The Interaction of Leadership, Ethos and curriculum

Short Course: Developing Organisations and People

Startdate Unknown
Study duration <1 year
Level Postgraduate continuing professional education
Type Blended
Costs €2000,-
Study load 5 ECTS

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Driestar Christian University for Teacher Education offers the short course ‘Developing Organisations and People: the Intersection of Leadership, Ethos, and Curriculum’. In this course we examine the concepts of leadership, school ethos, curriculum and development from a Christian perspective.

The short course is part of the Master’s programme on Christian education. As a participant in the short course you will join the international learning community of Master’s students and Professors. The short course is a blended learning programme.

Course Content

Within an international community of students and expert (guest) lecturers you will extend your theoretical and practical understanding of Christian education. You will examine the concepts of leadership, school ethos, curriculum and development from a Christian perspective. At the end of the course you will apply the insights gained by reading and reflecting on a biography of a specific leader you want to know more about. This course aims to equip you to serve your local community in providing justifiable and appropriate incentives for developing the lived ethos and professional competence of all staff. It ultimately aims to foster the spiritual well-being and academic growth of pupils.

By studying theory and reflection on their own practices, this course helps participants to enrich their practice (or the practices they serve) with insights into the development of organisations and people in Christian Education.

For Dutch participants, this short course is especially interesting because thinking about developing organisations and people is linked to biographies - a unique approach not found in other courses.

The course objectives of the short course ‘Developing Organisations and People: the Intersection of Leadership, Ethos, and Curriculum’ are as follows.

At the end of the course the participant:

Internalises critical openness (towards others, his organisation and insights) and commitment to a Christian identity and ethos in professional and personal spheres, whether they be Christian or secular.
Enjoys growth in awareness of (e.g. cultural) differences that impinge on his job/vocation/professional duties and values these as enriching while recognising/acknowledging the concomitant challenges.
Can assess the school ethos and school mission and provide incentives for their quality.
Can develop and help develop key parts of a curriculum that is in accordance with the school mission and educational aims, from a Christian perspective.
Can foster professional growth of significant others within his educational setting
Is willing and able to reflect on the balance between honouring the integrity and respecting the professionalism of others, while simultaneously trying to influence them towards aims and practices which they did not conceive of themselves.
Shows modesty, courage, creativity and determination in dealing with limitations / constraints that hamper or impede growth towards fulfilling the mission of the school.

Tuition fee: approx. € 2.000,-
The on campus week will incur additional costs. Please contact the International Office for more information.

Funding your study

If you are thinking about applying to this course and are currently exploring financial aid opportunities, you may be eligible for a scholarship. Here you can find some information about scholarship programmes.

The course is offered to experienced teachers, principals, school leaders and people who work in educational aid organisations.

Admission requirements:

You require a bachelor’s degree in the field of Education to be admitted to the short course. If you work in education and you have obtained a bachelor's degree in a different field, you can still apply and you can gain access to the programme on the basis of a positive outcome of the admission interview.
You work in education or a related workplace.
All students must prove that they have good writing and conversation skills in English.

We offer credits for the course according to the Bologna system (the European Credits Transfer System, ECTS). After completing the short course, you will receive a Driestar Christian University Certificate, indicating that you have completed the 5 ECTS credit course (on average, one credit requires 28 hours of study).

The short course programme consists of regular online meetings on Tuesdays, independent learning tasks, group assignments and online lessons. You should expect 140 hours of study for the short course, spread over the full duration of this course. That means that you will need to spend around 8 hours a week on individual study or online meetings.

The short course will be offered in 2026-2028.

Short courses help to deepen your understanding of themes concerning education improvement from a Christian perspective. These courses will help you look at your own educational practice in a different way. We offer four different short courses: Christian Education: a Practices Approach (semester 1); Developing organisations and people: The intersection of leadership, ethos, and curriculum (semester 2); Religious Education: Formation of Christian Committed Character (semester 3); and Transforming Society: Education for Justice and Shalom (semester 4). For these courses, you will join the modules of the content strand in the Master's Programme. If you pass the module(s), you can get exemptions if you register for the complete Master's Programme at a later time (subject to the conditions).

The courses involve regular online meetings on Tuesdays, independent learning tasks, group assignments, online lessons and one week on-campus seminar in Gouda, The Netherlands. During this on-campus seminar you will have meetings with your fellow students and the Professor(s), and you will have the opportunity to visit schools and, if possible, gain teaching practice in Dutch schools.