Academic teachers` attitudes to the Pedagogical Academy at The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bergen, Norway

Abstract

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Bergen, Norway, established a Pedagogical Academy in 2016, where academic teachers can apply to have their pedagogical competence assessed to get the status Excellent Teaching Practitioner (ETP). This merit system for teaching was inspired and built on the Pedagogical Academy at LTH, with similar process and assessment criteria. The ETP is an individual reward, including a salary raise and membership in the Pedagogical Academy. The Academy`s main purposes are to promote educational development and collegial and scholarly culture at the Faculty, and function as a network for ETPs. As part of an evaluation of the system, a survey was sent to all academic teachers. The survey was designed to uncover attitudes to the Pedagogical Academy and ETP, as well as impressions of the assessment criteria. The findings show that the academic teachers are generally positive to the system, even the teachers that have not considered applying. The criteria are largely seen as reflecting excellent teaching and relatable to teaching practice. The teachers are more divided on whether the Pedagogical Academy has contributed to more sharing and exchange of ideas. These findings indicate that the reward system and criteria are aligned with academic teachers’ perceptions of excellence in teaching, although the potential of the Pedagogical Academy to promote a collegial and scholarly teaching culture is unfulfilled.