Beyond workshops: how longitudinal mentorship deepens faculty reflective practice

In 1992, the United Kingdom government introduced a formal system for the assessment of teaching quality in higher education, the Teaching Quality Assessment (TQA). One of the key aims of the TQA was to encourage continuous quality improvement in teaching and learning. This study analyses the experiences of senior staff, responsible for the management and development of quality in teaching and learning, and explores the perceived impact of the TQA, on the value and esteem of teaching. Utilising semi-structured interviews, conducted with senior academic personnel of the 13 Scottish universities, it was noted that senior management perceived difficulties in making judgements about the teaching aspect of academic work and were reluctant to promote staff on the basis of teaching performance. The respondents' statements further indicated that this reluctance was compounded by the continuing tension between teaching and research, in which research-based criteria took precedence over other matters. These findings are in line with previous research in the United States and Australia, which has suggested that the prioritisation of research may have created disincentives to the development of innovative teaching and learning processes. The TQA, in the United Kingdom, has fallen short of its goal of raising the profile of teaching, as an activity in higher education, primarily because competing demands for research output have taken precedence over attempts to improve teaching.

In the context of the new era, the quality of higher education teaching has become an important indicator for measuring the overall level of higher education. Ideological and political education, as a crucial support for moral cultivation, plays an irreplaceable role in higher education teaching activities. However, current higher education institutions still face problems such as insufficient integration of ideological and political elements, a mismatch between teachers’ ideological and political education capabilities and their professional development needs, and inadequate reflection of ideological guidance in the teaching evaluation system during the process of improving teaching quality. Based on the perspective of ideological and political education, this paper systematically discusses the basic difficulties, principle requirements, and core pathways for enhancing teaching quality. It proposes innovative strategies including improving the curriculum ideological and political education system, building a high-quality teaching staff, and optimizing teaching organizational forms, aiming to provide theoretical reference and practical guidance for the high-quality development of higher education teaching.

Student perception of teaching quality in higher education

Bangladesh is crossing milestones in achieving sustainability in every sector and one of the most important sectors is the higher education sector. Thus, it is advisable to improve the quality of education in the environment by evaluating some parameters of service quality. This paper examines the quality of teaching in the higher education sector through continuing Professional Development (CPD) and examines the important role that teachers play in contributing to the development of the knowledge and values needed for teachers. However, since the study is on descriptive and analytical case studies and literature reviews based on reliable sources which shows that workshops and seminars are effective in most traditional modes has as proved to be insufficient for Coordination and evaluation of programs should be mandatory for professional development, which will help to maintain a positive environment with changing global situation. This paper identifies the definition, the dimension, the model, effectiveness, and types of CPD, the quality of service related to student satisfaction. The study helps to identify and assist in taking steps to address the lack of teaching quality whether teachers receive continuous professional development programs and whether such programs are adequate in our college.

This paper argues that, to manage the powerful combination of change forces currently bearing down on higher education (HE) around the world successfully, universities have be good at determining not only what needs to change in their current approaches to learning and teaching (LT • show how these lessons have been successfully applied to improve the quality and performance of LT and • provide a framework for the effective management of L&T quality improvements in all our universities. The paper is based on a keynote address given at the South African Association for Institutional Research Forum in October 2011 and the discussions that followed.

Leaders and academics can improve the quality of higher education teaching, and thereby the quality of their graduates, by reflecting on institution-wide practices. This book explores the interplay between actors within institutions, organisational structure, commitment of senior leadership, involvement of faculty and students, and evaluation instruments. Based on an OECD review of 46 quality teaching initiatives in 20 countries, the report highlights the significant impact of the institutions’ environment, trends in the quality of academia, teaching methods and learning conditions. The sample represents 29 higher education institutions, from technological and vocational institutions to business and economic schools, from small undergraduate institutions to multidisciplinary postgraduate universities. The book illustrates the following factors with examples from around the world: the aims of institutions when fostering quality teaching, their options and the guiding philosophy behind a quality approach; concrete ways to apply quality teaching initiatives, challenges to implementing them, and key actors in their dissemination; evaluation systems and the impacts of institutional support on teaching, research and quality culture; how institution-wide approaches can be combined to enhance quality teaching in a sustainable way. The book also analyses the effects of quality teaching on institutional leaders, faculty members, quality units and students.

