Abstract
Student-centered education through appropriate methodologies facilitates effective learning as teaching-learning modalities of the higher education institution are considered to be relevant for the learner group. Although it is true that diversity of students in respect of their background, abilities and other personal attributes will influence the pace and extent of learning, learner-centered education calls for appropriate methodologies that can be used by professors’ to provide a variety of learning experiences, including individual and coordinative learning. In this paper, we have analyzed various strategies followed like planning and preparing the teaching- learning - evaluation schedules, support structures and systems available for teachers to develop skills like interactive learning, collaborative learning and independent learning among the students to make learning more student-centric, institutional strategy to nurture critical thinking, creativity and scientific temper among the students to transform them into life-long learners and innovators, the technologies and facilities available and used by the faculty for effective teaching. Opportunities given to the students and professor to advance the level of knowledge and skills, academic, personal and psycho-social support and guidance services provided to students, details of innovative teaching methods adopted by the faculty during the last four years and the efforts made by the institution to encourage the faculty to adopt new and innovative approaches and the impact of such innovative practices on student learning are also discussed.
Introduction
Teaching is one of the main components in educational planning which is a key factor in conducting educational plans. Despite the importance of good teaching, the outcomes are far from ideal. The present qualitative study aimed to investigate effective teaching in higher education. The best teaching approach is the mixed method plus educational planning and previous readiness. But whenever the teachers can teach using this method confront with some barriers and requirements; some of these requirements are prerequisite in professors' behavior and some of these are prerequisite in professors’ outlook. Also, there are some major barriers, some of which are associated with the professors’ operation and others are related to laws and regulations. Implications of these findings for teachers’ preparation in education are discussed. Rapid changes of modern world have caused the Higher Education System to face a great variety of challenges. Therefore, training more eager, thoughtful individuals in interdisciplinary fields is required.
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New teaching methods and barriers
Teachers participating in this study believed that teaching and learning in higher education is a shared process, with responsibilities on both Student and Professor’ to contribute to their success. Within this shared process, higher education must engage the students in questioning their preconceived ideas and their models of how the world works, so that they can reach a higher level of understanding. But students are not always prepared with this challenge, nor are all of them driven by a enthusiasm to understand and apply knowledge, but all too often aspire merely to survive the course, or to learn only procedurally in order to get the highest possible marks before rapidly moving on to the next subject. The best teaching helps the students to question their preconceptions, and motivates them to learn, by putting them in a situation in which their existing model does not work and in which they come to see themselves as authors of answers, as agents of responsibility for change. That means, the students need to be faced with problems which they think are important. Also, they believed that most of the developed countries are attempting to use new teaching methods, such as student-centered active methods, problem-based and project-based approaches in education.
In the study, the professors noted that there are some barriers to effective teaching that are mentioned below:
- The requirements defined curriculum and resources in the teaching, the large number of students in classes, and High volume theoretical principles
- Do not take a problem-based learning and student-centered learning in their evaluation as a bonus for teachers
- Do not use educational assistants
- Lack of interest and motivation among students
Requirements related to faculty outlook in an effective teaching
Having a successful and effective teaching that creates long-term learning on the part of the students will require certain feelings and attitudes of the teachers. These attitudes and emotions strongly influence their behavior and teaching. In this section, the attitudes of successful Professor are discussed.
Alignment with organizational strategies
Co-ordination with the overall organizational strategies will allow the educational system to move toward special opportunities for innovation based on the guidelines 'If faculty members know themselves as an inseparable part of the university, and proud of their employment in the university and try to promote the aim of training educated people with a high level of scientific expertise of university, it will become their goal, too. Thus, they will try as much as possible to attain this goal”.
Interested in students and trust in their ability
When a person begins to learn, according to the value of hope theory, he must feel this is an important learning and believe that he will succeed. Since the feeling of being successful will encourage individuals to learn, you should know that teachers have an important role in this sense.
Systemic approach in higher education
Master had a holistic and systematic view, determined the position of the teaching subject in a field or in the entire course knows general application of issues and determines them for students, and tries to teach interdisciplinary topics. They should be aware of the fact that these students are the future of the country and in addition to knowledge; they should provide them with the right attitude and vision.
Being interested in the scientific field of study
The faculty members’ passion to teach a lesson as responsible and believed that: 'If the a Professor is interested in his field, he/she devotes more time to study the scriptures of his field and regularly updates his information; this awareness in his teaching and its influence on students is also very effective'.
Requirements related to the behavior and performance of Professors’ in effective teaching
Professors’ have to focus on mental differences, interest, and sense of belonging, emotional stability, practical experience and scientific level of students in training. Class curriculum planning includes preparation, effective transition of content, and the use of learning and evaluating teaching.
