Organisation and aims

The Centre for Educational Development (CED) offers help and competent feedback on university pedagogy for all academic environments at Aarhus University. All AU teaching staff and coordinators, directors, and executives can find help with their current development projects and ongoing competence development at our centre.

We can contribute to the development of an excellent transition from upper secondary school to the university, engaging study environments, high-quality activating teaching, innovation based on digitalisation, better feedback on students’ learning outcomes, curriculum development, and the good transition from the university to the work-life.

The Centre for Educational Development is a merger of Aarhus University’s four former pedagogical centres CUDiM at Arts, CUL at BSS, CESU at Health, STLL at Natural Sciences and Technical Sciences as the EDU IT unit. On 1 October 2020, we were organisationally unified. This makes the centre one of the largest university pedagogical units in The Nordic countries.

We work ambitiously research-based and experimentally practice-oriented. Thus, we collaborate locally, nationally, and internationally with other innovative environments to ensure that the pedagogical, didactic, and technical choices made by all of us at the universities are based on solid and up-to-date research and evidence.

CED's aim and profile

The Centre for Educational Development (CED) aims to continuously support AU’s strategy for research-based education of the highest international quality as well as supporting the 2025 strategy’s efforts in the areas of a better commencement of studies, an attractive study and learning environment, engaging educational IT, digital competencies, entrepreneurship and research in the programmes, and graduates for the labour market of the future.

Therefore we will

Create space for and opportunities for experiments and innovation within digitisation, teaching, and education in close collaboration with the professional environments at AU
Offer AU’s 7,000 teaching staff – from student instructors to professors – research-based university pedagogical competence development with high and current relevance for the individual
Be the natural partner for AU’s more than 800 course coordinators, degree programme director, and chief executives when they need competent feedback on university educational choices
Create and develop the best possible digital framework for teaching at AU
Participate actively in the university pedagogical research as well as quality and development processes with the explicit intention of creating high educational value

To be able to do that, we must

Be a centre characterised by accessibility and accommodating behaviour
Collaborate closely and professionally on university pedagogy with our many partners at AU (management levels, administrations, departments, programmes, and educators)
Collaborate ambitiously and generously with the university pedagogical and didactic players in Denmark and internationally
Research-based university pedagogy at a high international level
Keep ourselves updated and at the forefront of developments in the university pedagogical field and the learning technology opportunities that are just within our reach
Create a centre characterised by strong collegiality with space for professional feedback and developing collaborative relationships
Set benchmarks for the pedagogical values that we create and follow up on these

Organisation

The Centre for Educational Development (CED) is directed by Anne Mette Mørcke, who refers to Pro-rector Berit Eika. The centre is organised into three departments and a secretariat:

The unit for Digital Development led by Division Manager Anders Hyldig handles tasks such as AU Studypedia and AU Educate, the Media Lab, user support, system implementation, and technology development.

The unit for Teaching Development headed by Division Manager Liza Strandgaard carries out tasks within university didactics, methodology, test formats and feedback, teaching environment and assessment, and collegial communities.

The unit for Programme Development, headed by Division Manager Tina Bering Keiding handles tasks within transitions in the education system, educational design, academic regulations, quality assurance, and accreditation.

The secretariat led by Bente Jønshøj works with management and research support, communication, course administration, HR, and finance.

Revised 06.09.2022

Nina Adolfsen