Teaching and Learning in Higher Education - Introductory module

This module provides an introduction to the basics in university pedagogy and offers opportunities to develop one's own teaching practice together with other participants.

Practical Information

  • Language: English
  • Application deadline Fall 2023: Closed
  • Participants: Academic staff at the University of Oslo in all types of positions (both permanent and fixed-term contracts)
  • Admission requirement:To participate in the module, you are required to have at least one session of teaching during the semester.  
  • Module Scope: 120 hours, incl. face-to-face meetings, assignments between meetings, a peer mentoring process (observation of 4 teaching sessions) and the completion of an individual reflection report.
  • NB! This version of the introductory module will be offered the last time in fall 2023.

Course sessions Fall 2023

Attendance requirements: A minimum of 80% attendance is required (module meetings and peer mentoring process). All module work must be completed to receive a module certificate. 

Transport and accommodation

  • The course is free of charge for employees at UiO, but the costs for accommodation and food during the first meeting will be charged to your respective Departments/Units.
  • If you are unable to attend, please notify us at least three weeks prior to the first course date. Otherwise, your Department/Unit will be charged with a fee, based on the hotel’s regulations for cancellations.
  • We offer free travel by bus between UiO campus Blindern and Hotel Hadeland for all registered participants.
    Departure for Hadeland: Helga Eng's house at 8.30 AM.
    Return to Uio campus Blindern from Hadeland: at 3 PM.
    If you want transportation to the hotel, please send us an e-mail to us

Canvas

This course uses Canvas. See tips and guides for Canvas.

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Why choose this module?

The aim of the module is to support academic staff as they advance their pedagogical knowledge in their regular teaching activities. The module intends to

  • provide a shared vocabulary for understanding teaching and learning in higher education
  • engage in developing and enacting new ways of teaching
  • reflect on and discuss teaching experiences in a safe environment

Course content

Themes addressed in the course are

  • Perspectives on learning and teaching in higher education
  • Learning environments and learning technologies
  • Course design, teaching, supervision and evaluation of teaching
  • Student assessment and feedback
  • Collegial peer-feedback and peer-mentoring
  • Professional responsibility as a university teacher, including ethical and relational aspects related to teaching

Course structure

The course consists of  

  • Face-to-face meetings amounting to a total of 4,5 days, including pre- and post- meeting work (40 hours),
  • Group activities in a peer-mentoring group (45 hours)
  • Two course assignments: 1) group reporting on peer-mentoring activities; 2) an individual reflection report (35 hours)

NB! Since peer observation is an integrated part of the course work, participants are expected to have/organize at least one teaching activity (such as lecture, seminar, supervision session, presentation) during the course period.

Module meetings, group activities and module assignments

Module meetings include various activities and rely to a high degree on participants’ involvement. Mini-lectures are held by the module leaders and invited experts, while participants are expected to engage in group-work, which includes sharing experiences and ideas from their own teaching, practical work with design of teaching activities, presentation, assignments and discussion of both module literature and selected cases or problems.  

Group activities in the peer-mentoring group involve participants forming groups of 4-5, intended to stimulate and contribute to professional development, by preparing, observing and discussing teaching work. Through the module period, each member will plan and teach one session, which will be visited by the other group members, with the whole group reflecting and learning from this teaching experience. All participants must organize a teaching session during the course period. 

Please note that the peer mentoring process takes place outside of the course meetings, at the various departments at UiO.  

Module assignments

The group reporting consists of two sections. A first section where the members of the peer-mentoring group present and reflect collectively on their teaching session, and on their opportunities and challenges related to being a part of a peer-mentoring group. The second part is an individual plan elaborating on how to take the practices of peer mentoring and make them a part of the participants’ teaching lives.

The individual reflection report is a written text that offers the participants the opportunity to describe and discuss their teaching philosophy. The report requires participants to articulate their ideas about teaching and learning, using what they have learned in this course and previous experience, and their envisioned ways to improved teaching in the future.