Teaching quality evaluation usually involves multiple influence factors with grey and uncertain information.This brings about limitations to effective evaluation of teaching quality in colleges and universities.Thus, this paper draws merits from previous research and proposes a teaching quality evaluation system and model for colleges and universities.First, based on real situations, grey categories of evaluation state for teaching quality are established.The definite weighted functions of grey category of evaluation state are confirmed.Specific steps of the teaching quality evaluation model based on grey clustering analysis are accounted for.Finally, a case study is introduced to verify the model.This model enlightens a new way to evaluate teaching quality in colleges and universities.

This study employed a mixed-method approach, with a predominance of quantitative analysis to probed user relevance of students’ evaluation of course learning outcomes for quality assurance in the teaching process at Mountains of the Moon University. Self-Administered online Questionnaires with kobo toolbox were used to specifically answer the following question: What is the relevance of students’ evaluation of course learning outcomes (problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, leadership skills, effective communication), as an aspect of quality teaching at Mountains of the Moon University? The study employed a case study design and respondents comprised of 170 undergraduate students in both second and third year and 13 post graduate students at least in their second semester of study. Collected data using online questionnaires with KoBo tool box and documentary review, were analyzed using SPSS. Findings confirm the reliability of SETs as tools for quality assurance in teaching, highlighting the importance of focusing on learning outcomes and quantifiable performance indicators to develop effective SET tools. Designing of Teaching and learning assessment tools has to be guided by clear objectives developed by the Bloom Taxonomy action verbs; that should be used in designing appropriate learning outcomes. The insights emphasize that good teaching should focus on appropriate learning outcomes and that SETs are reliable tools for measuring teaching quality in higher education. Quantifiable performance indicators are essential for developing effective SET tools, aligning with quality assurance policies. The study recommends that, regulatory bodies should benchmark with the findings in this study as a basis for building candid evaluation of teaching guidelines for Higher Education Institutions.

In Australia, in this decade, quality teaching in higher education has become a strongly politicised issue. My research deals with some of the discourses which have been used to define ‘quality teaching’ in documents and practices at the national site; from one University; and from extensive discussions with academics who are acknowledged as ‘good teachers’ within that University. Using critical post‐modernism and critical discourse analysis, I examined this material, searching for underlying value assumptions, current meanings, and contestations, spaces and omissions. My findings suggest that whilst there are a wide variety of definitions of quality, few address the complexity of teaching. Statements, particularly from the national and institutional sites call on and contribute to management discourses, whilst omitting connections between teaching, the teacher or student learning. These current discourses can be interpreted as either problems for academics, or opportunities to participate in the construction of new meanings of ‘quality teaching’.

Evaluations of faculty members are widely used to identify excellent or substandard teaching performance. In order to enable such evaluations to be properly interpreted and used in faculty development, it is essential to understand the factors that influence resident doctors' (residents) evaluations of the teaching qualities of faculty members and their perceptions of faculty members as role-model specialists. We carried out a cross-sectional survey within a longitudinal study of the System for Evaluation of Teaching Qualities (SETQ) of clinical teachers. The study sample included 889 residents and 1014 faculty members in 61 teaching programmes spanning 22 specialties in 20 hospitals in the Netherlands. Main outcome measures included residents' (i) global and (ii) specific ratings of faculty member teaching qualities, and (iii) global ratings of faculty members as role-model specialists. Statistical analysis was conducted using adjusted multivariable logistic generalised estimating equations. In total, 690 residents (77.6%) completed 6485 evaluations of 962 faculty members, 848 (83.6%) of whom also self-evaluated. More recently certified faculty members, those who had attended a teacher training programme, and those who spent more time teaching than seeing patients or conducting research were more likely to score highly on most teaching qualities. However, faculty members who had undergone teacher training were less likely to be seen as role models (odds ratio [OR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.88). In addition, faculty members were evaluated slightly higher by male than female residents on core teaching domains and overall teaching quality, but were less likely to be seen as role models by male residents (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.97). Lastly, faculty members had higher odds of receiving top scores in specific teaching domains from residents in the first 4 years of residency and were less likely to be considered as role models by more senior residents. Younger faculty members who dedicated more time to teaching, had attended a teacher training programme, and were evaluated by male residents in the early years of residency were more likely to receive higher scores for teaching performance.

