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Impact of the initial training of engineering schools’ lecturers
Abstract
Nowadays, initial training courses for lecturers are widespread in universities. However, there are not enough research papers that analyze their impact and effectiveness. This paper focuses on the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid’s case. In order to assess if the teaching training received takes effect in the lecturers’ daily work, the study has collected data about 198 participants that have finished the Initial Training for University Teaching program. 115 of them answered a survey (adapted from Freixas et al.) analyzing the factors of their training transference. Participants acknowledged the learning value obtained during the program, indicating that they have implemented it in their own teaching practice. They perceive their students’ interest, who encourage them to introduce the methodological innovations learnt during their training. On the other hand, they do not perceive support from their departments. They detect lack of support (within the degrees and departments) as well as the lack of provided resources as the main barriers. The weight of tradition on how lecturers face teaching is relevant, restricting the possibilities for changes. Results show very limited institutional recognition to the effort invested in their own training. Nevertheless, participants keep optimistic expectations about the positive assessment of the received training for their teaching career.
... Consequently, educative organizations should create platforms where educators can share innovative practices forming working networks. Initiation programs with experienced engineering educators mentoring their younger peers can prove also very adequate [15][16][17][18]. ...
... A good start point may be to follow the seven principles of innovative doctoral training [23], so that PhD researchers do not only focus on research excellence, but also get trained in different professional environments (including academia, as well as industry) and get their soft skills and international connections promoted. Besides, this transition should be supported by courses focusing on pedagogical skills, on teaching methodologies and on organization and assessment of engineering courses, whose outstanding impact has been previously highlighted in examples that could be considered gold standards [15]. Ideally, every minute that a professor devotes during his/her professional life, should be connected to the promotion of students' learning. ...
Lifelong learning plays a fundamental role for all engineering professionals, including engineering educators, as the working context is now international and rapidly changing. The training and professional development of engineering educators are hence of vital importance for letting universities serve society. In this study, the main challenges for the promotion of well-trained and change-oriented engineering educators are methodically analyzed, as linked to preparing the future generations of engineers. A systematic analysis of such challenges is performed and helps with the finding of unsolved or critical aspects, which can be grouped into main problems. After studying them, a collection of actuations or potential solutions, together with a set of tools for checking their progress, are put forward. Key strategies directly involve teachers themselves and their teaching methodologies, implicate students and the relationships with educators, take advantage of available resources and are dependent on the surrounding environment. Their effects are discussed, based on authors' experience, and considering the information from the studies carried out by numerous colleagues worldwide.
... The ICE, a center of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), has undergone a deep transformation to adapt its training processes and continue teaching the ongoing programs. The ICE is specialized in STEAM educators' training and has various programs (initial training -IT [15], continuous training -CT [16], a master's degree in hotel management -MHM, and a master´s degree in teacher training -MTT). This article presents the results obtained in this abrupt adaptation, carried out in the ICE programs, relying on ICT that not all faculty, students and administration staff previously handled. ...
With the irruption of the COVID-19, the Institute for Educational Sciences (ICE) of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), specialized in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) educators’ training, had to redesign its programs. This abrupt adaptation was conducted relying on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that faculty and students had not all previously handled. A comparison of students’ opinions comparing pre-COVID face-to-face teaching and COVID distance teaching was carried out. Analyses show that eLearning during COVID has, in general, affected objectives, contents and pedagogical performance. Although participants value the efforts of the professors to adapt their teaching to a new situation, all indicators decreased, except in one program. Consequently, the ICE’s programs need to be re-designed to meet their students’ demands, as it is not enough to literally apply face-to-face teaching to a virtual distance environment. It is necessary to transform the educational practice, including diverse learning activities for competences´ achievement. Furthermore, the ICE, as a center specialized in teacher training, has a huge responsibility in helping UPM faculty to move forward, providing training in all the areas needed for a transition from face-to-face and blended Learning (b-Learning) teaching to its combination with bimodal synchronous teaching (d-Learning), as future generations will demand these multiple modalities.
Leadership does contribute to student learning in context. How leadership is experienced can have an effect on teachers’ sense of efficacy and their teaching practices, particularly in a changing climate of educational renewal and governmental accountability. The research does show the implicit or explicit influence of transformational leadership on teachers’ instructional work and students’ learning. The few studies undertaken into distributed leadership have offered some evidence concerning the ways in which distributed leadership can enhance school culture and contribute to capacity building within schools and thus to school improvement.
