Handbook for STEM-CPD Ambassadors

About

This handbook is meant for all of those who have an ambition to promote continuous professional development (CPD) in teaching and learning in higher education. It gives practical advice on how to implement CPD in a local higher education context. This handbook is developed for CPD-Ambassadors in STEM disciplines to support them in implementing CPD activities bottom up.
The handbook has three parts. In the first part we introduce the framework for sustainable continuous professional development in teaching and learning that was developed in the STEM-CPD@EUni project. The second part is devoted to CPD User cases, how to develop User cases and how to collaborate in this on Starfish. In the third part we provide guidelines for sustainable development of User cases.
The handbook contains a selection of materials that are used in the STEM-CPD Summer schools. It includes guidelines for sustainable development of CPD User cases, CPD scenarios, and CPD online modules and a selection of manuals on how to do it in practice.

You can download the handbook (pdf DOWNLOAD).

Part 1: Framework for sustainable professional development in teaching and learning in higher education

Find here a short video that explains the framework. The video is created by artificial intelligence. In this video, you will meet the avatar Rosie. Alternatively, you can watch the same video where the explanation is given by the avatar Tony. You can also read more about the framework in the handbook, which is available for download in PDF format.

The same video performed by the avatar Tony: link

Part 2: CPD User cases on Starfish

Several examples of the CPD User cases that were developed in the STEM-CPD@EUni project from 2021 to April 2023 and that were created during the two STEM-CPD Summer Schools can be found in the handbook in pdf that you can downoad on this page. All current CPD User cases can be found any time on Starfish at:
https://starfish-education.eu/browse?ftype=usercase

Clicking on the link of each User case, you can read about its seven attributes mentioned in the video, among others its CPD scenario. You can explore the connections with with other User cases or other conceptual connections that can be found on Starfish.

Manual creating User cases on Starfish (in See Also)

Starfish is a knowledge sharing network in higher education and in professional development of higher education teaching staff. Starfish website https://starfish-education.eu/ is publicly available to read.
For publishing, Starfish is only available to users with a Starfish account. Currently publishing on Starfish is limited to the people who develop CPD User cases.

When logged in in Starfish, you can contribute and share your knowledge and you can edit the existing contributions where you are an author or co-author.

Part 3: Guidelines for Sustainable development of STEM-CPD User Cases

Based on the results of the Roadmap survey conducted as part of the STEM-CPD@EUni project (Brouwer et al., 2022), priority lists of teaching competences, teaching attitudes, and CPD activities have been created. These lists reflect the importance that most lecturers and educational managers place on developing and applying these aspects to ensure the quality of STEM higher education. It is crucial for the User case to align with the local educational context and address local needs. However, the Roadmap survey indicates that there are minimal differences between institutions in terms of the priority which competences to develop. Therefore, it is recommended to consider the priority lists when designing User cases and refer to the Roadmap for inspiration. In the following three subchapters, you will find the most relevant teaching and learning competences, teaching attitudes, and CPD activities identified by lecturers and education managers in 2021. Please note that these preferences may change over time! Nevertheless, you are encouraged to examine the existing User cases and CPD scenarios to determine their suitability for your specific institution and draw inspiration from them when developing your own User case.

Teaching competences

Table 1. Priority list of teaching and learning competences based on the survey data Part 1^a (Brouwer et al. 2022)

It can be observed that both groups, the lecturers and educational managers, agree that developing critical thinking and engaging students to arouse interest in the discipline are the two most relevant competences.  However, the order of the next three most relevant competences varies between the two groups. The whole priority list can be found in the Roadmap publication (Brouwer et al. 2022, Download).
Based on the Roadmap survey, the teaching and learning competences were grouped into pedagogical scales (Brouwer et al., 2022), and their relevance for the lecturers and educational managers was determined. The most significant pedagogical scale identified was P1-1 Constructive alignment. On Starfish, you can find all User cases that were created to support the development of one or more competences within specific pedagogical scales and associated CPD scenarios (Table 2).

Table 2. List of pedagogical scales based on the survey data Part 1 and the links to corresponding CPD User Cases and CPD Scenarios on Starfish.

Pedagogical scale	Numbers of the competences in the Roadmap list Part 1	CPD User Cases (link Starfish)	CPD Scenarios (link Starfish)
P1-1 Constructive alignment	1, 2, 3, 6	link	link
P1-2 Pedagogy - Interactive teaching P1-2a Competence Teaching	9, 10, 14, 15	link	link
P1-2b Competence Design interactive teaching	16, 19	link	link
P1-3 Pedagogy, Learning facilitation P1-3a Problem Solving (design/teaching)	18, 21, 22, 23	link	link
P1-3b Engagement and motivation, facilitation discipline specific learning	4, 12, 13	link	link
P1-3c Deep learning	5, 7, 8, 11	link	link
P1-3d Organize peer-feedback, collaborative learning	27, 28	link	link

 

Teaching attitudes

The four most relevant teaching and learning competences according to lecturers and education are presented in Table 3.

