Mònica Feixas

Factores condicionantes de la transferencia de la formación docente en la universidad: un estudio sobre la transferencia de las competencias docentes

Resumen Este artículo examina los principales factores que condicionan la transferencia de las competencias docentes en el contexto de la formación docente en las universidades españolas. Se aplica el Cuestionario de Factores de Transferencia de la Formación Docente a una muestra de 1.026 profesores de 81 acciones formativas de 18 universidades. Los resultados indican que el diseño de la formación docente y el aprendizaje adquirido por los participantes es un factor que actúa como facilitador fuerte de la transferencia, en especial, en los cursos largos donde se desarrollan todas las competencias docentes de manera integrada. Si bien el profesorado no encuentra resistencias a la transferencia, sí existen limitaciones de tipo personal y estructural en el contexto inmediato del docente. La principal limitación es la organización personal del docente. Es probable que el profesorado establezca otras prioridades antes que planificar la transferencia de los aprendizajes adquiridos en la formación docente y, por consiguiente, los conocimientos y habilidades adquiridas tengan una aplicación e impacto parcial en la práctica pedagógica.

Faculty Development in Context: Changing Learning Cultures in Higher Education

At present, research on the effectiveness of initial training programs for novice faculty is limited, and results fail to offer apparent evidences on the impact of such programs in changing teachers’ practices and, at a larger scale, teaching and learning cultures at universities. In addition to faculty development initiatives, the wider organizational context should be considered in order to foster transfer of acquired teaching competences into teaching practice. In this article, we suggest a conceptual framework that includes a description of prevailing teaching cultures in European higher education; a discussion on what we mean by faculty development and its relationship to teaching cultures; a definition of learning cultures; and a framework of the environmental factors affecting learning transfer. Among the outcomes, we expect to adapt Holtons’ model to the higher education context and design a set of instruments to identify primarily environmental factors influencing the impact of faculty development. Results might show the necessity to pay greater attention to the conditions under which novice teachers teach, the importance of peer and coordinator support, and all aspects that contribute in the end to changed teaching and learning cultures in higher education.

Understanding Catalan university dropout from a cross-national approach

The dropout rate is an indicator of complex analysis and there is no consensus on its significance. Universities lack systematized, univocal methods for collecting student dropout data, making measurement problematic. In consequence, the formulas applied to analyze this phenomenon differ between countries and it is therefore an immense challenge to perform comparative studies. The aim of this paper is to provide a general overview of student dropout in Spain and in Catalonia compared to other international university contexts. Compiled data come from several reports produced by national and international organizations as well as by a research project funded by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU). The perspective provided on how this phenomenon is being studied and dealt with in several contexts may help design actions to increase student retention and performance in higher education institutions (HEIs).

Student dropout rates in Catalan universities: profile and motives for disengagement

Data from over 21,600 students who left Catalan higher education institutions during the academic years 2000–2001 and 2001–2002 have been analysed in order to describe the academic and personal profiles of university dropouts. Additionally, a telephone survey and face-to-face interviews with a pilot group of leavers were conducted to gather additional qualitative information about the reasons for their decision. The influences on non-completion can be reduced to three main factors, among which dissatisfaction with the quality of the students’ experience, family and work responsibilities as well as economic difficulties, are prominent. Analysis conducted showed no significant differences between Catalan higher education institutions, with dropout percentages ranging from 28% to 33%. These rates should be understood within a context of broad access to higher education. Within the European Higher Education Area scenario, the findings have triggered institutional endeavours to improve the quality of the students’ and teachers’ experience.

They have gone, and now what? Understanding re-enrolment patterns in the Catalan public higher education system

ABSTRACT Studies of student re-enrolment patterns in higher education constitute, along with traditional studies of persistence and dropout, a key element for improving the quality of higher education institutions. However, these studies tend to be limited as they are centred on a single institution, due to the lack of national-scale data sets for monitoring students between different institutions. Using a longitudinal population-based data set provided by the Catalan University Assurance Agency (AQU), which includes information records on 21,473 undergraduate students, this paper aims to develop and test an exploratory model of student re-enrolment, specifically in the Catalan public university system. We are not only interested in student re-enrolment, but also in whether they do so during the first year after dropout or in the same area of knowledge. Results from logistic regression analysis revealed that although most students return to the university system in the first year after dropout, many of these change to a different area of knowledge, which is clear evidence of dysfunctional and inefficient guidance systems and university entrance. Findings provide a more accurate and complete picture of student re-enrolment behaviour and suggest the need to develop targeted policies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our university systems.

Do teaching innovation projects make a difference? Assessing the impact of small-scale funding

This article presents the outcomes of a research study carried out during 2015–2016 at the University of Valencia (Spain) to understand the factors influencing the impact of small-scale innovation funding on teachers’ practices, the learning culture of the teaching team and the satisfaction of students’ learning. The research used a mixed-method design: a questionnaire examined the factors influencing transfer of innovation; in-depth interviews with project leaders yielded information about the adoption and transfer of funded projects; and a focus group with institutional managers provided suggestions to improve the efficiency of the innovation projects and calls. The results provide qualitative and quantitative evidence of the capacity of the scheme to deliver outcomes that enhance the teaching practices of the funded teams. The design of the innovation project, the innovation culture of the teaching team and the context of the implementation appear as factors that have a positive impact on the transfer, adoption and sustainability of an innovation.