Summer school empowers educational developers to train university teachers in Kenya

Irene Douwes-van Ark and Jan Folkert Deinum from the Educational Support and Innovation (ESI) department visited Kenya in November to provide training to educationalists responsible for training university lecturers.

The training, “Empowering Educational Developers to Train University Teachers,” is part of the Groningen Summer Schools. For several years now, the Education Domain has been active in projects aimed at improving university education and in train-the-trainer programmes for educational development.

Who develops the developer?

This happens mainly by and with other educationalists, for example at international conferences. This Summer School (or Winter School, seasons are not very distinct in Kenya) is intended as an initiative for a more systematic approach to supporting the professional development of educational developers. It was difficult for the Kenyan participants to travel to Groningen, and so, in collaboration with AFELT, this Summer School was made available to the community of educational developers in East Africa.

Positive responses

During the course week in Kenya, participants worked together on (re)designing courses and practising training skills. The responses were very positive, and participants indicated that they had learned a lot:
“I have learned that, as a facilitator, one must invest time in developing oneself and always allow learners to learn actively.”

The next Summer School for educational developers will take place in Groningen, from 24–28 August 2026.