Measuring Quality Teaching: Developing a Process Focused Framework

They believe students can fly: A scoping review on the utilization of drones in educational settings

This action research study explored the change in face-to-face teaching practices as a result of faculty professional development for online teaching. Faculty’s initial teaching model is typically born from that of their own teachers, and they teach as they were taught. However, few have any online experience as a student or a teacher. Learning to teach online may be a catalyst for faculty to reflect on and evaluate their current teaching practices. Data was collected through three rounds of action research that included individual interviews, participants’ reflective journalling activities, researcher’s journal and field notes, and classroom observations. The qualitative data analysis steps included data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The results of the study indicated that learning to teach online has the potential to transform faculty’s assumptions and beliefs about teaching, changing their face-to-face teaching practices. The identification of the aspects of professional development activities that were most effective in helping faculty to reflect on and question their previously held assumptions and beliefs about teaching will assist administrators and faculty development specialists move from one-size-fits-all programs to a redesign within an adult learning framework that supports opportunities for change.

In a previous paper, we explored results from the first stage of a two-part research project designed to uncover what influences computer science (CS) faculty to adopt new teaching practices. In the first phase, we conducted interviews, classroom observations, and focus groups with faculty to better understand the organizational, individual, and social factors that influence faculty adoption. Here we discuss findings from the second phase of the project, which uses survey data from 821 CS faculty at 595 institutions in the U.S. to investigate the prevalence of themes uncovered during the qualitative phase. Results show that faculty who tried an innovation were motivated primarily by concerns for students' learning and course experience, including their engagement and participation. Also important were the "fit" with existing practices and tools, and the logistics of implementing an innovation. Factors that reduced faculty willingness to try an innovation include a lack of time, logistical issues, and satisfaction with their current teaching practices. Faculty learned about the innovations they later adopted through presentations and workshops at conferences and at their home institutions, and through conversations with respected colleagues who teach in similar contexts. Implications for encouraging more widespread usage of teaching techniques that improve diversity and student learning are discussed.

Like cells are the building blocks of life on earth, classrooms are the fundamental units of education system. The kind of classroom learning environment shaped, significantly influences learners’ learning, both academic and personal development. More importantly, many studies have verified that teachers’ teaching practices in the classroom immensely affects students’ achievement. Although there has been drastic change in education system, the transformation of teachers’ teaching practices in the classroom is arguable. So, this research study is primarily conducted to examine current classroom teaching practices of Bhutanese primary science teachers of Pema Gatshel district. In this study, Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Design was employed. A total of 36 primary science teachers who are currently teaching primary science (IV-VI) and 51 upper primary students participated in the study. The study findings revealed that primary science teachers have good understanding about science and how it works. However, they are less encouraged to embrace modern teaching strategies and approaches due to laboratory and technology facilities in the school. The mentoring system and subject related PD programs in school also accounted to driving force of their motivation level.

Questionnaires surveys were conducted to 343 students and 20 teachers from three of the largest Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) institutions in Hong Kong for the identification of specific instructional strategies to derive innovative pedagogical practices for effective learning and teaching in VPET. Findings revealed that in current learning and teaching practices, lecture and the use of lecture notes were prevailing while the least conducted learning and teaching activities were e-learning / use of technology. Students preferred great flexibility, accessibility and convenience when studying. Reponses also indicated that the use of mobile devices in study became very popular. Results of this study imply that technology enhanced learning and teaching activities would benefit both teachers and students. While multiple learning channels would enable students to self-regulate their learning, there are needs to blend face-to-face teaching with e-learning or mobile learning to further enhance students' motivation and timely interaction via online social media. After all, the readiness and preparation of the teachers is another pressing issue awaiting to be addressed.

