On the Establishment of TUD Teacher Academy

In recent years, there has been a growing call from education and higher education policymakers for universities to play a more active role in teacher professional development (e.g., KMK, 2020; German Science and Humanities Council, 2023; German U15, 2023). Numerous researchers at TU Dresden are already active in the field of teacher professional development. The establishment of a Teacher Academy is intended to raise the profile of TU Dresden’s activities in this area even further. By supporting TUD associates in the implementation of professional development programs—including assistance with organizational matters—the university’s potential for teacher training will be leveraged even more effectively.

The TU Dresden University Development Plan 2021–2025 set a specific timeline for establishing a Teacher Academy: “As an umbrella brand for TUD teacher professional development, the Center for Teacher Education and Educational Research (ZLSB) will serve as the umbrella brand for TUD’s teacher professional development, bringing the fascination of current research into the classroom through its quality-assured consolidation of teaching-related continuing education programs [i.e., professional development programs] at TUD…” (p. 47).

The establishment of a Teachers Academy within the ZLSB is also a response to the amendment of the Saxon Higher Education Act, which mandates that the centers for teacher education at Saxon universities be responsible for the“design and coordination of university-based teacher continuing education programs”(§99 SächsHSG).

Since the summer of 2023, the TUD Teacher Academy has been designed based on an interview study with professors at TU Dresden and will be gradually established in the coming months.

© ZLSB