Get started with university teaching through this training course specially designed for assistants and post-doctoral fellows wishing to pursue a career in teaching and/or develop their teaching skills.
Sessions
Duration: 3 days
Format: face-to-face
Location: Dorigny campus
Schedule:
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
2-4 July 2025
Language: English
Trainer(s):
Marine Antille Chittaro
Katharina Baran
Dre Cécile Mathou
9-11 September 2025
Language: French
Trainer(s):
Sophie Serry
Katharina Baran
Dre Cécile Mathou
These training courses are given every semester over 3 days, either in French or English. Each session is limited to 16 participants.
« A lot of real-life experience, there never has been a dull moment. »
A participant
Design your first courses: key principles and teaching practices
This workshop has been designed to meet the needs and concrete questions of assistants and post-doctoral fellows wishing to pursue a career in teaching and/or develop their teaching skills. It mixes theory and practice, enabling participants to apply the notions and concepts presented to their own teaching projects.
The training leads to an official participation certificate, which can be included in your CV.
Learn more about the training
The training provides an opportunity to reflect on the fundamental principles of course design, alternating with practical activities. It will help you clarify your own vision of teaching and learning at university and apply these principles to your teaching project (existing course, course to be modified, or entirely new course), regardless of its format.
The training content is based on the book Course Design. You will also be shown how to use the associated constructive alignment canvas during the course. You can download the digital version of the book and the canvas free of charge from the publisher’s website.
Program
The workshop is structured in 3 parts and covers the following content elements:
- The principles of instructional design
- Contextual elements influencing pedagogical choices
- Structuring content
- Identifying intended learning outcomes
- Choice of teaching strategies
- Assessment of learning
- Leading group-based learning activities
- Presentation techniques
This training is mandatory and requires your attendance for the full 3 days.
This module is part of the university teaching training programme for assistants and doctoral students in the Faculty of Arts.
The trainer(s)
Marine Antille Chittaro
Deputy Director of the CSE – Université de LausanneMarine Antille is the Deputy Director of the Teaching Support Centre at UNIL, where she specialises in the evaluation of teaching and curricula. She works to promote a quality culture at UNIL, integrating the recognition of pedagogical practices and the professional development of teachers. Through evaluation systems and tools she has co-developed, she aims to align the needs of teachers with institutional expectations, while ensuring confidentiality and fostering constructive feedback. She regularly contributes to conferences, including those of ADMEE-Europe and AIPU, to share her approaches to formative evaluation in higher education.
Sophie Serry
Head of the Advice-Training-Evaluation unit and Pedagogical Advisor at the CSE – Université de LausanneSophie Serry is the Head of the Advice-Training-Evaluation unit at the UNIL Teaching Support Centre. Previously a scientific collaborator on the assessment of learning at the University of Geneva, she has been supporting UNIL teachers since 2015 in the development and recognition of their pedagogical practices. A member of the Education & Training Observatory (OBSEF), contributing to the construction of scientific knowledge in education and training, she regularly presents at conferences (QPES, ADMEE-Europe, AIPU, etc.) and in publications such as Pédagogies en pratique.
Dr Cécile Mathou
Pedagogical Advisor at the CSE – Université de LausanneCécile Mathou, who holds a PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Montreal, has been a pedagogical advisor at the UNIL Teaching Support Centre since 2023. In particular, she helps teachers to design and implement projects supported by the Pedagogical Impulse Fund (FIP), aimed at developing new teaching and learning approaches. She also supports international teaching projects (e.g. Blended Intensive Programmes). Her research focuses on the internationalisation of higher education, curriculum transformations, and competency-based approaches.
Modality
The cost of this training is fully covered for members of the UNIL community.
Discover and apply proven methods!
The training is based on the book Course Design (Lanarès, Laperrouza et Sylvestre, 2023)
Let yourself be surprised by this training, and by the richness of the exchanges with your peers!
Sign up now!
References
Course Materials
The digital version of the Course Design book can be downloaded for free from the publisher’s website.
To go further
- Explore our other trainings, including our 1.5-hour webinars and online modules;
- Consult the pedagogical and technical guides and resources available on this site, designed to support you in your teaching;
- Subscribe to Ondes pédagogiques, our newsletter, to discover teaching practices and trends from our higher education pedagogy watch, three times a year, and stay ahead of the curve ; )
- For any questions or specific needs regarding your teaching (UNIL members only): cse@unil.ch, or consult our services catalogue.