Red U (Dec 2013)
Poldering a teaching qualification system in Higher Education in the Netherlands: a typical Dutch phenomenon
Abstract
This article describes the process which led to the introduction of a University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) at research universities in the Netherlands. Until 2008, the only requirements to get appointed as a lecturer at most Dutch research universities pertained to research competences. This changed in 2008 when all Dutch research universities signed the Mutual Agreement of University Teaching Qualification. In 2005 staff developers of six universities initiated a working group to support the idea of a mutual agreement of the UTQ. Their initiative was taken over by two Vice Chancellors but at that time there was no consensus between all the research universities. This changed by political pressure of the Ministry of Education and student unions. The Dutch UTQ is mandatory, but not by law. The UTQ Agreement describes the scheme that concerns the embedding of the UTQ certification procedures in the participating universities. The mutual recognition of the UTQ is an example of a typical Dutch phenomenon called the Polder Model a strategy of consensus based policy making and a pragmatic recognition of pluriformity.
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