Course review, doctoral education, and employment regulations on the agenda
Faculty Board May meeting
At the Faculty Board’s most recent meeting, several issues related to educational development, quality assurance, and future competence provision were discussed. Among other things, a review of inactive courses is currently underway, and discussions regarding both a new master’s programme and KTH’s employment regulations continue.
During the meeting, a collective decision was made to discontinue a number of courses, based on the review of inactive courses that the board has initiated. The work is being carried out on a department-by-department basis, with the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering being the first to be addressed. The aim is to gain a better overview of which courses are actually offered at the school and to discontinue courses that have been inactive for a long time. In many cases, these are courses that have not been offered for several years but have nevertheless been retained “just in case.” However, the current process for establishing courses has reduced the need to keep dormant courses in the future. The work has been coordinated with directors of studies, program directors, heads of department, and administrative support staff, and more collective decisions regarding discontinuation are expected in the future.
The Board also decided to establish two new courses at doctoral level, including a course in self-leadership and effective research practices for doctoral students. There is a growing need for this type of professional development, and the Board is pleased that the course will now be offered to the school’s doctoral students.
Nina Wormbs, who is leading the work on the proposal for a new master’s programme, also participated in the meeting. The visit was a follow-up to previous discussions, and talks regarding the programme's focus and structure are continuing.
The Board also discussed the plan for a peer review of doctoral education and agreed on a timetable. The review of doctoral education is scheduled to begin in spring 2027. This work complements the model already used for the review of the school’s first and second cycle education programmes, including master’s programmes. The review of ABE’s master’s programmes will begin in the autumn term of 2026, with the remaining programmes following from the spring term of 2027. All programmes are to be reviewed by December 2028 at the latest.
Another key point was the internal referral concerning KTH’s employment regulations. Pernilla Hagbert presented a summary of the proposed changes and how the school plans to proceed with the reference round. The Board is responsible for submitting a consolidated, though not necessarily unanimous, response that incorporates views from across the entire ABE School.
Among other things, the question of collegial consultation was raised during the discussions. The assessment was that there have already been sufficient opportunities for input through open meetings and school meetings. Among the proposed changes to the terms of employment, the concept of “academic citizenship” was highlighted in particular. This refers to the ability to manage oneself and collaborate with others, and it is proposed that it should become a more prominent part of the assessment criteria – on par with pedagogical and scientific competence. At the same time, the importance of clearly defining the criteria was emphasised in order to avoid subjective assessments.
In addition, several development and recruitment processes are currently underway, with members of the board participating, among other things, in the school's nomination committees for the recruitment of heads of department at five of the six departments.
The next Faculty Board meeting will be on 11 June.
As told by Pernilla Hagbert to Josefin Backman.