Teaching excellence ambassadors at the University of Tartu

The University of Tartu has established a teaching excellence ambassador system to recognise and support academic staff members who develop their teaching based on evidence, motivate colleagues, and foster a teaching culture that supports learning.

The title of teaching excellence ambassador can be applied for by an academic staff member of the university:

• whose workload as an academic staff member at the university is at least 20 hours per week;
• who, in the past five years, has completed at least 6 ECTS of professional development in teaching and supervision;
• who, in the past five years, has taught higher education courses with a minimum annual volume of 6 ECTS or 80 academic hours, excluding supervision;
• who has taught and supervised students at different levels of higher education and in various study forms and modes.

Applications for the title of teaching excellence ambassador must be submitted to the committee via an online form and accompanied by the following documents:

1. a curriculum vitae including information on teaching activities, completed training courses and development programmes, teaching-related management activities, and recognitions;
2. an analysis of teaching-related development that provides examples and explanations to demonstrate the applicant’s compliance with the criteria and reflects student feedback;
3. the opinion of the applicant’s immediate supervisor regarding compliance with the criteria specified in Annex 13 of the document Job Descriptions of Academic Staff.

Submit an application

Recommendations for applicants

Before preparing an application, applicants should verify that their workload at the University of Tartu meets the ambassador requirements.
Applicants should also review the volume of their teaching-related professional development over the past five years. Professional development does not need to consist only of formal courses; other forms are equally relevant, including participation in conferences, field development activities, “Visit a Colleague” weeks, e-lunch sessions, and similar activities.

When preparing the self-analysis of teaching activities, applicants may rely on teaching development analyses prepared for certification purposes. However, it is important to ensure that the analysis addresses the criteria for the teaching excellence ambassador title, as published on the university’s intranet.

Applicants are encouraged to consult with academic developers when preparing the required documents for applying for the title of teaching excellence ambassador.