Academic coaching for women
If you are a woman professor, female teacher for special tasks, or female research associate, you can apply for coaching at the Center for Academic Development (ZLE).
Why especially for women?
Although the proportion of women in top academic positions has significantly increased in the recent years, it remains small, with only around a quarter of professorships held by women (see figure below, from the materials collection for the current Gender Report in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)). One reason for this is that many women are leaving the academic system to pursue other opportunities. At TH Köln, we want to reverse this trend.
Share your experiences, success stories, and stumbling blocks with us and help us shape an academic practice at TH Köln where you can unlock and use your full potential. The ZLE supports you with academic coaching.
Women's & Gender Research Network NRW
(Image: Netzwerk Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung NRW)
What is academic coaching?
Academic coaching on a one-to-one basis or in groups offers a reliable framework for reflection on academic practice and its structures, for deciding on your own possible courses of action, for shaping your perspective, and for driving change in academic practice.
Five steps to your perspective
Step 1: What are you concerned about? Here are some examples of topics that could be a good starting point for a coaching process:
- Starting out and positioning yourself in a male-dominated work environment
- Implementing topics such as diversity in curricula and teaching activities
- Identifying and dealing with (implicit) gender-based conflict situations
Step 2: Contact Lena Nölkenbockhoff, your personal contact at the Center for Academic Development (ZLE).
Step 3: Meet Lena Nölkenbockhoff for a first discussion in which you can outline your concerns and agree on a course of action.
Step 4: We will put you in touch with an external coach from our pool of coaches who has experience with the academic world (science and gender competence).
Step 5: You attend your one-to-one or group coaching session and shape the next steps on your journey.
The project is funded as a gender equality promoting measure and continuously evaluated in cooperation with the central Equal Opportunities Officer.