As English plays a key role as an international language, the foundations of teaching and learning English may need to change in response to the new, global sociolinguistic landscape of the twenty-first century. Our study aims to investigate Thai L2 teachers’ perceptions of the ownership and varieties of English today, their current teaching practices in General English courses in Thai university settings, and the possibility of implementing the Global Englishes for Language Teaching (GELT) framework into their teaching practices. An exploratory sequential mixed methods design was employed to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from thirty-five English instructors working in eleven public universities situated in the Bangkok metropolitan and suburban areas. A questionnaire was developed and distributed among the study participants and a number of semi-structured interviews were held based on the GELT framework and previous studies. The main findings show there was general agreement about all users claiming ownership of English and acceptance of its varieties. Implementing the GELT framework in current teaching practices was also considered plausible, even though it would be new and unfamiliar to some L2 teachers, and they believed that their current teaching practices were not problematic. This study sheds light on the growing acceptance of the Global Englishes paradigm in the Thai English Language Teaching (ELT) community, despite the ever-persistent ideology of native-speakerism.

The development of technology has changed the way people communicate in academic contexts as well as working places, for example from print messages to screened messages, and from face-to-face classroom and office meetings to virtual classes and offices. This has prompted the shift from traditional teaching practices to student-centered in which students are guided by their teachers to develop skills for 21st Century careers through the Project-Based Learning model. However, in Tanzania colleges, the teaching of a Communication Skills Course perpetuates traditional teaching practices, which could reduce the chance for students to participate in global democratic activities. Consequently, the present study aimed at exploring how to enhance the 4 C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity) among the college students of the Communication Skills Course in Tanzania through the Project-Based Learning model. Qualitative participatory action research with two cycles was adopted. Data from ten students, one teacher, and the curriculum were collected through observation, document analysis, and reflective journals. Data were analyzed thematically. Findings show that current teaching practices for Communication Skills Course in Tanzania colleges hardly enhance the development of the 4 C’s among students. It was also observed that the implementation of PBL resulted in enhancing the 4 C’s among college students in Tanzania colleges. However, large class sizes, poor technological infrastructure, and lack of facilities are among the challenges experienced during the implementation of PBL in enhancing the 4Cs. The study recommends the reformation of current teaching practices, to focus on developing skills needed to cope with students’ real-life contexts, instead of focusing on content knowledge. Also, the study calls for the adoption of PBL in Tanzania colleges in teaching Communication Skills to develop necessary skills for the 21st Century. To cope with any potential challenges, the study suggests that there should be collaborative efforts among education stakeholders.

The article examines the major challenges that Russian higher education institutions face while introducing the principles of the Bologna Process into current teaching practice. Their participation in the international projects together with European HEIs is seen as one of the possible ways to overcome the encountered difficulties. The role of the Capacity Building projects under the Erasmus+ Programme is illustrated by an example of Penza State University and its involvement in the ENTEP project (Enhancing Teaching Practice in Higher Education in RUSSIA and CHINA). The main stages of implementing the project at PSU are revealed, the project outputs and outcomes are described, as well as the perspectives for further adaptation of the project results are outlined. The article describes the professional development course “Enhancing teaching practices at PSU”, which was developed within the ENTEP project and offered for teaching and administrative staff of the university. The project contribution at the university is assessed in terms of adopting the best teaching practices in the context of the Bologna Process and European Higher Education Area.

The Application of Basketball Game in College Basketball Teaching

One attempt to revitalise undergraduate education has been by shifting the dominant pedagogy to a learner‐centred focus and supporting an emphasis on the scholarship of teaching and learning. The discussion regarding efforts to refocus undergraduate education to be more intentional by moving towards a learner‐centred paradigm is encouraging, yet it is crucial to acknowledge that most of the effort and literature on the learner‐centred paradigm and the scholarship of teaching and learning have necessarily focused on strategies for the classroom. It is equally important for administrators to consider the impact of the paradigm shift on their roles. Assessment and evaluation are the very core of the learner‐centred paradigm. Assessment is both the single‐most important gage of learning that drives the educational process and the most effective means of implementing institutional change. In this article, the authors offer a means of assessing the degree of learner‐centredness in current teaching practices through a systematic review of course syllabi. Using a rubric developed for this purpose the authors have reviewed course syllabi in order to develop a benchmark for the degree of learner‐centredness present in current teaching practices and employed the results as a vehicle for planning professional development.

