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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Continuing professional development for academic staff working in higher education
Estonia

Estonia

9.Teachers and education staff

9.6Continuing professional development for academic staff working in higher education

Last update: 19 December 2023
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Organisation

The requirements for curricula and quality of teaching specified in the Standard of Higher Education say, among other things, the following about teaching staff: 

  • teaching staff carrying out studies in a specific subject (including visiting teaching staff) or researchers have a necessary teaching competence and the qualification and their qualification supports the achieving of curricula objectives and learning outcomes;  
  • the ordinary teaching staff and researchers have duly passed attestation, received regular feedback about their activities and have regularly improved their pedagogical skills.

Attestation is a periodical evaluation of compliance of teaching staff with the work results and requirements for the office, the purpose of which is to support the development and career opportunities of the teaching staff and by which the suitability of the attested employee to the office is determined.

Pedagogical skills or teaching competence of teaching staff is a set of knowledge, skills, attitudes and personal qualities, which is required for successful teaching and supporting the learning process and which is expressed in professional activities. Teaching competence includes planning of the learning process, providing instruction, carrying out assessment and providing feedback, instructing and reviewing, and methodological activities. 

The conditions and procedure of attestation are set forth by the council of the institution of higher education. Institutions of higher education also decide on the organisation of continuing education of teaching staff. 

Supporting participation in Continuing Professional Development (CDP) 

Teaching staff competence model has been developed to serve as a basis for the assessment of teaching staff and as a tool for teaching staff in planning continuous professional development.

Members of the teaching staff of a university have the right to one sabbatical semester with pay once every five years in order to supplement their professional skills or for other creative activity.