The evaluation of university quality plans are optimized when these incorporate views and indicators of student satisfaction. As a result, based on the model proposed by Kember and Leung (2005), the objective of this research is to analyze satisfaction with University life through online surveys to students who studied at the Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia (UNED, Spain). The resulting data are tabulated a model that allows us to identify those elements that have a significant influence on student satisfaction in relation to four dimensions: teaching, content, communication and capabilities. This was attended by 60 students from different degree programs corresponding to five academic areas aged between 24 and 50 years. Intending to understand and interpret a reality and to open a debate on optimizing the quality of education, we have opted for a non-experimental design of exploratory, descriptive and transversal character. Studies of structure and internal consistency were conducted by performing an exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α = 0.96). It shows the high level of student satisfaction with the University experience, demonstrating a high degree of comfort in the variables analyzed. The results revealed significant differences due to age and the academic field. The review of the variables involved in the construct University life satisfaction has allowed us to point out the need to optimize strategies and resources fundamentally related to the teaching factor in order to improve University quality.
Hoy en día en el ámbito de la Educación Superior (ES) y en la gran mayoría de las universidades del mundo se reconoce la formación docente como una herramienta necesaria para el desarrollo profesional del profesorado y como un elemento fundamental para la mejora de la calidad docente. Hicks (1999) define desarrollo docente en la Universidad como “the provision of pedagogically sound and discipline relevant development for academic staff across the broad spectrum of disciplines present within a university so as to impact effectively on student learning“ (p. 44). Según el autor, el desarrollo docente incluye un amplio repertorio de actividades académicas que se centran en la capacitación del profesor como docente.
Este extenso despliegue de dispositivos de formación y de desarrollo docente ha traído consigo un creciente cuestionamiento sobre sus efectos y resultados reales, es decir, hasta qué punto el esfuerzo realizado por las personas, las universidades y los gobiernos está logrando el efecto deseado. El interrogante ha sido el origen de no pocas investigaciones que si bien nos aportan evidencia empírica sobre los aspectos en los que debería medirse la efectividad (De Rijdt et. al, 2013; Parsons et.al, 2012; Zabalza, 2011; Kreber y Brook, 2001, Guskey, 2000; Kirkpatrick 1998) o sobre tipo de resultados logrados por las diferentes estrategias formativas (Stefani, 2011; Hicks, Smigiel, Wilson & Luzeckyj, 2010; Viskovic, 2006; Dearn, Fraser & Ryan, 2002; Gibbs, Habeshaw & Yorke, 2000), siguen revelando que la evaluación del impacto de la formación es un proceso costoso, complejo, con múltiples matices relacionados con el contexto pero sin embargo necesario para mejorar tanto los propios procesos formativos como la propia universidad como un todo (McAlpine y Weston, 2000; Gilbert y Gibbs, 1999).
Paralelamente a este amplio e importante ámbito de investigación sobre la efectividad de la formación docente ha ido emergiendo en el mundo de la empresa una vía alternativa de medición que, en lugar de poner su atención en los resultados que genera la formación, se centra en la definición y medición de los factores que intervienen en su transferencia.
Este informe resume los resultados de la investigación “TRANSFERENCIA DE LA FORMACIÓN DOCENTE”, - financiada por REDU - y que tiene por objetivo el estudio de la transferencia de la formación docente del profesorado universitario y, en concreto, el diseño de una herramienta para identificar los factores relativos al individuo, al entorno laboral y al diseño de la propia formación que influyen en su transferencia.
Although transfer of learning was among the very first issues addressed by early psychologists, the
extant literature remains characterized by inconsistent measurement of transfer and significant variability
in findings. This article presents a meta-analysis of 89 empirical studies that explore the
impact of predictive factors (e.g., trainee characteristics, work environment, training interventions)
on the transfer of training to different tasks and contexts. We also examine moderator effects of the
relationships between these predictors and transfer. Results confirmed positive relationships between
transfer and predictors such as cognitive ability, conscientiousness, motivation, and a supportive
work environment. Several moderators had significant effects on transfer relationships, including the
nature of the training objectives. Specifically, most predictor variables examined (e.g., motivation,
work environment) had stronger relationships to transfer when the focus of training was on open
(e.g., leadership development) as opposed to closed (e.g., computer software) skills. Other moderators
related to the measurement of transfer also influenced transfer relationships, including situations
in which transfer outcomes were obtained by the same source in the same measurement context—
which consistently inflated transfer relationships. Findings are discussed in terms of their relevance
for future research and training practice.
