2026-11-02 12:56:10
From assessment to international course design: the PROFFORMANCE learning journey continued in Budapest
How can feedback from students, colleagues and international experts inform course development? This question connected the activities of the PROFFORMANCE On-site Peer Learning Activity, “Upgrade your course: Make it truly student-centred”, held in Budapest on 27–29 October 2026. The programme brought together higher education teachers for three days of reflection, practical course redesign and international collaboration.
The Budapest event continued the learning journey launched through the April–June online programme, organised by the PROFFORMANCE team of Tempus Public Foundation with co-financing of DAAD. Participants selected for their active engagement in the online learning community had the opportunity to build on their earlier work, discuss teaching challenges in person and further develop their courses with peer and expert support.
The four PROFFORMANCE experts – Jan Beseda, Irine Darchia, Silke Preymann and Bárbara Gabriel – supported participants throughout the course redesign and COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) development activities, providing expert guidance and feedback. The facilitation of the group work was supported by Szilvia Besze and Dr Linda Huszár, who guided the collaborative process and encouraged peer exchange and active participation.
Connecting assessment and development
The opening afternoon explored the connections between individual teaching practice and institutional development. Discussions addressed shared priorities, experiences of self-, peer and student assessment, and the conditions that encourage teachers to engage in professional learning.
A central question was how assessment can lead to useful development decisions. Participants considered motivation, engagement, institutional support and recognition, connecting these issues to the PROFFORMANCE Continuous Development Cycle (CDC). This approach links assessment with shared goals, targeted support and follow-up, involving teachers, students and institutional stakeholders in an ongoing development process.
Turning feedback into course development
The second day centred on participants’ own courses. Its structure deliberately alternated collaborative discussion with individual work, giving teachers time to consider different perspectives and decide how to apply them in their own contexts.
In the Peer Clinic, participants explored challenges and exchanged questions with colleagues. Individual Feedback Triage then helped them decide which suggestions to use, adapt or set aside. The Discipline & Pedagogy Reality Check examined how proposed changes aligned with disciplinary contexts, learning goals and students’ needs, followed by a Redesign Sprint to revise course-development plans.
The Expert Lens sessions brought four perspectives into this process: digitalisation and AI, internationalisation, inclusion and sustainability. These priorities ran throughout the learning journey, helping participants examine their course ideas from several complementary angles.
The Practice Lab provided time to integrate feedback into draft course prototypes. The day’s work focused on translating discussion into a revised course-development plan and a more concrete picture of how the course could work in practice.
Moving towards international collaboration
On the final morning, participants worked in international teams to develop Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) course concepts around the theme of Sustainable Campus. The task connected different disciplines through shared campus challenges, with topic options including sustainable and universally designed facilities, responsible food consumption, student wellbeing, circular resource use, energy-efficient learning spaces, responsible digital practices, green spaces and cooperation with local communities. Using a course description template, teams explored how students from different institutions could jointly investigate a challenge, compare their campus contexts and develop proposals adapted to local needs. Digitalisation and AI, internationalisation, inclusion and sustainability informed the design process throughout. Teams then presented their proposed courses through AI-generated videos based on their completed course description templates, sharing their ideas for international student collaboration and receiving feedback from experts and peers.
Taking the work forward
Across the three days, the programme connected assessment insights, course redesign and international cooperation. Its practical focus was on developing course plans and prototypes, exploring joint course concepts and identifying individual actions to take forward.
The Budapest activity continued a professional learning process that began online and developed through sustained exchange. The next stage is to put the proposed changes into practice, gather feedback from students and colleagues, and use that evidence to guide further development.
