Pedagogical Academy new arena for distinguished teaching
“That the Pedagogical Academy has the management’s full support gives us the foundation we need,” states Mathias Hallberg, chair of the newly established forum where the Faculties of Pharmacy and Medicine’s distinguished university teachers will work to advance the importance of pedagogy.
In January, the Pedagogical Academy was inaugurated at Uppsala University’s Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy. With this forum, the distinguished university teachers – admitted since 2013 – will have a joint platform to pursue pedagogical issues. First to serve as chair of the new academy is Mathias Hallberg, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and distinguished teacher since 2016:
“Our distinguished teachers share a genuine commitment to pedagogical development and have long expressed their desire for an arena to exchange knowledge and discuss pedagogical issues. Now we are out of the starting blocks and Monday 3 February, the academy will gather for the first time to set a direction for our future activities.
Anja Sandström and Jakob Haglöf, the Pedagogical Academy
The Academy's daily operations is run by a committee with the Faculty of Pharmacy being represented by Mathias Hallberg, Anja Sandström and Jakob Haglöf. The entire academy will meet twice per semester with an ambitious education program set for launch to further develop pedagogical competencies and strengthen its position within the Disciplinary Domain.
“We are outlining a package that includes seminars, conferences and a mentoring program for newly recruited teachers and Associate Senior Lecturers. Also on our agenda is to develop and promote research with a focus on pharmaceutical and medical pedagogy as well as strengthened expertise to assess pedagogical competence in recruitment processes,” says Anja Sandström, Deputy Dean and distinguished teacher since 2017.
The Pedagogical Academy goals are clear: With an arena to promote and utilize the knowledge and commitment of distinguished teachers, even stronger teaching teams will form. This also provides room for a shared voice with the capacity to put the spotlight on the importance of skilled pedagogy. In the long term, ambitions also include arousing students' interest in approaching the teaching profession.
“In the last decade, several initiatives have been launched to strengthen the role of pedagogy, but they are often dependent on individual enthusiasts. That our Pedagogical Academy has the management's wholehearted support from the start gives us the sustainable foundation we need. Now our distinguished teachers will lead the work to build a structure that we hope will engage the entire faculty and contribute to even better teaching at our Disciplinary Domain,” states Mathias Hallberg.
Facts Distinguished university teachers
- Are skilled and well-liked in the classroom
- Have scientific expertise in their own research subjects and pedagogy and didactics.
- Are pedagogical leaders who develop their own and the university's teaching and conducts active quality assurance work
- Next period to apply to be admitted as Distinguished University Teacher is 1 February–17 March 2025.
Mathias Hallberg, chair
Pedagogical Academy committee
Mathias.Hallberg@farmbio.uu.se
Anja Sandström, member
Pedagogical Academy committee
Anja.Sandstrom@ilk.uu.se
Jakob Haglöf, member
Pedagogical Academy committee
Jakob.Haglof@ilk.uu.se
text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt