P ac ice Pape
Recommended ci a ion: Pei, L., Pessoa, M. P., Zie inge , D., & de Haan, M.
(2025). Enhancing Con inuous P o essional De elopmen : Adap i e Lea ning
Pa hways o Teache s in Technical Uni e si ies. In Kangaslampi, R., Langie, G.,
Jä inen, H.-M., & Nagy, B. (Eds.), SEFI 53 d Annual Con e ence. Eu opean
Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI), Tampe e, Finland. DOI:
10.5281/zenodo.17631295.
This Con e ence Pape is b ough o you o open access by he 53 d Annual Con e ence
o he Eu opean Socie y o Enginee ing Educa ion (SEFI) a Tampe e Uni e si y in
Tampe e, Finland. This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion-NonComme cial-Sha e Alike 4.0 In e na ional License.
ENHANCING CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
ADAPTIVE LEARNING PATHWAYS FOR ENGINEERING TEACHERS
IN UNIVERSITIES
L. Pei a,1, M.V. Pe ei a Pessoa b, M. de Haan , D.C. Zie inge
a 0000-0002-3378-8194
b 0000-0002-1096-8344
Cen e o expe ise in lea ning and eaching, Uni e si y o Twen e, he Ne he lands
Con e ence Key A eas: Building he capaci y and s eng hening he educa ional
compe ences o enginee ing educa o s
Keywo ds: P o essional de elopmen , Enginee ing eache s, adap i e, lexibili y,
ins i u ional alignmen
ABSTRACT
Con inuous P o essional De elopmen is i al o main aining eaching quali y and
os e ing inno a ion in highe educa ion. Howe e , adi ional CPD app oaches o en
ail o mee he di e en needs om he di e se se o enginee ing eache s. This
s udy p oposes an adap i e CPD amewo k, emphasizing lexibili y, con ex ual
ele ance, ongoing eedback, g ow h assessmen , and ins i u ional alignmen .
De eloped h ough i e a i e s akeholde inpu and g ounded in exis ing li e a u e, he
amewo k o e s a s uc u ed ye pe sonalized app oach o p o essional
de elopmen . P elimina y indings sugges ha i s adap i e design, such as modula
con en , lexible pa hways, and s ong con ex ualiza ion, may enhance enginee ing
eache s’ engagemen by aligning closely wi h hei speci ic needs and class oom
eali ies. Howe e , challenges such as long- e m sus ainabili y and ins i u ional
in eg a ion emain. O e all, he amewo k p esen s a p omising model o highe
educa ion ins i u ions aiming o imp o e p o essional de elopmen h ough lexible,
pe sonalized, and s a egically aligned ini ia i es.
1 INTRODUCTION
Con inuous P o essional De elopmen (CPD) is in e na ionally ecognized as
essen ial o main aining e ec i e eaching, ensu ing educa ional quali y, and
os e ing inno a ion in highe educa ion (Ambon e al., 2024; Eu opean
Commission, 2014). I enables eache s o adap o e ol ing educa ional
en i onmen s and align wi h ins i u ional goals (Desimone, 2009). Howe e ,
adi ional CPD app oaches o en ail o mee he di e se needs o enginee ing
eache s due o hei s anda dized, "one-size- i s-all" design (Pei e al., 2025;
Thomas e al., 2016). In such con ex s, eache s mus s ay cu en on apidly
ad ancing echnologies and juggle di e se esponsibili ies, including esea ch,
adminis a i e asks, and indus y collabo a ions (G aham, 2018; Haz a e al., 2023;
MacPhail e al., 2019). Compounding his challenge is he limi ed ins i u ional
ecogni ion o eaching inno a ion, which can discou age meaning ul engagemen in
1 Co esponding Au ho
L.Pei, l.pei@u wen e.nl
hei CPD (G aham, 2018; MacPhail e al., 2019). To add ess hese gaps, his s udy
in oduces an ongoing educa ional in e en ion a he Uni e si y o Twen e. The
objec i e is o de elop an adap i e CPD amewo k ha p io i izes lexibili y,
pe sonaliza ion, and sus ainabili y, ailo ed o he needs o uni e si y enginee ing
eache s. The pape will ou line he amewo k’s li e a u e backg ound, design,
implemen a ion, and ini ial indings, o e ing a oadmap o enhancing CPD in simila
con ex s.
