Empowering university educators: How Q-sorting fosters adaptive expertise and professional development

Authors

Lisette van Bruggen
Center for Research and Development of Education, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8576-084X
Heleen Pennings
Netherlands iXperium Centre of Expertise Learning with ICT, HAN University of Applied Sciences | National Education Lab AI (NOLAI), Radboud University, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4881-7648
Despoina Georgiou
Department of Education and Pedagogy, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3376-4192
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59490/mt.246.35

Synopsis

Teaching is a complex and often unpredictable profession that requires both routine and adaptive expertise. Structured reflection might play a key role in developing adaptive expertise; however, opportunities for such reflection are not always embedded in professional development programmes.

In this chapter, we share our experience using the Q-methodology, both as a research tool and as a way to engage university educators in meaningful discussions about the challenges they face in their (innovative) teaching practice.

We conducted seven Q-sorting workshops with a total of N = 93 university educators from various disciplines and countries, in which we invited participants to rank classroom challenges and reflect on their experiences. Our shared experiences, along with participant feedback, revealed that the Q-sorting method fostered rich conversations, supporting participants to gain new insights, exchange teaching strategies, and identify shared challenges. University educators reported in their feedback that the Q-sorting activity was engaging and insightful, highlighting the importance of structured reflection in professional growth.

We believe that integrating Q-sorting into teacher professional development programmes could provide a practical and engaging way to empower educators in transitioning from routine to adaptive experts. Discussions around real-world teaching challenges can encourage both individual and collective learning, supporting educators to better navigate the complexities of their profession with confidence and ability.

Author Biographies

Lisette van Bruggen, Center for Research and Development of Education, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Lisette holds a master's degree in educational sciences and has extensive experience with educational design in various contexts. Over 15 years, she has been involved in faculty development initiatives at UMC Utrecht, providing teacher training courses and coordinating the university teacher certification process.

She helped establish an Educator Community and worked as a staff member of the Center for Research and Development of Education. She is currently working on a PhD on the development of Adaptive Expertise in Education for HPE. 

Heleen Pennings, Netherlands iXperium Centre of Expertise Learning with ICT, HAN University of Applied Sciences | National Education Lab AI (NOLAI), Radboud University, The Netherlands

Heleen Pennings is professor of Applied Sciences in Learning with ict at HAN University of Applied Sciences and scientific coordinator of a co-implementation pilot at the Nationaal Onderwijslab AI at Radbout University: both in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.

She studied a variety of topics relating to training and education of professionals (health professionals, safety personnel and teachers), focusing on innovative research and educational methods inspired by complex dynamic systems thinking: e.g., technology enhanced learning, adaptive (immersive) learning, adaptive expertise, negative transfer of training in simulation, and interpersonal communication.

Despoina Georgiou, Department of Education and Pedagogy, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Despoina Georgiou is an assistant professor in the Department of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences at Utrecht University. She holds a master's degree in Research on Teaching and Learning from the Technical University of Munich, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the International Doctoral School REASON at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich. Her doctoral research focused on exploring the "Research-practice gap in teacher education: Beliefs, evidence, and practice of university-based teacher educators".

Despoina's research interests encompass the professional development and learning of university educators, with a strong emphasis on the integration of innovative instructional practices, including technology. Since August 2023, Despoina has been appointed to coordinate the Special Interest Group 4 on Higher Education at EARLI.

Someone playing a trombone

Volume

Adaptive Performance: Conceptualisation and Mechanisms in Engineering Education

Pages

87-98

Published

May 19, 2026

Categories

Copyright (c) 2026 Yvette Baggen; Belinda W.C. Ommering, Gabi Kaffka, Jan Onne Backhaus, Maria Louise Gamborg, Rune Dall Jensen, Lisette van Bruggen, Heleen Pennings, Despoina Georgiou, Karel van den Bosch, Esther A.P.B. Oprins, Frank van Rijnsoever, Luc de Jongh, Lisette Munneke, Wietske Kuijer-Siebelink; Antoine van den Beemt, Marieke van der Schaaf, Jan van Tartwijk; Marleen Groenier, Irene Visscher-Voerman, Jannet Doppenberg, Mechteld van Kuijk, Lia Fluit, Loek Nieuwenhuis, Perry den Brok, Yvette Baggen, Antoine van den Beemt, Marieke van der Schaaf, Jan van Tartwijk

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

van Bruggen, L., Pennings, H., & Georgiou, D. (2026). Empowering university educators: How Q-sorting fosters adaptive expertise and professional development. In Y. Baggen, A. van den Beemt, M. van der Schaaf, & J. van Tartwijk (Eds.), Adaptive Performance: Conceptualisation and Mechanisms in Engineering Education (pp. 87-98). TU Delft OPEN Books. https://doi.org/10.59490/mt.246.35