Ervaringen met een Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs voor studenten (BKO-S)

Introduction: The Basic Teaching Qualification (‘BKO’) is considered proof of didactic competence for university teachers in the Netherlands. In University Medical Center Groningen, there were calls to offer a similar programme for students. Two difficulties were foreseen: the (im)possibility for students to schedule the didactic courses alongside their regular coursework and the acquisition of teaching experience. Method: A special programme (BKO-S) was launched for students in medicine, dentistry and human movement sciences aimed at the same level as the teacher programme. The course scheduling problem was resolved by extending the programme to four years instead of two and by clustering some courses in summer schools. Facilitating teaching opportunities for the BKO students largely resolved the second difficulty. Nevertheless, the average student in the programme will have less teaching experience than the average teacher in the BKO programme. To express this, the students will receive a BKO-S certificate, accompanied by a portfolio assessment report specifying their teaching activities. Results: Two cohorts of twelve and sixteen Bachelor students entered the programme in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Attendance at the courses and the summer schools was high. The students were very creative in finding teaching opportunities. Since 1 August 2011, two students have completed the programme and had their portfolios approved. They will receive the BKO-S certificate with their Master’s degree. Discussion/conclusion: Adaptations of the teacher training programme have enabled medical students to successfully participate in a similar teacher training programme alongside the regular undergraduate programme. (Verbeek T, Pleijhuis RG, Van Kleef AJG, Stegmann ME, Schultinge L, Sillius AW, Bos FM, Molenaar WM. Experiences with a Basic Teaching Qualification for students (BKO-S). Netherlands Journal of Medical Education 2011;30(6):272-282.)