Classroom observation is a central component of instructional supervision and professional growth. In the Philippines, it is implemented through the Department of Education’s Results-Based Performance Management System (RPMS) aligned with the Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (PPST), aimed at improving teaching quality and fostering reflective practice. This study investigated the effectiveness of classroom observation and the challenges faced by public elementary school teachers in Dumanjug District II during the 2024–2025 school year. A total of 36 teachers participated in the study, selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed through Pearson correlation and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Results showed strong agreement among teachers on the importance of post-observation feedback, particularly when delivered through reflective discussions. This feedback was regarded as crucial for improving instructional practices. Teachers also reported that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) during classroom observations contributed to creating more engaging and student-centered learning environments. Despite these benefits, the study revealed several key challenges. These included the need for continuous professional development, the delivery of constructive feedback, and the difficulty in selecting appropriate teaching strategies. All were consistently identified as significant by the respondents. Statistical analysis revealed a moderate positive and statistically significant correlation between the perceived effectiveness of classroom observation and the challenges encountered (r = 0.402, p = 0.015), suggesting that greater challenges may drive more meaningful professional learning. The ANOVA results (F = 2.829, p = 0.073) showed no statistically significant differences in perceived effectiveness among the three schools, though slight variations were noted. The study concludes that while classroom observation presents challenges, these can be harnessed to support teacher development. School leaders are encouraged to strengthen feedback mechanisms and provide targeted support to enhance both teaching quality and student outcomes.

Quality Teaching: Relationship to Soft Skills Acquisition

Research into teacher inservice in primary science generally focuses on evaluating the objectives of each program in terms of the immediate outcomes. Little research appears to have been conducted into the long term effects of interactive inservice programs on the classroom practice of the participants. During 1993 the long term effects of participation in the Primary Science/Technology Project (Sci-Tec), as perceived by the teacher participants, were investigated. Focus teachers who had participated in Sci-Tec between 1988–1991 were asked to provide information about their current science teaching practice, and about the influence that Sci-Tec had had on their current practice. Six of these teachers were then interviewed to determine which specific aspects of the project they believed had most influenced the development of their current classroom practice in teaching science.

The authors argue that dental curricula in Latin America are noted for providing highly technical and individualistic training that may fail to address society's problems or instil in the dentist the idea that he/she has a social responsibility to contribute to his/her community. This study's main objectives were to determine whether the curriculum and the faculty teaching practices of the School of Dentistry at the University of Chile contribute to its students' commitment to ethical and social responsibility. This was a qualitative study that investigated the perceptions of sixteen subjects (eight students and eight faculty members). Data were collected in thorough deep interviews. The interview process model conceptualised and organised the information into sets of dimensions and categories. The dimensions studied were ethical commitment and social responsibility. The categories assessed within ethical commitment were honesty, tolerance, responsibility and respect. In the social responsibility dimension, the categories were solidarity, teamwork and concern for and communication with the patient. Analysis of the textual data was performed using a method of content analysis based upon constructed qualitative matrices. Our results show that students and scholars alike realise that ethical commitment and a sense of social responsibility are not promoted in the curriculum. They do, however, recognise the importance of these qualities in dental practitioners. These results indicate that the current curriculum and teaching practices used in our School of Dentistry need to be reviewed and that programmes promoting professionals' commitment to their role in society need to be implemented.

The teaching of qualitative methods is now a required element of degree courses in the UK which seek to gain professional accreditation. This paper reports the work of a network group focused on enhancing the teaching of qualitative methods at the undergraduate level. Following a brief summary of the results of a survey into current teaching practices we indicate potential areas of resource support with linked references to examples produced by the network group.