2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
E ec i e CPD is g ounded in models ha connec eache s' lea ning expe iences o
angible imp o emen s in hei eaching p ac ices, ul ima ely enhancing s uden
ou comes (Desimone, 2023). Desimone (2009) es ablished a concep ual amewo k
ou lining essen ial componen s o e ec i e CPD: con en ocus, ac i e lea ning,
cohe ence, du a ion, and collec i e pa icipa ion. Expanding on his ounda ional
amewo k, Sanca e al. (2021) in oduced a comp ehensi e model ha add esses
mul iple dimensions c i ical o success ul CPD, including assessmen , esea ch
scale, du a ion, comp ehensi eness, dissemina ion, con ex , suppo , con ol, and
collabo a ion. Thei holis ic app oach unde sco es he impo ance o in eg a ing bo h
indi idual and collec i e ac o s o maximize he e ec i eness o CPD. Pham (2021)
speci ically examined CPD wi hin highe educa ion con ex s. He emphasized ha
e ec i e CPD s a egies should inco po a e sys emic ins i u ional objec i es.
Addi ionally, Wall (2013) ad oca ed o an in eg a ed app oach ha inco po a es
bo h o mal and in o mal CPD ac i i ies o suppo he di e se needs and complex
eali ies o academic s a , emphasizing lexibili y, pedagogical unde s anding, and
he c i ical ole o p o essional bodies in uni e si ies. Toge he , hese amewo ks
illus a e a cohesi e ision o CPD as a mul i ace ed and adap able p ocess. Fo
echnical uni e si ies, his equi es adhe ence o some co e p inciples:
Flexibili y ensu es ha p o essional de elopmen adap s o eache s’ unique
schedules, goals, and ca ee s ages, making lea ning bo h accessible and ele an .
Rigid s uc u es wi h ixed schedules and s anda dized con en o en ail o mee
di e se needs, educing engagemen and mo i a ion (McKenney & Ree es, 2018).
Flexible app oaches, such as modula cou ses, sel -paced digi al esou ces, and
blended lea ning, empowe eache s by aligning wi h hei speci ic equi emen s
(Cle eland-Innes e al., 2024; Mülle & Mildenbe ge , 2021; Ulanday e al., 2021).
Con ex ual Rele ance b idges heo e ical knowledge wi h p ac ical applica ion,
ensu ing ele ance o eache s’ disciplina y con ex . Embedding CPD wi hin a
eache ’s own eaching en i onmen enhances pedagogical skills and ensu es
immedia e applicabili y in he class oom (Guskey, 2024).
Ongoing eedback ein o ces lea ning and os e s con inuous p o essional g ow h.
When eache s ecei e di e se and s uc u ed eedback, om pee s, educa ional
ad iso s, and educa ional manage s, hey can e ine hei eaching s a egies and
sus ain pedagogical imp o emen s o e ime (Guskey, 2021). Re lec i e p ac ice,
s uc u ed obse a ion, collabo a i e eaching eams, and p o essional lea ning
communi ies ha e been iden i ied as a c ucial mechanism o enabling eache s o
c i ically assess hei p ac ices (Gas e al., 2017; Linde e al., 2012).
G ow h Assessmen Fo ma i e assessmen emphasizes he de elopmen al
p ocess o lea ning a he han summa i e e alua ion (Klenowski e al., 2006). In
enginee ing disciplines, CPD assessmen can ocus on angible ou comes, such as
cou se imp o emen s, s uden e alua ions, pee eedback, and inpu om
educa ional manage s. Recognizing and celeb a ing hese achie emen s os e s a
cul u e o con inuous imp o emen and mo i a ion (McMillan e al., 2016).
Ins i u ional alignmen ensu es CPD is sus ainable and impac ul by embedding i
wi hin leade ship and HR s uc u es (G aham, 2018). The success o CPD ini ia i es
is no solely dependen on indi idual eache engagemen . O ganiza ional ac o s,
like he a ailabili y o ins i u ional esou ces, leade ship commi men , suppo i e
in as uc u e, and cohe en policies, play an impo an media ing ole in de e mining
he e ec i eness and sus ainabili y o p o essional de elopmen e o s (Desimone &
Sajjadi, 2025).