Resumen
La transferencia de la formación –entendida como la aplicación de los aprendizajes de la formación al puesto de trabajo– es un tema prioritario para las empresas actualmente. Su adecuado desarrollo proporciona profesionales mejor cualificados para desempeñar las funciones específicas de su puesto de trabajo, permitiéndoles una actualización constante. Sin embargo, un proceso de evaluación de la transferencia exhaustivo requiere de un alto coste en recursos humanos y económicos, dada la dificultad para recoger evidencias directas en el puesto de trabajo. Por este motivo, diversos autores plantean la posibilidad de evaluar la transferencia indirectamente, midiendo los factores que condicionan dicha aplicación al lugar de trabajo -Baldwin y Ford (1988), Noe (1988), Holton (1996, 2005), y Burke y Hutchins (2008), entre otros–. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar los resultados de una evaluación de la de transferencia de la formación continua llevado a cabo durante 2009. Se aplicó una encuesta telefónica de 58 ítems a 1,044 participantes de formación continua, mediante el modelo ETF de factores. Se analizaron los datos mediante un análisis factorial exploratorio del que emergieron 6 factores: satisfacción con la formación, apoyo de la organización para transferir, responsabilidad sentida, ausencia de posibilidades de aplicación de la formación, motivación para transferir, y diseño de la transferencia. Estos factores predicen el 35,5% del aprendizaje resultante de la formación, el 56,7% de la transferencia percibida, así como un 51,5% del impacto de esta transferencia en su organización.
Data were gathered from a sample of training professionals of an American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) chapter in the southern United States regarding best practices for supporting training transfer. Content analysis techniques, based on a rigorous methodology proposed by Insch, Moore, & Murphy (1997), were used to analyze the rich data. Findings suggest that interventions for bolstering training transfer are best carried out in the work context and design and delivery phase, take place after training or during, and involve trainers and supervisors. Activities garnering top attention from trainers as best practices include (starting with most frequently reported) supervisory support activities, coaching, opportunities to perform, interactive training activities, transfer measurement, and job-relevant training. Several new transfer variables also emerged from the data, indicating existing transfer models can be further refined. Ultimately, we propose a refined model of transfer to extend human resource development (HRD) theory in the area of transfer.
Transfer of training is of paramount concern for training researchers and practitioners. Despite research efforts, there is a growing concern over the "transfer problem." The purpose of this paper is to provide a critique of the existing transfer research and to suggest directions for future research investigations. The conditions of transfer include both the generalization of learned material to the job and the maintenance of trained skills over a period of time on the job. The existing research examining the effects of training design, trainee, and work-environment factors on conditions of transfer is reviewed and critiqued. Research gaps identified from the review include the need to (1) test various operationalizations of training design and work-environment factors that have been posited as having an impact on transfer and (2) develop a framework for conducting research on the effects of trainee characteristics on transfer. Needed advancements in the conceptualization and operationalization of the criterion of transfer are also discussed. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR Copyright of Personnel Psychology is the property of Blackwell Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts)
This study expands on the concept of the learning transfer system and reports on the validation of an instrument to measure factors in the system affecting transfer of learning. The Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI) was developed and administered to 1,616 training participants from a wide range of organizations. Exploratory common factor analysis revealed a clean interpretable factor structure of sixteen transfer system constructs. Second-order factor analysis suggested a three-factor higher order structure of climate, job utility, and rewards. The instrument development process, factor structure, and use of the LTSI as a diagnostic tool in organizations are discussed.© 2000 Jossey-Bass, A Publishing Unit of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
La universidad, lugar donde el profesor universitario desarrolla su trabajo, está en uno de los mayores momentos de transformación de su historia; algunos de estos procesos han sido provocados directamente por los cambios sociales que se están sucediendo, otros por la tendencia al "rendimiento de cuentas" que se está instaurando en el sector público y otros, concretamente, por la convergencia hacia un Espacio Europeo de Educación (EEES). Estos profundos cambios por la calidad y la internacionalización que está viviendo la universidad,conllevan alteraciones en las funciones, roles y tareas asignadas al profesor, exigiéndole a este el desarrollo de nuevas competencias para desarrollar adecuadamente sus funciones profesionales. Todo ello ha generado nuevas necesidades formativas, provocando esto el desarrollo de planes formativos pedagógicos específicos para este colectivo, siendo imprescindible definir el nuevoperfil competencial que debe atesorar el profesor universitario para desarrollar adecuadamente sus nuevas funciones, en los diferentes escenarios de actuación profesional. En este artículo se presenta un perfil competencial del profesor universitario y algunos apuntes para su formación.
