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The development of the lecturers’ career system has been completed. The work that started in 2017 has been a great joint effort, as the reform was carried out in dialogue not only with lecturers, but also extensively with the entire Aalto community. The final career system emerged through numerous rounds of discussions and interactive sessions.

A new step has been added to the career path: the principal university lecturer. This new level offers further opportunities for lecturers who want to develop and advance in teaching-focused positions. The evaluation criteria used in lecturer recruitment and advancement were also harmonised in connection with this reform. This makes the lecturer career system more consistent across Aalto schools.

‘Our lecturers do a very valuable job for the benefit of our students and entire community. I believe that the new career system will increase transparency and provide advancement opportunities for our lecturers who work in different types of tasks’, says Provost Kristiina Mäkelä.

More development efforts coming soon

During the project, other development needs were also identified. These relate to giving greater recognition for teaching, developing the management of lecturers' work and careers, and ensuring the continual development of the lecturer career system.

Teaching is one of Aalto’s three core responsibilities, and its appreciation must be reflected in the daily work of our teaching personnel. One measure to highlight educational merits is the Aalto Education Impact Award, which was awarded for the first time in 2018. The award is granted annually at Aalto Day One. Other activities include the recent launch of Teachers' Dialogue events, and the annual Get Together for all Aalto lecturers, where new lecturers get a chance to introduce themselves and make their own work visible. Lecturers will also be better represented on the aalto.fi website in future.

The lecturers’ career system is part of Aalto quality system, and its operations are reviewed systematically and regularly as part of the annual cycle.

Learn more about the career system for lecturers here.