3 AN INTERVENTION AT A DUTCH UNIVERSITY: ADAPTIVE CONTINUOUS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The adap i e CPD amewo k p oposed he e is g ounded in exis ing li e a u e. I is
designed o uphold key p inciples— lexibili y, con ex ual ele ance, ongoing
eedback, g ow h assessmen , and ins i u ional alignmen — o os e eache s’
p o essional g ow h while add essing he challenges hey ace. The amewo k aims
o be implemen ed a Cen e o Expe ise in Lea ning and Teaching (CELT), which
se es as a hub o coo dina ing and suppo ing eache p o essional de elopmen a
he Uni e si y o Twen e.
The designing o he amewo k ollows a se o ac i i ies ha aim o gua an ee an
e idence-based app oach, which embeds a quali y cycle by ga he ing ex ensi e
alida ion om ele an s akeholde s (McKenney & Ree es, 2018). F om he plan,
ac i i ies 1 and 2 ha e al eady been execu ed and ac i i ies 3 and 4 a e cu en ly
ongoing.
1. De elop a p elimina y adap i e CPD amewo k, conside ing he indings om he
li e a u e (co e p inciples) and seeking inspi a ion om wha is being done by
o he Du ch uni e si ies.
2. Ge eedback on he p elimina y amewo k by p esen ing i o bo h in e nal ( he
eaching and lea ning uni ) and ex e nal (membe s om he Du ch Ne wo k o
Cen es o Teaching and Lea ning) expe s.
3. Based on he eedback ecei ed, upda e he amewo k h ough ou a ge ed
p o essional de elopmen opics: Blended Lea ning, Challenge-Based Lea ning,
AI in Educa ion, and Di e si y, Equi y, & Inclusion.
4. Ha e a second ound o eedback wi h he a ious s akeholde s. To da e, he
amewo k has been e iewed by acul y ice-deans o educa ion (n=2), s udy
p og am di ec o s (n=3), HR s a (n=1), and educa ional policymake s (n=3).
These discussions o e ed s a egic pe spec i es on aligning CPD goals wi h
ins i u ional p io i ies and in eg a ing he amewo k in o academic s uc u es. A
di e se sample o eache s (n=10), including ea ly-ca ee , mid-ca ee , and senio
academics wi h a ying le els o eaching expe ise and esea ch esponsibili ies,
p o ided eedback as well.
5. Pe o m pilo s, and collec hi d ound eedback om s akeholde s, including
eache s and educa ional manage s. This inpu is used o u he e ine he
amewo k, ensu ing i s eadiness o wide implemen a ion ac oss he ins i u ion.
4 THE PROPOSED ADAPTIVE CPD FRAMEWORK
The adap i e CPD amewo k is s uc u ed a ound a i e-s age p ocess (Figu e 1):
(1) In ake, whe e eache s assess hei lea ning needs and se p o essional
de elopmen goals wi h guidance om an educa ional ad iso , selec ing ele an
CPD opics (e.g., AI in educa ion); (2) Sel -S udy, p o iding online esou ces
a ge ed o speci ic CPD opics ha allow explo a ion o pedagogical concep s a
hei own pace; (3) Teaching P ac ice, enabling eache s o apply newly acqui ed
s a egies in eal class oom se ings; (4) Assessmen , o e ing s uc u ed eedback o
e alua e p og ess and e ine skills; and (5) Ce i ica ion, ecognizing achie emen s
o enhance mo i a ion and ca ee alignmen .
Fig. 1. CPD p ocess o eache s
The key p inciples— lexibili y, con ex ual ele ance, ongoing eedback, g ow h
assessmen , and ins i u ional alignmen —a e embedded a each s age o he
adap i e CPD amewo k. Table 1 maps he elemen s o he adap i e CPD
amewo k o i s co e p inciples, wi h each elemen ou lined in sequen ial o de .