Support for student learning is a key element in optimizing student learning experiences in any learning environment and its importance has been widely discussed. This study looked at student support, particularly in the course context, focusing mainly on guidance provided to students within a course. Three categories of support were identified and used for the purpose of this study: instructional, peer, and technical support. A total of 110 students completed an online survey on students' perceptions of support and course satisfaction in an undergraduate online course at a large southeastern university. The results showed perceived support was significantly related to their overall satisfaction of the online course. The findings of this study suggest that teachers should communicate what types of support are available to students and provide an easy way of accessing and taking advantage of the support.
This research explores the experiences of a group of academics learning to teach with problem-based learning (PBL) and how a community of practice (COP) supported this transition. An action-research project evaluated both PBL experiences and group processes. Teachers were enthusiastic about PBL but experienced a variety of problems during the transition. Those new to teaching had particular difficulty taking on the PBL role of `facilitator'. All teachers struggled to work within the `rules' of PBL. Of specific concern was the varied input teachers provided for their tutor groups and possible inequalities for student learning. The COP enabled professional learning about teaching PBL, but the dynamics of the group were perceived as too hierarchical. The group could have functioned better if it had adopted the principles underpinning a COP so that teachers could take a more critical stance towards how they operated within the group and how they taught PBL.
This paper examines the pedagogic learning of a group of new lecturers at an international research intensive university who were participants on a formal teaching development programme. The lens of situated learning theory is utilised to gain new insights into the learning arising from the development programme but also to reveal certain limitations to pedagogic learning in academic workplaces. Initially, it is shown that academic practice can be construed as socially situated and distributed in specific contexts and that learning thus requires participation in communities of practice. While examining the functioning of teaching development cohort groups as communities of practice, further components of situated learning theory are utilised to more fully understand new lecturers’ social learning than has hitherto been the case. The lecturers’ experiences of learning as social meaning‐making and as legitimate peripheral participation are therefore examined. Furthermore, experiences of learning as a process of identity transformation are investigated. Conclusions are drawn which demonstrate the interplay of social and individual learning in the process of becoming an academic teacher.Cet article examine les apprentissages d’un groupe de professeurs en début de carrière participant à un programme formel de développement des compétences pédagogiques au sein d’une université de recherche à caractère international. L’approche théorique de l’apprentissage situé (situated learning) est utilisée afin de mettre en lumière les apprentissages découlant de ce programme, mais aussi de soulever certaines lacunes associées aux apprentissages pédagogiques ayant lieu en milieu de travail universitaire. Initialement, il appert que la pratique universitaire (academic practice) puisse être envisagée comme un phénomène étant situé et distribué socialement à l’intérieur de contextes spécifiques; l’apprentissage requiert dès lors la participation à des communautés de pratique. Alors que l’examen du fonctionnement de ces cohortes de développement pédagogique s’effectue du point de vue des communautés de pratique, des composantes additionnelles de la théorie de l’apprentissage situé sont utilisées en vue de mieux comprendre l’apprentissage social des professeurs que ce qui était le cas auparavant. Les expériences des professeurs relativement à la découverte de sens social (social meaning‐making) et à la participation périphérique légitime (legitimate peripheral participation) sont ainsi passées sous la loupe. De plus, les expériences d’apprentissage envisagées comme un processus de transformation d’identité sont examinées. Les conclusions tirées tendent à démontrer l’interaction entre les apprentissages sociaux et individuels au sein du processus de développement de l’enseignant universitaire.
Lent (2004) posited a model of domain-specific and overall life satisfaction in which social-cognitive variables (self-efficacy, outcome expectations, environmental supports, and perceived goal progress) play key roles. In this study, the authors examined the relation of these variables to academic satisfaction. Participants were 153 engineering students. Results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated that the social-cognitive model fit the data well overall and that each of the predictors, except for outcome expectations, explained unique variation in students’ academic satisfaction. The authors consider the implications of the findings for further research and practice on academic and work satisfaction.
