Teacher training course with international focus

AU’s compulsory teacher training course for assistant professors is now offered in a new format. From now on, there will be joint courses for Danish and international assistant professors in the autumn, and EDU IT will be a much more integrated part of the course. The aim is to strengthen the integration between young researchers across nationalities and to highlight the use of EDU IT in the classroom.

Photo: Lars Kruse, AU Foto

Since 1993, AU’s teaching training course has been a compulsory part of the assistant professorship at AU. The course is offered in a collaboration between the university’s four pedagogical centres and has just been thoroughly revised. From now on, the course will be offered twice a year - in Danish in the spring and in English in the autumn. In addition, Educational IT will be a much more integrated part of the teaching.

For the first time ever, the course in the autumn is now a joint course for Danish and international assistant professors. The aim is to increase the integration between young researchers across nationalities as they can learn a great deal from each other in relation to international teaching, says Torben K. Jensen, head of the Centre of Teaching and Learning at Aarhus BSS:

“Today, a lot of Danish assistant professors are conducting classes in English, and we are also admitting more and more international students. On the joint courses, we can initiate a really interesting discussion about international classroom teaching. Here both Danish and international assistant professors can learn a lot from each other. That’s why I’m hoping that a lot of people will sign up for the joint course,” he says.

When should I take the course?

According to Torben K. Jensen, it is important that you take the course in a semester where you are teaching. The reason is that the course encourages you to include your own teaching as this allows for a more applicable outcome.

“The form and content of the courses held in the spring and the autumn are exactly the same. So if you’re teaching in the autumn semester, I strongly recommend that you sign up for the course in the autumn. In this way, you can use what you learn on the course in your own teaching - and you can get good advice on specific challenges that you might be facing during the semester,” concludes Torben K. Jensen.

When to apply and other important dates

Just before Easter, the application for admission to the course in the autumn will open. All assistant professors will receive an email invitation and the application deadline is 30 April. From early June, the course material can be found on the course website. The first module is a residential course that takes place at Sandbjerg on 22-24 August 2018.

Facts about the teacher training course:

  • It is a compulsory part of the assistant professorship programme at Aarhus University
  • It is held twice a year with 60 places per course
  • It is held in Danish in the spring and in English in the autumn.
  • It should be taken in a semester where the participant is teaching, as the course requires participants to include and experiment with their own teaching.
  • It consists of four modules with an expected time use of 150 hours.

If you would like to know more about AU's teacher training course, please contact:

Torben K. Jensen, Centre Director at the Centre for Teaching and Learning
Tel.:  87165351  
Email: tkj@au.dk