Given the current study subjects’ ideas, the following functional requirements for successful teaching in higher education can be proposed.
Having a course plan, using appropriate educational strategies
The most important role of Professor is planning and controlling the educational process for students to be able to achieve a comprehensive learning.
'The fact that many Professor’ don’t have a predetermined plan on how to teach, and just collect what they should teach in a meeting is one reason for the lack of creativity in teaching'.
Teaching and learning in education raise some questions and want the Professors’ to ask themselves these questions regularly.
- How to increase the students' motivation.
- How to help students feel confident in solving problems.
- How to teach students to plan their learning activities.
- How to help them to carry out self-assessment at the end of each lesson.
- How to encourage the students to motivate them for future work.
- How I can give feedback to the students and inform them about their individual learning.
Metacognition training and self-assessment of students during teaching.
Every Professor’ who were interviewed cited the need to explain the lessons in plain language, give feedback to students, and explain the causes and reasons of issues.
'I always pay attention to my role as a model with regular self-assessment; I'm trying to teach this main issue to my students”.
Using conceptual map and pre-worked plan in training
Improving the quality of learning through the promotion of education, using pre-organizers and conceptual map, emphasizing the student-centered learning and developing the skills needed for employment are the strategies outlined in lifelong learning, particularly in higher education.
Inspiring creativity during teaching the lessons
The belief that creative talent is universal and it will be strengthened with appropriate programs is a piece of evidence to prove that innovative features of the programs should be attended to continually. Certainly, in addition to the enumerated powers, appropriate fields should be provided to design new ideas with confidence and purposeful orientation. Otherwise, in the absence of favorable conditions and lack of proper motivations, it will be difficult to apply new ideas. 'Professor should always encourage the students to be creative when he teach a topic; for example, after teaching, he should express some vague hints and undiscovered issues and ask them what the second move is to improve that process'.
Developing knowledge on how to resolve the issues in future career through class discussion.
Senior instructors try to engage in self-management and consultation, tracking their usage of classroom management skills and developing action plans to modify their practices based on data. Through consultation, instructors work with their colleagues to collect and implement data to gauge the students’ strengths and weaknesses, and then use protocols to turn the weaknesses into strengths. The most effective teachers monitor progress and assess how their changed practices have impacted the students’ outcomes.
'It is important that what is taught be relevant to the students' career; however, in the future with the same information they have learned in university, they want to work in the industry of their country'.
Documenting experiences
Skills in documenting the results of the process of teaching-learning cannot only facilitate management in terms of studying the records, but also provides easier access to up to date information ' Professor should have a notebook in his office that he usually refer to after each class. Then, he has to write down every successful strategy that was highly regarded by students that day'.
Developing a satisfactory interaction with students
To connect with students and impact their lives personally and professionally, teachers must be student-centered and demonstrate respect for their background, ideologies, beliefs, and learning styles. The best instructors use differentiated instruction, display cultural sensitivity, accentuate open communication, offer positive feedback on the students’ academic performance, and foster student growth by allowing them to resubmit assignments prior to assigning a grade.
Conclusion
It was illustrated that a good teaching method helps the students to question their preconceptions, and motivates them to learn, by putting them in a situation in which they come to see themselves as the authors of answers, as the agents of responsibility for change. But training through this method has some barriers and requirements. To have an effective teaching; the faculty members of the universities should be awarded of these barriers and requirements as a way to improve teaching quality. The nationally and locally recognized professors are good leaders in providing ideas, insight, and the best strategies to educators who are passionate for effective teaching in the higher education. Finally, it is supposed that there is an important role for nationally and locally recognized professors in higher education to become more involved in the regulation of teaching rules.
References
- Anderson A. The European project semester: A useful teaching method in engineering education project approaches to learning in engineering education. Journal of Engineering Education.
- Khodaparast Haghi A. New perspectives in engineering education: the promotion of traditional models to innovative solutions.
- Shim SH. A philosophical investigation of the role of teacher: A synthesis of Plato, Confucius, blubber and freire. Teaching and Teacher Education.
- Dooge J. Engineering training and education. Dublin: Collins Press; 2007.
- Yash Pal S, editor. , editor. Report of the Committee to Advice on Renovation and Rejuvenation of Higher Education. National Seminar on Quality, Expansion and Inclusion in Indian Higher Education; 2009
- Knapper Ch. Changing teaching practice: strategies and barriers. Paper presented at Taking stock: Symposium on teaching and learning research in higher education, 2008 April 25; Ontario. Ontario: Canada; 2008.
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