Ambassador Activities

PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Activities

PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors are partners, experts and stakeholders collaborated in the PROFFORMANCE+ project, or Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors (IPAs), who joined the PROFFORMANCE IPA network. Both groups actively promote the PROFFORMANCE Toolkit—including the Assessment Tool (PAT), the Teaching Excellence Database, and the PROFFORMANCE online short courses —through presentations, hands-on workshops, and strategic consultations. Their role is to support higher education institutions and educators in understanding, piloting, and effectively using these tools to enhance teaching quality and develop teachers’ competencies in line with European Higher Education Area (EHEA) priorities: digitalization, internationalization, inclusion, and sustainability.

The mission of the two main groups of PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors:

1. PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors

   • These ambassadors are former PROFFORMANCE project partners, experts and stakeholders who deliver workshops and presentations at conferences, webinars, and professional gatherings.

   • They demonstrate how the toolkit works in practice and provide guidance on its integration into institutional teaching and quality assurance processes.

   • They also promote the toolkit internationally, bridging European policy objectives with practical teaching development.

2. Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors (IPAs)

   • Delegated by higher education institutions, IPAs support the local implementation and piloting of PROFFORMANCE tools.

   • Their responsibilities include facilitating hands-on trials, sharing institutional experiences, participating in the International Institutional PROFFORMANCE Network, and contributing to professional community activities such as workshops and network meetings.

   • IPAs act as local representatives for teaching quality development, providing feedback how the toolkit can be used in institutional QA.

IPA Network Membership:
There are two types of IPA membership:

• IPA Network Member – professionals (QA, HE, T&L, HR, etc.) interested in participating in online activities of the IPA network.

• Certified Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors (IPAs) - are those,  

  • Who have authorization from their higher education institution

  • Who have tested the PROFFORMANCE Assessment tool (PAT) on PAT platform.

  • Who are engaged in the activities at the IPA network. 

​Purpose: PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors serve to disseminate knowledge, provide practical support, foster professional networks, and ensure that PROFFORMANCE tools are effectively used to improve teaching practices across higher education.

Join the Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors network by filling the Registration form: 

The Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Network has already more than 80 international members from the EHEA and beyond, among which 19 have become certified IPAs.

List of certified IPAs:

Testimonials of Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors

Testimonial_Georgian University of Sport_Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador | Profformance

Testimonial_Hungarian University of Sport Science_Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador | Profformance

Testimonial_University of SOPRON_Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador | Profformance

Testimonial-Pazmany-Peter-Catholic-University-Institutional-Profformance-Ambassador

Details of former PROFFORMANCE Ambassador activities:

1. Report on the PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Roadshow

2. Piloting the Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Professional Network in Hungary

3. Launch of the International Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador (IPA) Community and Network

1. Report on the PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Roadshow

The PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Roadshow was a series of presentations and workshops designed to promote the PROFFORMANCE Toolkit—the Assessment tool, a free, three-dimensional framework, the international Teaching Excellence Database and the PROFFORMANCE Short courses that supports higher education (HE) teachers and institutions to assess and to develop higher education teachers’ competencies thus to enhance teaching quality at universities. During these events, PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors (experts and project partners) presented the toolkit, conducted hands-on demonstrations, explained how the tool aligns with European Higher Education Area (EHEA) priorities (digitalization, internationalization, inclusion, and sustainability) and discussed how to best use the toolkit at the higher education institutions.

During the PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Roadshow, more than 30 events were implemented between 2022-2025, spanning 13 countries and 15 cities. The cities hosting the greatest number of activities were Budapest (9) and Prague (5), signaling strong involvement from Hungarian and Czech institutions, followed by Brussels, Bucharest, Debrecen, and Tbilisi (2 each).  

While around 21 of these events were international— in some cases collaborating with BFUG, ENQA, or EUA and EURASHE—roughly 10 focused on a single country’s higher education context with 5 online, 2 hybrid, and 25 physical sessions.

Overall, 32 presentations introduced the tool’s concept and usability, and 9 workshops offered hands-on demonstrations, with some events featuring both formats.

These statistics underscore the tool’s growing recognition in various HE settings; the significant number of physical sessions reveals strong interest in interactive, face-to-face engagement, and the high share of international events highlights PROFFORMANCE’s alignment with broader European policy and quality assurance initiatives.

Alignment with EHEA Priorities

Event reports justifies how well the PROFFORMANCE Assessment Tool aligns with the EHEA’s main priorities: digitalization, internationalization, inclusion, and sustainability. Participants often highlight its value for developing educators’ digital skills, either teaching in physical, online or blended/hybrid settings. They also appreciate that it is available in 7 languages, and also emphasises how to teach in an international environment and to students with various nationality and culture, which support institutions aiming for stronger international collaboration. Competency areas focusing on how to address diverse learners’ needs help teachers to develop a universally designed curricula, applying tailor-made teaching and learning methodology. Finally, sustainability emerges as a growing theme, supporting educators how to embed environmental and social issues into their courses and everyday teaching practices.

PROFFORMANCE was presented to a wide and diverse audience at various gatherings, including events organized by the BFUG Teaching & Learning Working Group, EURASHE, and at EQAF. The tool's widespread relevance is further demonstrated by showcasing its results at prestigious international conferences such as NAFSA, EAIE. Its presence at these reputable platforms highlights how well the tool aligns with international standards, EHEA and EU policy objectives and existing quality assurance frameworks, (ESG), emphasizing its usefulness for both internal and external quality assurance processes. Policy makers, quality assurance professionals, and academic institutions may consider using PROFFORMANCE’s evidence-based approach as complementary to their existing systems, thereby contributing to a culture of continuous improvement across European higher education.

The PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Roadshow stands as a model of pan-European collaboration, effectively bridging policy objectives and on-the-ground teaching practices.

About PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors

PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors, partners, experts affiliated with the PROFFORMANCE+ project provided hands-on workshops, presentations, and strategic consultations for higher education institutions seeking to adopt the assessment tool.

Our  Ambassadors promoted the PROFFORMANCE Assessment Tool by presenting it at the following conferences, thematic webinars, workshops, professional gatherings, meetings, etc. 

Ambassador events at the profformance webpage: https://profformance.eu/en/ambassador-events

2. Piloting the Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador Professional Network in Hungary

On behalf of the PROFFORMANCE consortium, the Tempus Public Foundation (TPF) invited Hungarian higher education institutions to delegate representatives as Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors to support the national piloting of PROFFORMANCE tools. The pilot also aimed to test how to build a professional community committed to enhancing teaching quality and educators’ competencies, while supporting institutions in the application of the PROFFORMANCE Assessment Tool (PAT).

Participation Conditions

The target group involved institutional leaders, educational development and quality assurance experts, and decision-makers responsible for teaching quality from the selected Hungarian higher education institutions. Participation required an institutional leadership decision and a formal statement of intent. Institutions were encouraged to delegate at least two professionals working in educational quality assurance, curriculum development, or human resource development.

Ambassadors have been offered the opportunity to participate in regular network meetings, representing their institution in knowledge-exchange activities, ensuring internal communication, and requested to carry out PAT pilot testing: a small-scale round in Autumn 2024 and a broader round in Spring 2025 and to collect structured feedback.

Key Events (Fall 2024 – Spring 2025)

Institutional Delegation: 9 Oct – 4 Nov 2024

Kick-off Event: 8 Nov 2024

Pilot Testing: 10 Nov – 31 Mar

Experience-exchange Workshop: 10 Apr 2025

Final Outcomes
Out of the 10 invited institutions, 8 delegated members to the IPA network, and ultimately two Hungarian higher education institutions completed the PAT pilot testing within the deadline.
Laura Sinóros-Szabó (University of Sopron) and Dorina Kissné Fajcsák (Hungarian University of Sport Science) emerged as exemplary pioneers of the process. Their commitment and practical insights positioned them as role models within the network, enabling them to guide and support future members in conducting PAT pilot tests effectively.

3. Launch of the International Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador (IPA) Community and Network

Following the Hungarian pilot of the IPA network, the initiative opened to the international community, marking a new milestone in the project’s development. The international call for Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors (IPAs) was first announced at the Teacher Power Conference on 4 June, gathering considerable interest from higher education institutions across Europe. At the event Laura Sinóros-Szabó from University of Sopron presented how the PROFFORMANCE Assessment tool can be used to support institutional strategies for quality enhancement of teaching and learning.

First Gathering of International IPAs

The momentum continued on 13 June, when the first PROFFORMANCE Network Meet-Up brought together over 50 higher education professionals from 42 institutions across 8 countries. This event officially launched the international IPA community, creating a shared platform for cross-border collaboration in teaching and learning enhancement.

Participants responded to the open call for ambassadors, stepping forward to contribute to PROFFORMANCE’s mission of strengthening evidence-based teaching development in higher education. The meet-up served as the inaugural gathering of IPAs committed to integrating and promoting the PAT within their institutions.

During the session, participants received a comprehensive introduction to the PROFFORMANCE project, its tools, and the expanding IPA network. A testimonial by experienced ambassador Dorina Kissné Fajcsák provided practical insight into institutional implementation and its impact. A hands-on tutorial equipped newcomers with step-by-step guidance on conducting the PAT pilot at their institutions.

Pilot Testing Phase

All engaged ambassadors committed to piloting the PAT by 8 September 2025, contributing essential feedback to refine the tool. Their active participation and institutional engagement formed the basis for selecting representatives for the upcoming PROFFORMANCE Simulation Game, scheduled for October 2025 in Budapest. By the deadline more than 80 candidates from the EU and beyond expressed their interest to join the international IPA network out of which 19 met the requirements to become certified IPAs.

Invitation to the Simulation Game

Ambassadors who fully completed the PAT pilot were invited to the PROFFORMANCE Simulation game – the official final event of the PROFFORMANCE project, 16 October, Budapest, where over 90 higher-education stakeholders gathered to engage in the Continuous Development Cycle (CDC) model. At the event, Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors (IPAs), together with national policymakers, teachers, students and international partners, participated in inter-level dialogue: first they set shared goals in their working groups, tested the PAT and based ont he assessment results developed SMART action plans. The event silmulated a structured intra- and inter-level conversation connecting individual, institutional, and policy levels.

Outcomes

The international expansion of the IPA network represents a significant step forward in building a professional community dedicated to improving teaching and learning across the European Higher Education Area. The online meet-ups, the pilot testing, the Simulation event successfully established the foundations of this collaboration. The PROFFORMANCE Network continues to grow as an inclusive space for peer learning, exchange, and innovation—inviting further institutions to join this shared endeavour.

Representatives of interested higher education institutions may still register at: Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador - Registration form

Testimonials of Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassadors

Testimonial_Georgian University of Sport_Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador | Profformance

Testimonial_Hungarian University of Sport Science_Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador | Profformance

Testimonial_University of SOPRON_Institutional PROFFORMANCE Ambassador | Profformance

Testimonial-Pazmany-Peter-Catholic-University-Institutional-Profformance-Ambassador