UTQ Frequently Asked Questions

The UTQ programme is mainly intended for all new or less experienced lecturers with teaching duties of more than 0,2 FTE. Obtaining the UTQ qualification is obligatory for all new lecturers at TU Delft with less than 5 years of teaching experience. They are obligated to obtain the qualification within 3 years after their appointment. The various sections of the programme are also open to other lecturers wishing to further develop their didactic qualities.  

If you are a new lecturer at TU Delft with less than 5 years of teaching experience and with teaching duties of more than 0,2 FTE, you have to take the UTQ. You will discuss this with your (faculty) manager and/or HR (Human Resources). If you are excused or an exemption is applicable you will also discuss this within your own faculty. 

The full programme (including modules and final interview) costs EUR 3000. These costs are usually paid by your Department or Faculty. Please arrange this with them and ask for the relevant baancode and/or project code before applying. Each module separately costs EUR 700.

You are obliged to obtain the qualification within 4 years after your appointment. The programme has an average study load of 160 hours and it takes 1,5-2 years on average to complete.

The modules DESIGN, ASSESS, TEACH and SUPERVISE consist of 3 to 4sessions. For some of the modules these sessions are in consecutive weeks, for others there are 1 or 2 weeks between sessions. The total time from start to finish can take between 7 – 12 weeks. It depends on the specifics of each course. You can discuss this with the trainer or your mentor. On average the workload per core module is 30 hours. You have to finish each module within 1 year after the start, otherwise you will have to redo the whole module.

Yes. The UTQ has an eaverage workload of 30 hours per module. You need to prepare for the sessions (including the first session) and work on (parts of) the PoC after each session. There is also a deadline to complete your PoC after the course, so keep this in mind when you plan your schedule.

If you started the UTQ before March 2025 you can finish in the old setup. In case you have started your UTQ with module SUPERVISE and haven’t done UTQ DEVELOP yet you will need to do the Fundamental module first. 

You can finish each of the UTQ modules by attending all sessions and writing a Proof of Competence (PoC) that is approved by the trainer. Once approved you will receive the certificate for that specific module.

The UTQ trajectory always starts with module DEVELOP or module SUPERVISE.  DEVELOP has to precede TEACH and ASSESS. If you start with SUPERVISE, you should follow DEVELOP before joining TEACH and ASSESS.  After this, the other modules can be taken in any desirable order. 

It is not recommended to do multiple modules at once. Because they are time consuming, you need to prepare for each session and you have to write (parts of) your PoC, it can be really challenging to focus if you follow more than 1 module at a time. You will get the most out of each module if you grant yourself enough time for each of them.

Most of the UTQ courses take place on campus, and there are good reasons for that. TU Delft is an on campus University, which is reflected in the TU Delft Campus Vision 2040. 

Campus learning offers an ideal environment for deep learning based on collaboration and interaction, while also boosting community building (socialisation) and identity formation (subjectivisation). In other words, the in person UTQ sessions offer a rich learning environment where you will meet and collaborate with a variety of colleagues from different faculties.

To accommodate participants who are unable to join the on campus sessions, we offer a few online course runs for some of the UTQ modules.

Yes. You must be present for all sessions for each of the modules. In the case of unforeseen circumstances you should contact the trainer. It will be decided then if you can follow the missed session in another course run. This only applies for session 2 and session 3. Session 1 cannot be missed under any circumstances. If this is the case, you will have to reschedule the whole module. You can unsubscribe free of cost until two weeks before the first session of the module. 

Blended Learning is a combination of different teaching styles. Within the UTQ we use a combination of face-to-face instruction and online learning.

The groups consist of 6-12 participants.

You can enrol for the waiting list via https://tudelfttls.opleidingsportaal.nl/. Underneath the specific modules and course runs there is an orange button ‘Waiting List’ where you can state your preferred date and add comments (e.g. the course run number). In case a spot becomes available you will receive an email. 

Twice a year we publish new dates for the modules. These dates will be communicated via the UTQ Brightspace portal and the opleidingsportaal. 

Yes, this is possible, without consequence, provided that you cancel your registration no later than 2 weeks before the start of the module. You can register again in the future whenever best suits your agenda. If your cancellation is within 2 weeks before the start of the module your faculty will be charged EUR 300. If you are a no-show these costs will be EUR 700. These charges are regardless of any possible reasons for your cancellation. Send an email to Teaching-Support@tudelft.nl to cancel your registration.  

The UTQ programme is mainly intended for all new lecturers with teaching duties of more than 0,2 FTE. PhDs with a teaching appointment (5 years), postdocs and researchers can take part in the UTQ. For PhDs with teaching tasks, we recommend the educational modules in the Doctoral Education (DE) Programme. Postdocs and researchers can also take part in the Doctoral Education Programme provided there is enough space in a course. For more information contact Teaching-Support@tudelft.nl or graduateschool@tudelft.nl.

Exemption always refers to the 'exemption from the obligation to obtain the UTQ certificate'. Therefore, a UTQ certificate is not granted in case of an exemption. 

In principle, all newly appointed TU Delft academic staff members with teaching tasks who have less than 5 years of teaching experience are required to obtain a UTQ certificate within three years. If a teacher has more than five years teaching experience it can be advised to follow a so-called equivalency trajectory. Candidates will receive a decision after a faculty intake interview or in consultation with a direct manager. 

Here you can find detailed information about the Exemption Regulations.