions (including the first session) and work on (parts of) the PoC after each session. There is also a deadline to complete your PoC after the course, so keep this in mind when you plan your schedule.

You can finish each of the UTQ modules by attending all sessions and writing a Proof of Competence (PoC) that is approved by the trainer. Once approved you will receive the certificate for that specific module.

There are intermediate deadlines throughout the course for parts of your PoC. The trainer schedules time in his/her agenda to review your PoC based on these deadlines. If you meet these deadlines on time, you will receive feedback on time (preferably before the next session, providing it suits the trainer’s agenda). You can implement the feedback before the next deadline or when you complete your PoC. There is also a deadline after the course to complete your PoC. Again, if you meet this deadline on time you will receive feedback within 2 weeks. If not, the trainer will review it when it suits his/her agenda best. This might be after the next course run.

The UTQ trajectory always starts with module DEVELOP or module SUPERVISE.  DEVELOP has to precede TEACH and ASSESS. If you start with SUPERVISE, you should follow DEVELOP before joining TEACH and ASSESS.  After this, the other modules can be taken in any desirable order. 

It is not recommended to do multiple modules at once. Because they are time consuming, you need to prepare for each session and you have to write (parts of) your PoC, it can be really challenging to focus if you follow more than 1 module at a time. You will get the most out of each module if you grant yourself enough time for each of them.

Yes. You must be present for all sessions for each of the modules. In the case of unforeseen circumstances you should contact the trainer. It will be decided then if you can follow the missed session in another course run. This only applies for session 2 and session 3. Session 1 cannot be missed under any circumstances. If this is the case, you will have to reschedule the whole module.

There are no special prerequisites for the UTQ programme in terms of background knowledge. There are however prerequisites for 3 of the 4 modules. For DEVELOP there are no specific requirements. However, you should be involved in teaching, delivering or designing a course. For ASSESS you should have followed DEVELOP and have data available (from an exam or assignments/project) that you can use for data analysis. For TEACH you should have followed DEVELOP and need to teach (and provide an activating lesson) shortly after you have finished the last session. For SUPERVISE you need to be supervising a (PhD) student while taking the course. Please check the course descriptions for specific requirements for each course. You can also discuss this with your UTQ mentor or with the course coordinator. 

Blended Learning is a combination of different teaching styles. Within the UTQ we use a combination of face-to-face instruction and online learning.

The groups consist of 12-13 participants.

You can register via https://tudelfttls.opleidingsportaal.nl/. Here you can find all published courses per module for which you can enrol.

You can enrol for the waiting list via https://tudelfttls.opleidingsportaal.nl/. Underneath the specific modules and course runs there is an orange button ‘Waiting List’ where you can state your preferred date and add comments (e.g. the course run number). In case a spot becomes available you will receive an email.

Yes this is possible, without consequence, provided that you cancel your registration no later than 2 weeks before the start of the module. You can register again in the future whenever best suits your agenda. If your cancellation is within 2 weeks before the start of the module your faculty will be charged EUR 300. If you are a no show these costs will be EUR 700. These charges are regardless of any possible reasons for your cancellation. Send an email to Teaching-Support@tudelft.nl to cancel your registration.  

Send an email to Teaching-Support@tudelft.nl with your first and last name, email address and NetID so this information can be added manually by the UTQ administration team. This is especially important for TA trainings and board of studies trainings.  

The UTQ programme is mainly intended for all new lecturers with teaching duties of more than 0,2 FTE. PhDs, postdocs and researchers can take part in the UTQ. For PhDs with teaching tasks, we recommend the educational modules in the Doctoral Education (DE) Programme. Postdocs and researchers can also take part in the Doctoral Education Programme provided there is enough space in a course. For more information contact Teaching-Support@tudelft.nl or graduateschool@tudelft.nl.

If you started the UTQ before January 2017 you will now follow the same path as participants who started their UTQ after January 2017. If you have taken an elective module with a Proof of Competence, this counts as your fourth module. You must ensure you have completed 4 modules with Proofs of Competence and the Final Assessment.  

Exemption always refers to the 'exemption from the obligation to obtain the UTQ certificate'. Therefore, a UTQ certificate is not granted in case of an exemption. 

In principle, all newly appointed TU Delft academic staff members with teaching tasks who have less than 5 years of teaching experience are required to obtain a UTQ certificate within three years. If a teacher has more than five years teaching experience it can be advised to follow a so-called equivalency trajectory. Candidates will receive a decision after a faculty intake interview or in consultation with a direct manager. 

Here you can find detailed information about the Exemption Regulations.