Being a good teacher is a skill in itself. In order to guarantee the quality of education in the Netherlands, the University Teaching Qualification (Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs, BKO) is now compulsory for all lecturers, assistant professors (UD), associate professors (UHD) and professors. The BKO is a mark of quality used by all Dutch universities. It functions as a reliable frame of reference with respect to your didactic skills. The BKO track consists of a series of modules, allowing lecturers to assess and develop all the various aspects of teaching. After completing the track, you are awarded a BKO certificate. Once you have completed the BKO certification, you are qualified to teach at universities in the Netherlands.

You can find more information about the BKO here.

Are you a senior lecturer and are you involved in the development and innovation of educational programmes? If so, you are eligible for the Senior Teaching Qualification (SKO). This qualification shows that you possess strong didactic and educational skills and that you contribute to the development of educational programmes beyond your own course or discipline.

You can read more about the criteria and procedure here.

In 2014, Leiden University launched the Teachers’ Academy to reward top talents in education and stimulate educational innovation. Lecturers who are selected as Teaching Fellows join the Teachers' Academy and are awarded a grant for educational innovation projects. The Teachers’ Academy also organises an annual symposium on innovation in education. A strong incentive for a university-wide qualitative improvement of education.

Every faculty has the opportunity to nominate two lecturers for a fellowship. You can read more about who qualifies for a fellowship here.

The Comenius Innovation Programme for higher education and universities of applied science provides lecturers with the resources to implement their vision on education. Every year, the programme provides a variety of grants to promote a wide range of teaching innovations. The government’s aim with this programme is to clearly demonstrate its appreciation for excellence and enthusiasm in teaching.

Each grant sets different requirement. Read about it here.

The development of your (personal) leadership skills begins with  HRM Learning & Development. Leading interdisciplinary research and education: that’s what Leiden University stands for. All professionals within the University make a to this, each in their own particular way. At HRM Learning & Development you develop your (personal) leadership skills and the professional competences that you need for your work today and in the future. 

The focus at HRM Learning & Development is on three themes: 

• The growth of (personal) leadership 

• Developing professional skills and competences, and a professional attitude to work 

• Job and career development

View the overview here. 

Teachers from Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam can make use of each other's course offerings. You can thus broaden your perspective and learn from lecturers from another university. Each university has its own specialisations in its course offerings. Lecturers from other LDE institutions pay the same participation fee as lecturers from their own institution. In some cases, participation is free. Click here for more information or have a look at the courses on offer here. 

The university encourages its employees to use and develop their talents. We do this by supporting you in your career and in your personal and professional development. We try to ensure that you get the opportunity to realise your full potential. That is why the university offers a wide range of training courses. The university’s training courses are provided by various internal providers:

• Toolkit Let’s connect! - Universiteit Leiden
  In the Let's Connect toolkit, you'll find articles, videos, training and conversation tools to communicate openly with each other. You can get started with the toolkit and the material independently. It can help you prepare for a discussion (your PDI for example), or if there’s an issue you’re finding difficult to raise.
• New Heroes
  If you would like to keep on developing your knowledge and skills – in the area of Communication, Creative Thinking, Focus or Personal Leadership, for instance – you can now follow free online training courses with New Heroes.
• LLInC
  Besides the BKO, courses offered by LLInC focus on teacher training on numerous topics such as blended and online learning, playful learning, learning experience design, (digital) testing, XR in education and more. Besides training, you can also contact LLInC for innovation initiatives, educational advice and individual coaching. Do you have an innovative idea or educational challenge? LLInC's multidisciplinary team is happy to help!
• Academic Language Centre
  Courses offered by the Language Centre are centred around language- and acculturation.
• Leiden University Libraries
  The library’s courses are focused on working with the library systems and on processing and evaluating information for research.