This article explores the important activity of reflection and reflective practice. Support workers and nursing associates, as well as all healthcare professionals, have a responsibility to reflect upon their own practice, identifying not only areas of good practice but also where improvements can be made. The article starts by defining what reflection and reflective practice are. The requirement to reflect is clearly laid down within the recently amended Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code for nursing associates ( NMC, 2018 ) and is implied within the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers in England ( Skills for Care and Skills for Health, 2013 ). Relevant sections of these two codes will be highlighted. The article will then move on to highlight two reflective models, the Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle, and Driscoll's (2007) Model of Structured Reflection, both of which are commonly used today. Clinical supervision will be discussed and the importance of recording reflections will be emphasised.

Charting a Professional Course: A Review of Mentorship in Medicine

The design and application of multimedia and network technology provide opportunities for students and teachers to use the latest technological trends. It effectively promotes the information technology to enter the classroom and integrate it into subject teaching. To improve the teaching quality of higher education and the level of running a school, universities and colleges have started the innovation and strengthening school projects and quality engineering construction. One of these is the construction of excellent resource courses. It uses an information platform to build several high-quality teaching resources and promote the co-construction and sharing of high-quality educational resources. It also promotes education and teaching refinement in universities and colleges. The subjective difficulties encountered by college English teachers in the process of developing and utilizing English curriculum resources are mainly reflected in their lack of professional knowledge and existing resources. The professional knowledge is 45.4%, while the existing resources are only 36.3%. However, every person is confident in their own development consciousness and ability. This paper studies the building of the university ELT resource base based on a cloud platform. The cloud platform has the ability to enrich teaching resources by optimizing the management and evaluation of these resources and provide much broader space and viable options for the learning of students and facilitation of teachers. The suggested platform in this article implements unified data management, security, application, and other management in the “cloud” and helps consumers focus on their core business rather than on management. This concept significantly reduces the amount of money spent on education informatization and alters the way the government invests in education. It will produce more cost-effective and realistic solutions, as well as increase economic benefits.

As vocational education increasingly plays a vital role in national talent cultivation, the professional development and competency enhancement of vocational education teachers have become key factors in promoting high-quality vocational education. This study aims to explore effective practical pathways for the professional growth and competency improvement of vocational education teachers. By systematically reviewing relevant research both domestically and internationally, and employing literature research and theoretical analysis methods, the study delves into the current challenges and dilemmas faced by vocational education teachers in light of development trends and professional needs. Findings indicate significant shortfalls in teaching competencies, practical skills, innovative capacities, and adaptability to technological changes. Additionally, factors such as an inadequate training system and lack of incentive mechanisms constrain development. Consequently, the study proposes practical pathways from multiple dimensions: reinforcing policy guidance and improving institutional support for teacher development; establishing a multi-tiered, diversified training system to enhance overall teacher competencies; leveraging new technologies like artificial intelligence and digital tools to empower teaching and research; creating a scientifically sound incentive mechanism to stimulate intrinsic motivation for teacher development; and promoting a lifelong learning ethos among teachers to facilitate self-directed professional growth. The conclusions offer theoretical insights and practical guidance for the professional development and competency enhancement of vocational education teachers, contributing to the overall improvement of vocational education faculty and teaching quality.

Teaching is a versatile and valued exercise that is geared towards bringing about achievement in students’ learning. In view of the importance of teaching, there is need for it to be effective and of good quality. Education in secondary school within South Africa is seen as an imperative sub-sector in the educational system that aids the growth of the economic system through transformation. Although, there are various transformational systems to improve teaching quality in education, it is generally believed that there is no common agreement on what transformation systems entail in secondary school education in developing nations. This study investigates the perceptions of teachers in the transformation of teaching quality education in secondary schools. Eight teachers were selected from four secondary schools in the East London Education District in South Africa. The respondents varied in gender, age, years of teaching experience, academic qualifications and professional qualifications. The study used semi-structured interviews to gather data. A thematic approach was used for data analysis while trustworthiness was adopted for the validity of the instrument. The findings revealed that some of the teachers were aware of the need for transformation to improve the secondary school education system in South Africa. However, it was noticed that there was no adequate training and monitoring on the use of infrastructure. In addition, the findings further indicated that some teachers have a negative perception toward any additional role in transforming and improving the quality of teaching. Furthermore, the findings also indicated that transformation in teaching should be the responsibility of the government and head of schools. In light of this, the study recommended that policy makers should increase the budget on secondary school education as well as monitor the process of implementation to achieve the desired goal. Moreover, there should be regular effective training and workshops for teachers in secondary schools to remind them of their roles and responsibilities in teaching.