 Table 3. Priority list of teaching and learning attitudes based on the survey data Part 2^a. (Brouwer et al. 2022)

In Table 3 it can be seen that the priority list of four most important teaching and learning attitudes is for the lecturers and the educational managers not the same.
Based on the Roadmap survey (Brouwer et al., 2022), teaching attitudes were classified into pedagogical scales, and the survey determined the relevance of these scales for lecturers and educational managers. The most significant pedagogical scale in the domain of teaching attitudes, as identified by lecturers and educational managers, was P2-2 Pastoral interest, followed by P2-4 Evidence-based approach. On Starfish, you can find all User cases that support the development of one or more teaching attitudes within specific pedagogical scales and associated CPD scenarios (Table 4). The whole priority lists can be found in the Roadmap publication (Brouwer et al. 2022, Download).

Table 4. List of pedagogical scales based on the survey data Part 2 and the links to corresponding CPD User Cases and CPD Scenarios on Starfish

Pedagogical scale	Numbers of the competences in the Roadmap list Part 2	CPD User Cases (link Starfish)	CPD Scenarios (link Starfish)
P2-1 Motivation and self-regulation for CPD	2, 14, 15, 16	link	link
P2-2 Pastoral interest	3, 4, 5	link	link
P2-3 Reflection	1, 10, 11	link	link
P2-4 Evidence informed approach	6, 7, 13	link	link
P2-5 Knowledge sharing	8, 9, 12, 17	link	link

CPD activities

The four most effective CPD activities, based on the list of 19 CPD activities collected in the Roadmap (Brouwer et al., 2022), as indicated by lecturers and education managers, are presented in Table 5.

Table 5. Priority list of CPD activities based on the survey data Part 3^a. (Brouwer et al. 2022)

In Table 5, it can be observed that the priority list of the four most important CPD competences is very similar for both lecturers and educational managers, although not identical.
Based on the Roadmap survey (Brouwer et al., 2022), the CPD activities were grouped into pedagogical scales, and their relevance for lecturers and educational managers was determined. The most significant pedagogical scale in the domain of CPD activities, as identified by lecturers and educational managers, was P3-4 "Peer-Mentor - Mentee approach," followed by P3-3 "Collaboration." On Starfish, you can find all User cases that utilize one or more CPD activities within specific pedagogical scales (Table 6), along with the associated CPD scenarios. The whole priority lists can be found in the Roadmap publication (Brouwer et al. 2022, Download).

Table 6. List of pedagogical scales based on the survey data Part 3a) and the links to corresponding CPD User Cases and CPD Scenarios on Starfish

Pedagogical scale	Numbers of the  competences in the Roadmap list Part 1	CPD User Cases (link Starfish)	CPD Scenarios (link Starfish)
P3-1 Imparting information	1, 2, 3	link	link
P3-2 Learning facilitation	4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10	link	link
P3-3 Collaboration	11, 13	link	link
P3-4 Peer-Mentor – mentee support	12, 15, 17	link	link
P3-5 Personal / individual Expert support	14, 16	link	link
P3-6 Knowledge sharing	6, 18, 19	link	link

The CPD Ambassadors can consider the list of the CPD activities collected in the Roadmap and get inspired to try out different activities and report about their experience when sharing the CPD User cases. 

References

• Biggs, J., Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for Quality Learning at University, 4th ed., New York: Open University Press.
• Brouwer, N., Grecea, Ş., Kärkkäinen, J. , Niemelä, Maciejowska, I., Niemalä, M., & Schreuders, L. (2022). Roadmap for Continuous Professional Development of STEM Lecturers. In I. Devetak (Ed.), University Chemistry Teaching in the 21. Century (pp. 85-111). University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education, Ljubljana, 2022. DOI: 10.26529/9789612532970; Download: https://zalozba.pef.uni-lj.si/index.php/zalozba/catalog/view/198/458/481-1
• Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.
• Grecea, Ş., Brouwer, N., Niemelä, & M., Kärkkäinen, J., (Eds.) (2021). Roadmap for STEM Continuous Professional Development at European Universities Recommendations and Guidelines, STEM-CPD@EUni, 2020-1-PL01-KA203-081802. https://ectn.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Roadmap-Recommendtions-and-Guidelines-O1-April2021.pdf
• Mishra, P., Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: a framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

Colophon

Handbook for STEM-CPD Ambassadors (pdf DOWNLOAD)

Starfish User case manual

Editors
Nataša Brouwer (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Matti Niemelä (University Oulu, Finland)

Authors
Nataša Brouwer (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Matti Niemelä (University Oulu, Finland)
Ştefania Grecea (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Iwona Maciejowska (Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland)
Aleksandra Lis (Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland)
Bartosz Trzewik (Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland)
Michał Woźniakiewicz (Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland)
Krištof Kranjc (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Črtomir Podlipnik (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Sanjiv Prashar (ECTN, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain)
Noelia Faginas Lago (ECTN, University of Perugia, Italy)
Vincenzo Russo (University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy)
Oreste Tarallo (University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy)

Date: August 2023
Funded by:  EU under the KA2 – Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices, KA203 – Strategic Partnerships for higher education action of the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union, 2020-1-PL01-KA203-081802

License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Please attribute the STEM-CPD@EUni project and the authors
Project website: http://ectn.eu/work-groups/stem-cpd/

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Disclaimer
The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

 

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