University Teaching Qualification updated: more uniformity among faculties
The University Teaching Qualification (BKO) assessment has been revised across the university. Teaching staff wishing to obtain their BKO can now work towards the same learning outcomes using a standard portfolio format, regardless of the faculty in which they work.
High-quality academic education depends on good teaching. All lecturers, assistant professors, associate professors and professors with an appointment of 0.5 FTE or more for at least one year must hold a BKO. Previously, each faculty set its own requirements for the BKO portfolio, meaning that teaching staff could have quite different experiences of the qualification depending on where they worked.
Uniform approach
The Leiden Learning & Innovation Centre (LLInC) and the faculty BKO committees have come together in recent years to develop a more uniform approach. From September, all new BKO candidates will use the same learning outcomes and portfolio format. They will also be assessed using a university-wide assessment framework.
Teaching staff who started their BKO before September 2026 can choose between the current faculty-specific portfolio and the new university-wide one, depending on how far they have progressed. Those who have not yet started writing their portfolio are encouraged to use the new format.
The new portfolio is structured around the five BKO competences on which candidates are assessed. Candidates demonstrate their skills through five reflective reports, supported by a teaching CV and relevant evidence gathered during the programme. In view of the possible use of AI, the new format also includes a declaration or originality, in which candidates confirm that the portfolio is their own work.
For some faculties, the new format will represent a significant change. Others are already using a more open portfolio format in which teaching staff reflect on the various competences.
Collecting feedback
The development of the new documents has now been completed, but implementation has only just begun. The faculty BKO committees and Teacher Support Desks will play an important role in introducing the new approach and supporting candidates during the transition period.
LLInC will continue to work with the faculty committees to monitor candidates’ experiences with the revised documents and gather feedback throughout the BKO process. The documents may be improved based on this feedback.
The new BKO documents can be found on the staff members website. To learn more about the new approach and how it was developed, read the blog ‘BKO revision: towards a more unified approach to portfolio assessment’ on the LLInC website. If you have any questions about the new BKO approach, please contact your faculty BKO committee.