Course Science Teaching

The course N/T608/02 Science Teaching is being offered by the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS and Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Aarhus University, fall 2025.

ECTS credits:
2.5 ECTS
"PhD students from GSTS earn additionally 0.5 ECTS for activities at the department as a follow-up on the Science Teaching course. Please see further instructions at the GSTS website".

Course parameters:
No. of contact hours/hours in total incl. preparation, assignment(s) or the like: 8 hours online course over 2 weeks and 2.5 obligatory course days. Contact hours: 17 hours, Project work: 25 hours, Preparation/online work: 20,5 hours. 62.5 hours in total. Course participants will also be doing assignments before and between course days.
Capacity limit: 100.

Objectives of the course: The course objective is to strengthen your teaching skills and competences as a PhD student. The course provides guidance and inspiration for planning your teaching within science and technology disciplines based on principles for student-centered learning. During the course you will get hands-on experience with teaching techniques and technologies to enhance students’ active participation and learning. In collaboration with peers you will learn to apply tools to identify and find solutions for challenges in your own teaching and you will train your teaching skills by applying new teaching techniques and technologies in your own teaching and observing others.

The course addresses both traditional and online teaching, and you will have the opportunity to specialize in the type of teaching which is most relevant for you.

Learning outcomes and competences:
At the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Plan lessons in own teaching according to principles for student-centered learning and course learning outcomes 
• Identify and use relevant teaching techniques and technologies to support student learning and active participation
• Develop strategies to create a good learning environment in own teaching
• Use effective assessment and feedback strategies to support student learning
• Collaborate with colleagues to identify and evaluate solutions to challenges in own teaching

Compulsory programme:
To pass the course and receive a course certificate, participants must complete all online tasks, the final project, and attend at least 85% of each of the three course days, with no possibility of compensating for Course Day 1. Absence from day 2 or 3 can only be compensated in special circumstances and after arrangement with the course lectureres.

Recommended knowledge for participation: Preferably, participants should be teaching a class in the same time period as taking the course, or at least have knowledge of which course they will be teaching in the near future. Participants who will not be teaching during their ph.d will have the possibility to address their tasks in relation to supervision or other dissemination tasks. We recommend that you seek information about your expected teaching and supervision tasks from your supervisor before the course starts.

Course contents:
The course addresses teaching in technical and natural sciences at university level and covers challenges and teaching formats relevant for teaching assistants at the faculties of Natural and Technical Sciences. This includes e. g. small class teaching with problems solving, computer lab, student presentations or discussion of scientific literature, laboratory teaching, field work, online teaching, and outreach activities. The course will focus on the following themes: 1) Planning and applying teaching activities according to learning outcomes, 2) assessment and feedback for learning, 3) classroom management for active preparation for and participation in teaching, 4) techniques to support classroom dialogue and interactions, and 5) methods for development of own teaching including peer observation and feedback.

Prerequisites:
PhD student at Aarhus University who is teaching a class.
NB: The course is compulsory for all new PhD students starting their PhD education 1 October 2015 or later and who have teaching obligations as part of their employment as a PhD fellow or a student teacher.

Name of lecturer:
Rikke Frøhlich Hougaard, Centre for Educational Development, AU
Annika Büchert Lindberg,  Centre for Educational Development, AU
Karen Louise Møller, Centre for Educational Development, AU
Simon Raaby Holmgaard Poulsen, Centre for Educational Development, AU
Karl-Johan Schmidt Nielsen, Centre for Educational Development, AU

Course structure:
The course consists of an 8 hours’ online module over 2 weeks (this part is flexible with no meetings), 2.5 obligatory course days with preparatory work and approximately 25 hours of project work between course days.

Teaching methods:
Course participants will get hands-on experience with active learning and classroom assessment techniques, and develop and implement new activities in their own teaching. The teaching is organized as a combination of short lectures, group and class discussion, as well as individual and group assignments and project work. Teaching will take place both on-campus and online.

Course homepage:
Brightspace

Recommended knowledge for participation (if any): Preferably, participants should be teaching a class in the same time period as taking the course, or at least have knowledge of which course they will be teaching.

Provider:
The Centre for Educational Development, the Graduate School of Natural Sciences, and Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University

Time:
Online module: 12 -26 August 2025. Please note that there is no physical attendance on the specified dates. There are online tasks to be completed within the indicated time period.

On campus course days: 4 September, 16 September and 4 December each day from 9:00-16:00.

Place:
Online: Brightspace

On campus course days:Stakladen, AU Conference centre, Fredrik NIelsens vej 4, 8000 Aarhus C

No show fee:
Course participants on our transferable skills courses, who do not show up at the course or cancel their course participation after the course cancellation deadline (without providing a doctor’s note), may have to pay a no-show fee, unless someone from the waiting list is able to take part in the course instead.

The no-show fee is DKK 1,200 (the price of one ECTS). The no-show fee has been introduced due to many late cancellations, thus preventing people from the waiting lists to have a seat at the courses.

Registration:

• Participation in the course is without cost for PhD students from Aarhus University

Due to an Agreement between Danish Universities coming into force as of 1 January 2011, participants from other universities than Aarhus University will have to pay DKK 1,200 per ECTS. In principle this also applies to external parties, but exemption can be granted under specific circumstances.

Please be aware that your registration for the course not necessarily equals your admission for the course. You will receive an e-mail after the registration deadline regarding whether you are admitted for the course or if you are registered on the waiting list. Please note that seats are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

Course dates:

• 04 September 2025 09:00 - 16:00
• 16 September 2025 09:00 - 16:00
• 04 December 2025 09:00 - 16:00