One aim of student evaluation of instruction is the improvement of teaching quality, but there is little evidence that student assessment of instruction alone improves teaching. This study tried to improve the effects of evaluation by combining evaluation with individual counselling in an institutional development approach. Evaluation was conducted in a private school for speech therapy (logopedia) in 35 classes (N = 16 teachers, N = 592 students). Evaluation was done twice within a period of three to twelve months using a standardized questionnaire (HILVE‐II) developed for evaluation of university courses. The intervention effect on teaching quality was more than half a standard deviation on the teacher scales. Despite the fact that the counsellor had no pedagogical training, the quality of teaching not only improved quantitatively and qualitatively but also became more homogeneous although the relative rank listing of teachers did not change.Ein Ziel der studentischen Lehrevaluation ist die Verbesserung von Lehrqualität. Es gibt aber wenig empirische Evidenz dafür, dass studentische Lehrevaluation allein Lehre verbessern kann. Diese Studie versuchte, die Effekte von Veranstaltungskritik in einem Ansatz, der Lehrevaluation mit Beratung verbindet, zu erhöhen. Lehrveranstaltungsevaluation wurde in einem privaten Ausbildungsinstitut für Logopädie in 35 Kursen von 16 Dozenten mit 592 Studierenden durchgeführt. Veranstaltungskritik wurde zweimal praktiziert binnen eines Zeitabschnitts von drei bis zwölf Monaten anhand eines Fragebogens (HILVE‐II), der für die Evaluation von Hochschulveranstaltungen entwickelt wurde. Der Verbesserungseffekt auf Lehrqualität war in den dozentenbezogenen Skalen größer als eine halbe Standardabweichung. Obwohl der Berater keine pädagogische Ausbildung hatte, verbesserte sich die Lehrqualität nicht nur in den quantitativen und qualitativen Maßen, sondern wurde auch homogener. Die relative Rangreihung innerhalb der Dozenten blieb aber stabil.Un des objectifs de l’évaluation, par les étudiants, de l’enseignement est l’amélioration de la qualité de ce dernier. Pourtant, les preuves que l’évaluation de l’enseignement par les étudiants améliore celui‐ci sont limitées. Cette étude a tenté d’améliorer les effets de l’évaluation en combinant l’évaluation avec du conseil individuel au sein d’une approche de développement institutionnel. L’évaluation a été effectuée dans 35 classes (N = 16 enseignants, N = 592 étudiants) d’une école privée d’orthophonie (logopédie). L’évaluation a été effectuée deux fois sur une période variant de trois à seize mois en employant un questionnaire standard (HILVE‐II) développé pour l’évaluation des cours universitaires. L’effet relatif à la qualité de l’enseignement associé à l’intervention représentait plus d’un demi écart‐type sur l’échelle des enseignants. En dépit du fait que le conseiller n’avait pas de formation pédagogique, la qualité de l’enseignement s’est améliorée à la fois au plan quantitatif et au plan qualitatif, en plus de devenir davantage homogène, bien que le positionnement relatif des enseignants n’ait pas changé.
We describe here the outcomes of our research on the reflection of six professors considered exemplary in their teaching. For instance, we found that they all held and used considerable knowledge about learners, as groups and as individuals, and used this knowledge in reflecting on the impact of their teaching. We use this information to elaborate on the role of reflection in the construction of teaching knowledge. Lastly, we address how the model of reflection we developed helps us understand the factors influencing one's ability to effectively reflect on teaching.
Sumario: Conceptos, principios, pautas y técnicas -- Estudios de caso de implantación
Some of the main classic points of reference of the university teaching concepts and university teachers identities have been changed by The European Space of Higher Education developments. Taken as given that teaching is a complex activity with a blended nature of artistic and scientific components, the author explains the need to have teachers who live and practice their teaching as specialized professionals with several specific pedagogical competences. El proceso de convergencia al Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior ha trastocado algunos de los referentes clásicos en la concepción de la enseñanza y en la construcción de la identidad del profesorado universitario. Partiendo de la necesidad de considerar la enseñanza como una actividad compleja, en parte artística y en parte científica, se considera la necesidad de contar con un profesorado que viva y practique la docencia como una profesión especializada que requiere de ciertas competencias específicas que se analizan.
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