New teaching competences within the present context of the European Higher Education Area

Author(s):

Rakel Del Frago Arbizu

Conference:

ECER 2010

Network:

11. Educational Effectiveness and Quality Assurance

Format:

Poster

Session Information

MC_Poster, Poster Session Main Conference

Main Conference Poster Session

Time:

2010-08-27

12:15-13:15

Room:

2nd Floor Hall (M.B)/ II KRS AULA, Päärakennus / Main Building,

Chair:

Contribution

Competence-based training of professors is a key element for implementing every change posed by the process of convergence. Professors within EHEA must be competent in teaching their knowledge about the subject, but, above all, they must have developed a reservoir of knowledge, know-how and poise (professional action competence), characteristic of their professional profile. The process of convergence entails changing the idea of the role played by professors (López, 2005; Caballero, 2007; Calderón and Escalera, 2008; Martínez and Echeverría, 2009). Therefore, in order to adapt to EHEA, professors must acquire new professional teaching competences for which they must be trained.

This work analyzes the needs of training university professors for adapting to EHEA, with regard to the competences in planning and development of teaching. The results shown here are part of the FORCOM research project: “Perfiles docentes para el EEES: diseño de un recurso virtual de ayuda al profesorado universitario para el desarrollo de competencias docentes”, approved by MEC and ERDF within the 2006-2007 call for R&D projects (SEJ2007-67526 /EDUC). 5 Spanish universities are involved in this research: the University of Seville (as leader of the project), the Complutense University of Madrid, and the universities of Granada, Cadiz and the Basque Country. These are the main objectives: a) to identify the competences of university teachers required by EHEA; b) to establish training, guidance and assistance needs; and c) to experience and assess empirically a computerized resource for helping professors.

Method

In order to detect training needs, an on-line survey has been carried out. A protocol was designed for assessing professors’ training needs with the aim of adapting to EHEA, which could be found in the web page of the University of Seville. The protocol consisted of 45 items, over a scale of 6 points (1: I don’t need training; 6: I need much training). It was distributed among professors of the five areas of study around which university studies are organized (Health Sciences, Social and Legal Sciences, Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Engineering and Humanities). In each area, the 7 types of professors were represented as categorized today (catedrático de universidad –full professor–, profesor titular –professor–, ayudante doctor –assistant professor–, profesor contratado doctor –associate professor–, profesor colaborador –associate professor, with or without a PhD–, profesor asociado –teaching assistant–, ayudante –lecturer–).

Expected Outcomes

Into the competence-based training required when planning teaching, the highest values are those related to the design of activities to encourage responsibility and self-learning, whilst the lowest values are linked to subject content. As far as the most required competences for the development of teaching are concerned, those are related to the behaviour of students, i.e., how to make students accept responsibility for their learning, how to motivate them, how to develop critical capacities or team work... The lowest averages are found in those items related to knowledge and its adaptation and transference to students. In general, professors working within the areas of Social and Legal Sciences and of Health Sciences perceive a higher need of training than those within the area of Humanities and technical careers.

References

Álvarez, V., García, E.; Gil, J.; Romero, S. (2004). La enseñanza universitaria. Planificación y desarrollo de la docencia. Madrid. EOS. Álvarez Rojo, V. et al. (2009). Perfiles docentes para el espacio europeo de Educación Español (EEES) en el ámbito universitario español. RELIEVE, v. 15, n. 1. http://www.uv.es/RELIEVE/v15n1/RELIEVEv15n1_1.htm. [Consulta 2009, 15 julio]. Bunk, G.P. (1994). La transmisión de las competencias en la formación y el perfeccionamiento profesionales en la RFA. Revista Europea de Formación Profesional, (1), 8-14. Caballero, M.A. (2007). “La adaptación al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior como escenario para la reflexión sobre el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje en el ámbito universitario: algunas propuestas para un cambio significativo”. Revista Española de Orientación y Psicopedagogía, 18 (2), 167-177. Calderón, C. y Escalera, G. (2008). “La evaluación de la docencia ante el reto del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior”. Educación XX1, (11), 237-256. De Ketele, J.M. (2003). La formación didáctica y pedagógica de los profesores universitarios: luces y sombras. Revista de Educación, (331), 143-169. Echeverría, B. (2002). Gestión de la competencia de acción profesional. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 20 (1), 7-42. González Sanmamed, M. y Raposo Rivas, M. (2008). Necesidades formativas del profesorado universitario en el contexto de la convergencia europea. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 26 (2), 285-306. Levy-Leboyer, C. (1997). Gestión de las competencias. Barcelona: Ediciones Gestión 2000. López, V.M. (2005). “Presentación. Evaluación, Aprendizaje y Docencia Universitaria. Su relación con el Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior”. Revista Electrónica Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 8 (4), 1-4. Martínez, P. y Echeverría, B. (2009). Formación basada en competencias. Revista de Investigación Educativa, 29, 1, 125-147. Tigelaar, E.H. y otros (2004). “The development and validation of a framework for teaching competencies in Higher Education”. Higher Education: the International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 48 (2), 253-268). Zabalza, M.A. (2003). Competencias docentes del profesorado universitario. Madrid. Narcea

Author Information

Rakel Del Frago Arbizu

Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

San Sebastian (Gipuzkoa)

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