Table 1. Mapping be ween he key p inciples and he adap i e CPD amewo k
CPD s eps
P inciples
In ake
Sel -s udy
Teaching
P ac ice
Assessmen
Ce i ica ions
Flexibili y
E1
E2
E6
Con ex ual
Rele ance
E3, E4
E5, E9
Ongoing
Feedback
E5, E9
E5, E9
G ow h
Assessmen
E6
E7, E9
E6, E7
E8
Ins i u ional
Alignmen
E9, E10
E9
E9
E9, E10
E1. Pe sonalized Lea ning Plans - Du ing he in ake phase (Fig. 1), eache s wo k
wi h educa ional ad iso s o c a Indi idual De elopmen Plans, which ou line
pe sonal goals, a eas o in e es , and p e e ed lea ning o ma s. The associa ed
s udy p og am manage p o ides inpu o ensu e eache s' CPD aligns wi h he
p og am’s educa ional ision. HR ad iso s also pa icipa e, documen ing he
discussions and o e ing sugges ions o po en ial ca ee g ow h oppo uni ies.
E2. Modula S uc u e - Exis ing p o essional de elopmen opics o e ed by CELT
we e es uc u ed in o smalle , manageable uni s, each de ined by h ee
a ibu es:
• Pedagogical Compe ence – designing, eaching, supe ising, assessmen
and e alua ion. These align wi h he ounda ional compe encies ou lined in
he uni e si y’s eaching quali ica ion amewo k (de Jong e al., 2013).
• P ac ical Teaching Themes – D awing om inpu by eache s and s udy
p og am di ec o s, hese hemes add ess common challenges in p ac ical
eaching. Examples include boos ing s uden engagemen , managing g ading
o la ge classes, and implemen ing inclusi e eaching s a egies.
• Fo ma – Uni s a e designed o lexible deli e y, a ailable in bo h online and
in-pe son o ma s. Asynch onous online esou ces—such as ideos, eadings,
and in e ac i e ools—p o ide accessible, ounda ional knowledge o
pedagogical heo ies. This s uc u e allows eache s o engage wi h he
ma e ial a hei own pace and con enience.
E3. P ac ice-O ien ed Fo ma s
• Wo kshops and Semina s: hands-on sessions engage eache s wi h ools,
echnologies, and eaching me hods di ec ly ele an o hei ields.
• Coaching and Pee Obse a ion: s uc u ed pee obse a ion allow eache s
o obse e each o he ’s classes, ollowed by collabo a i e discussions on
e ec i e p ac ices and a eas o imp o emen .
• P ac icums wi h Expe Feedback: eache s implemen new s a egies in hei
class ooms while being obse ed by educa ional ad iso s o expe ienced
colleagues.
• Ac ion Resea ch P ojec s: eache s engage in esea ch p ojec s by
designing, implemen ing, and e alua ing ins uc ional in e en ions.
E4. Ex ended Du a ion - The CPD is s uc u ed o e mul iple sessions wi h an
ac oss an ex ended pe iod o os e s i e a i e cycles o design, implemen , and
e ine s a egies in eal class oom. This allows eache s o es pedagogical
me hods in p ac ice and align hem wi h hei disciplina y con en .
E5. Ongoing Feedback - Teache s bene i om mul i-pe spec i e eedback.
• Educa ional Ad iso s p o ide specialized pedagogical insigh s and guidance,
helping eache s align hei ins uc ional me hods wi h es ablished bes
p ac ices.
• Sel -Re lec ion encou ages eache s o e alua e and imp o e hei own
p ac ices.
• Pee Teaching Teams p o ide collabo a i e eedback and sha ed
expe iences o collec i e g ow h.
• Educa ion Manage s ensu e alignmen wi h ins i u ional goals and suppo
p o essional de elopmen .
• P o essional Lea ning Communi ies encou age eache s o sha e
expe iences, ackle common challenges, and build a suppo i e p o essional
ne wo k.
E6. Fo ma i e E alua ions Comple ion o online sel -s udy modules can gene a e
ce i ica es, p o iding eache s wi h immedia e acknowledgmen o hei e o s
and achie emen s. These ce i ica es se e as e idence o ounda ional
knowledge acquisi ion.
E7. E idence om Teaching P ac ice Teache s p oduce conc e e a i ac s, such
as challenge-based lea ning modules, AI-in eg a ed lesson plans, o Bended
lea ning cou ses, as e idence o hei p o essional de elopmen .
