A new digital hub for teaching excellence and collaboration across the Alliance
👉 Discover the Teacher Training Academy:
https://ecampus.across-alliance.eu/teacher-training-academy/
The Across Alliance has reached an important milestone in its journey towards a truly integrated European University with the launch of the Across Teacher Training Academy (TTA) on the eCampus, now providing a first catalogue of teacher training courses for academic staff across the Alliance.
Completed in June 2026, the launch of the Teacher Training Academy marks the successful achievement of Milestone 4 of the Across project. Developed as part of Task 2.4 – Across Border Teacher Training Academy within Work Package 2 – Across Borderless Education, the Academy offers digital and blended professional development opportunities for staff involved in teaching.
More than a new digital learning platform, the Teacher Training Academy supports educators in responding to the evolving challenges of higher education. It provides a shared framework for developing teaching competencies while promoting innovative, inclusive and collaborative pedagogical practices across institutional and national borders.
Supporting the transformation of teaching across Europe
The Academy responds to a challenge shared across the Alliance: while academic expertise is a defining strength of European universities, many teaching staff have had limited opportunities for formal pedagogical training. Across therefore aims to provide accessible, high-quality professional development that supports the continuous enhancement of teaching practices.
The Academy familiarises educators with innovative approaches to learning, including student-centred education, challenge-based learning, flexible learning pathways, Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL), design thinking, intercultural and comparative teaching, digital and hybrid learning, and stronger links between higher and secondary education. It also encourages teachers to integrate the Alliance’s four cross-border focus areas into their courses, reinforcing the European dimension of teaching and learning.
At the heart of the Academy lies a jointly developed Pedagogical Competencies Framework, which establishes a common vision of teaching excellence across Across universities. The framework recognises that effective university teaching extends beyond disciplinary expertise by combining pedagogical, digital, intercultural and leadership competencies.
It is structured around five complementary areas of competence:
- Core pedagogical and didactic competencies, including student-centred learning, curriculum design, active learning methodologies and meaningful assessment;
- Digital and technological competencies, supporting hybrid teaching, digital learning environments and the responsible use of emerging technologies, including AI-assisted teaching tools;
- Intercultural and inclusive teaching competencies, promoting multilingual learning environments, diversity, accessibility and international collaboration;
- Professional development and reflective competencies, encouraging lifelong learning, peer exchange, self-reflection and evidence-informed teaching practices;
- Pedagogical leadership and innovation, enabling experienced educators to mentor colleagues, lead curriculum development and contribute to institutional transformation.
A distinctive feature of the framework is its emphasis on Teaching Engagement for Cross-Border Academic Integration and Collaboration. This transversal competence encourages educators to co-design curricula, participate in joint teaching initiatives, contribute to shared micro-credentials and collaborate across institutions through the Alliance’s common digital infrastructures, supporting the development of truly transnational learning environments.
The eCampus: the digital heart of Across
The Teacher Training Academy is embedded within the Across eCampus, the Alliance’s shared digital ecosystem for education, research, innovation and collaboration. It connects partner universities through common services and platforms, enabling students, teachers, researchers and lifelong learners to access learning opportunities and collaborative resources across the Alliance. In doing so, the eCampus provides the technological foundation for a connected European academic community.
A first catalogue of courses now available
The successful completion of Milestone 4 is reflected in the operational launch of the Teacher Training Academy, which already offers its first collection of digital and blended teacher training courses for academic staff across the Alliance.
This is only the beginning. Existing teacher training programmes from Across partner universities will progressively be transformed into shared learning offers, while new courses will be developed collaboratively.
Future training opportunities will cover:
- innovative educational concepts and methodologies, including COIL;
- teaching in international and multicultural contexts;
- subject-specific competencies linked to Across’s four thematic focus areas;
- digital, hybrid and challenge-based teaching approaches;
- curriculum design and assessment strategies;
- transversal competencies recognised through micro-credentials.
The Academy will also strengthen cooperation with schools, vocational education and training providers, centres of professional excellence and lifelong learning institutions across the Alliance’s four cross-border regions, extending its impact beyond higher education.
Explore the Teacher Training Academy
The public Teacher Training Academy is now available on the Across eCampus. Visitors can explore the Pedagogical Competencies Framework, discover the first training opportunities and learn more about Across’s vision for innovative, collaborative and borderless teaching.
👉 Discover the Teacher Training Academy:
https://ecampus.across-alliance.eu/teacher-training-academy/
Building a European community of educators
Beyond delivering professional development, the Teacher Training Academy promotes a new vision of academic teaching within the European University Alliance. It encourages educators to move beyond individual teaching practices and become part of a transnational community of practice, where experiences, expertise and innovative pedagogical approaches are shared across disciplines, institutions and countries.
Teachers are encouraged to engage in collaborative teaching initiatives, co-design joint curricula, implement COIL, contribute to shared micro-credentials and actively participate in the Alliance’s academic communities. Common assessment tools, peer observation, self-assessment and participant feedback will support the continuous improvement of both teaching practices and the Academy itself, while respecting the diversity of institutional cultures and national higher education systems.
As one of Across’s flagship achievements, the Teacher Training Academy illustrates the added value of the European Universities Initiative by creating shared structures that foster lasting transformation in higher education.
Looking ahead
The launch of the Teacher Training Academy marks the beginning of a long-term process of pedagogical transformation within Across. Over the coming years, the Academy will continue to expand its catalogue of courses, introduce new learning pathways and micro-credentials, strengthen cooperation with educational partners and support an increasing number of educators across the Alliance.
By investing in its teaching community, Across is investing in the quality, inclusiveness, innovation and internationalisation of European higher education, bringing the Alliance ever closer to its vision of a truly connected and borderless European campus.
Discover the Teacher Training Academy:
👉 https://ecampus.across-alliance.eu/teacher-training-academy/