Several of the challenges facing higher education can be traced back to the lack of development and implementation of higher education teaching. The conversation about higher education teaching easily stops at the fact that more resources are needed. However, it is not increased resources that are the goal in themselves, but rather an education where pedagogy is put in focus. To get there, a change in attitude towards higher education teaching is required. Actors in higher education and politicians must realize the importance of good pedagogy in higher education and how it contributes to high quality.
Good pedagogy in higher education is a prerequisite for effective learning and studies. Good pedagogy increases the opportunity for students to actively participate in the education. Everyone who teaches in higher education must have completed high-quality higher education teaching training and continuously undergo relevant continuing education. Since today's doctoral students are tomorrow's academic teachers, all doctoral students must have basic pedagogical competence. This is achieved through higher education teaching training during doctoral education. Teaching should have the same, or higher, importance and status as research. In cases where this is required, teachers should prioritize teaching. This is to prevent teachers' interest in research from compromising the quality of teaching.
Having competence in higher education teaching as a teacher must be given higher status. Therefore, there is a need for qualification systems that take greater account of the teacher's higher education teaching skills. It is important that higher education teaching qualifications can be assessed equally, which is why national definitions of what constitutes pedagogical competence need to be developed on which qualification systems are based. The Academy has a tradition of not crediting pedagogical competence to the same extent as scientific competence, even though this is a requirement according to the Higher Education Act. SFS believes that pedagogical competence should be seen as equivalent to scientific competence in teacher appointments and that this should be actively demonstrated by each higher education institution.
According to the University Chancellor's Office (UKÄ) report on the educational development work of higher education institutions, several measures are required to improve the situation of higher education teaching in Sweden. A national strategy is required to achieve a long-term perspective and a common vision in the work. This strategy can also contain proposals on how the opportunities of digitalization are best taken care of to promote higher education teaching. The Swedish Council for Universities and Higher Education (UHR) can act as a national focal point for higher education teaching issues. This could be done by another or new actor, but UHR can provide a stable foundation.
In order to promote research and scientific development in higher education pedagogy, a number of clarifications of the Swedish Research Council's activities are required, as well as the resources they receive to develop the research base. Since only half of the universities surveyed indicated that they saw a connection between quality work and higher education pedagogy, which does not correspond well with what SFS believes, the national quality assurance system must set stricter requirements for higher education pedagogy development.