E8. S ackable Ce i ica es Teache s can combine a ious CPD opics o build
ocused educa ional p o iles, such as:
• Educa ional Explo e : Teache s engage in sel -paced s udy o pa icipa e in
wo kshops on speci ic CPD opics, wi h an impac on inc easing hei
pedagogical knowledge and awa eness o e ec i e eaching p ac ices.
• Educa ional P ac i ione : Teache s apply and e ine eaching s a egies in
hei own cou ses h ough hands-on ac i i ies and a ge ed p ojec s (as
desc ibed in E3), wi h an impac on imp o ing cou se quali y and s uden
lea ning.
• Educa ional Schola : Teache s engage in esea ch-based educa ional
inno a ion and schola ship, wi h an impac on gene a ing new insigh s ha
con ibu e o b oade educa ional communi ies.
• Educa ional Leade : Teache s ake on leade ship oles, d i ing cu iculum
de elopmen , policy changes, and ins i u ional g ow h, impac ing educa ion
a he ins i u ional le el and beyond.
E9. Leade ship Commi men Educa ional manage s (e.g., p og am di ec o s), play
a key ole by helping eache s in de ining CPD goals du ing he in ake, and
p o iding ongoing eedback and inpu o eache s’ CPD assessmen .
E10. Human Resou ces (HR) In eg a ion By aligning CPD ini ia i es wi h HR
amewo ks, ins i u ions can in eg a e p o essional de elopmen in o
pe o mance e alua ions, p omo ions, and ca ee ad ancemen pa hways.
To gua an ee ha he p oposed elemen s p o ide a concep map was c ea ed o
isualize how he di e se elemen s suppo each o he (Figu e 2). One impo an
insigh om he map is ha E2, E3 and E9 a e key enabling elemen s o he
amewo k.
Fig. 2. Adap i e CPD F amewo k Elemen s
To cla i y, we o e one example on how we see he amewo k being used o
accommoda e a eache ’s immedia e and long- e m goals. A eache s uggling o
engage s uden s in a la ge enginee ing cou se migh selec he sub- opic "How o
Engage S uden s?" om he Blended Lea ning CPD cou se and begin by explo ing
sel -paced online esou ces, such as ideos on in e ac i e eaching echniques (E2).
The CPD pla o m would hen ecommend nex s eps, such as sys ema ically
inco po a ing blended lea ning in o hei eaching p ac ice. The eache migh choose
o comple e he Blended Lea ning online esou ces and ob ain he Educa ional
Explo e o Blended Lea ning ce i ica e (E6,E8). Addi ionally, hey would be
encou aged o schedule an in ake mee ing wi h an educa ional ad iso o align hese
s a egies wi h hei ca ee goals and eaching con ex (E1). A e implemen ing he
s a egies in his/he own cou se (E3,E4) and ecei ing eedback (E5), he eache
could ea n he Educa ional P ac i ione ce i ica ion (E7,E8). They migh also choose
o u he de elop hei p o ile, wo king owa d ecogni ion as an Educa ional Schola
o Educa ional Leade (E8, E9, E10).
Due o he CPD amewo k’s emphasis on add essing he di e se needs and
con ex s o pa icipa ing eache s, a ailo ed app oach was adop ed ins ead o
p esc ibing a uni o m s uc u e o ixed ime commi men (Figu e 1). As an indica ion
o he ime in es ed, eache s pa icipa ing in he Educa ional P ac i ione o
Blended Lea ning pilo ypically dedica ed be ween 12 and 28 hou s, depending on
hei indi idual goals and he le el o suppo eques ed.
5 RESULTS AND INSIGHTS
The ongoing implemen a ion o he adap i e CPD amewo k has yielded p elimina y
insigh s om in e iews wi h eache s, p og am di ec o s and ice-deans o
educa ion ac oss di e en acul ies (sec ion 3, ac i i y 4 om he amewo k
implemen a ion).
Flexibili y and Con ex ualiza ion Bo h eache s and p og am di ec o s app ecia ed
he CPD’s lexibili y and i s abili y o be con ex ualized o he speci ic needs. They
emphasized ha his app oach is mo e sus ainable, as i conside s he eali y o hei
wo kloads and he p ac ical demands o eaching. One eache no ed, “I does no
wo k i we a e lea ning hings abou eaching, bu he ocus o he aining is no on
he class oom.” This shows he impo ance o ensu ing ha CPD is di ec ly ele an
o class oom p ac ice and ailo ed o he con ex s in which educa o wo k (Guskey,
2021).
Cen alized s. Decen alized Educa ional Suppo P og am di ec o s pa icula ly
alued he decen alized na u e o he adap i e CPD. They highligh ed ha CPD
should no be isola ed om he p ima y eaching and lea ning p ocesses bu a he
in eg a ed in o he daily eali ies o acul y wo k. This aligns wi h ea lie esea ch
indica ing a ension be ween cen alized depa men s and acul ies (Pei e al., 2021).
I his ension is no add essed, he suppo o eache p o essional de elopmen
canno be e ec i e. The decen alized app oach o he adap i e amewo k appea s
o mi iga e his issue by empowe ing acul ies o ake owne ship o hei CPD
ini ia i es while main aining alignmen wi h b oade ins i u ional goals.
Recogni ion and Rewa ding Teaching Excellence Teache s and p og am
di ec o s also app ecia ed he amewo k's emphasis on ecognizing and ewa ding
eaching excellence. They empa hized ha embedding CPD in o ins i u ional
ecogni ion and ewa d sys ems is c i ical o i s success (Desimone & Sajjadi, 2025)
They exp essed ha his aspec is cu en ly unde de eloped in Du ch uni e si ies.
One p og am di ec o s a ed, “P omo ing eaching excellence equi es mo e han jus
aining; i needs o be embedded in how we ecognize and ewa d ou eache s.”
Challenges Despi e he en husiasm o he adap i e CPD amewo k, pa icipan s
aised conce ns abou i s long- e m sus ainabili y and in eg a ion in o ins i u ional
s uc u es. While in e iewees we e op imis ic abou he amewo k's po en ial, hey
ques ioned whe he i would be ully embedded in o uni e si y sys ems. Challenges
such as ime cons ain s (Pei e al., 2025), a ying le els o ins i u ional suppo , and
he need o ongoing aining we e iden i ied as po en ial ba ie s o implemen a ion.
One eache ema ked, “We a e exci ed abou his app oach, bu will i eally become
pa o how ou ins i u ion ope a es?”
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
The p elimina y indings om his adap i e CPD ini ia i e sugges ha a lexible,
con ex -based app oach can add ess he di e se needs o uni e si y enginee ing
eache s. By emphasizing p ac ical ele ance, decen alized suppo , and ecogni ion
o eaching excellence, he amewo k o e s a possible sus ainable model.
Howe e , challenges emain, pa icula ly a ound long- e m sus ainabili y and
ins i u ional embedding. Time cons ain s, inconsis en suppo , and he need o
obus ewa d sys ems pose isks o ull in eg a ion. While he amewo k is p ac ice-
o ien ed and ailo ed, i s success depends on o e coming hese ba ie s.
Building on hese insigh s, he nex phase in ol es de ining opic-speci ic modules
and pilo ing hem ac oss di e en acul ies. This s ep will p o ide u he e idence o
he amewo k’s scalabili y and e ec i eness. Mo eo e , gi en he adap i e na u e o
he amewo k, i s design explici ly an icipa es i e a i e e inemen ac oss di e se
ins i u ional se ings. Fu u e phases can in ol e pilo ing he amewo k ac oss
mul iple ins i u ions, enabling compa a i e s udies ha will in o m u he
gene aliza ion and scalabili y. Ul ima ely, e ining and ins i u ionalizing he adap i e
CPD app oach could se e as a model o o he highe educa ion con ex s aiming o
p o ide lexibili y, dep h, and meaning ul suppo o eaching excellence.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We g a e ully acknowledge ou colleagues om CELT o hei in aluable
con ibu ions o he N-Pulse Flexible Lea ning ajec o y wo k package: Ch issa M.
Manoli, MSc; Robe Middelbu g, MSc; Adina Imanbaye a, MSc; Pe e C. A.
Hagenaa s, MEd; F ancesca M. F i ella, PhD; Raisa N. an de Veg , MSc; and
Robin H. M. an Emme loo , BSc.
This wo k is pa ially unded by he Du ch Npuls CTL g an , p ojec numbe
CTL230024.
