EFFECTIVE TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

NASER ZABELI

University of Prishtina, “H. Prishtina”

EFFECTIVE TEACHING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

In the last decade of the 20th century, the quality of teaching and learning in higher education has gained global attention. Teaching effectiveness is a complex process; among other things, it is an influential process because it affects students' academic, physical, psychological, emotional, and behavioral well-being. Effectiveness in teaching is based on observable criteria identified throughout an observation process in the classroom, in the relationship established between teachers and students, their impact on student performance, the interconnection of various teaching factors such as formats, methods, techniques, expected outcomes, the level of professionalism of teachers, collaboration with other factors, etc. (Zabeli, 2023). Therefore, teaching effectiveness plays a critical role in the learning process, and unlike pre-university education, there is less conceptualization and evaluation of it in higher education. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the quality of teaching in higher education in general, as the vision in higher education is increasingly conceived to ensure effective teaching at universities and to be able to define this effectiveness.

University teaching can be defined as an academic activity that requires a broad range of skills and professional practices, as well as a high level of expertise in relevant fields and disciplines and other contextual issues. The effort to apply effective teaching approaches as a university teacher provides the foundation for a quality learning and teaching context, and such an effort is critical for all teaching, staff, academic researchers, and indeed for the entire higher education sector, both nationally and internationally. In this continuity, the effectiveness of university teaching can be seen from three different yet interconnected perspectives: Inputs, Processes, and Outputs. Inputs refer to what a faculty member brings to their position. It is generally measured and includes elements such as teacher training, beliefs, expectations, experience, pedagogical content knowledge, certification and licensing, and academic formation. Processes, on the other hand, refer to the interaction between teachers and students. This may include a teacher's professional activities within the larger university community. The outcomes of teaching processes, such as their impact on student achievements, graduation rates, student behavior, engagement, attitudes, and socio-emotional well-being (Mastrokoukou et al., 2022), are considered.

Definitions of what constitutes teaching effectiveness in higher education are not yet fully completed or universally framed. Effective teaching in higher education is a concept with diverse definitions. The term is defined in various ways according to the teacher's stance, ideology, and expertise in the field, the ability to enhance students' academic performance, and efforts to prepare students for high-level cognitive use and processing during learning. Various attempts have been made to describe the characteristics of effective teaching using different theoretical perspectives. Different researchers note that a good teacher knows how to motivate students, effectively deliver concepts and information, and help students overcome learning barriers (Talip et al., 2022).

Teaching effectiveness is a debated concept that encompasses many aspects and values, which also produce different definitions. Therefore, a comprehensive definition of teaching effectiveness must be linked to the specific context in which teaching is evaluated and should openly classify the values and assumptions that support their understanding of what constitutes an effective teacher and what practices they consider best. For example, a definition might reflect a university's mission, an academic's unique practices, or the values that underpin effective teaching characteristics, with evidence of what is considered effective teaching and the standards that define quality and quantity expectations. The concept of effective teaching in higher education can then continue to resonate and make sense within a different context and continue to evolve. However, efforts have been made to define criteria that approximate what constitutes the substance of effective teaching. In a research analysis, Mastrokoukou and others (2022) present several criteria:

Criterion 1 – Teaching approaches that influence, motivate, and inspire students to learn. These can be expanded beneficially to include a broader notion, that of student engagement. This includes aspects such as courses, the learning environment, and teaching methods, as well as the level of engagement they experience through staff-student, student-student interactions, and integrated work opportunities in learning experiences.

Criterion 2 – Curriculum development and resources that reflect command of the field. Clear inclusion of focused curriculum notions on current and future student needs is essential. Predicting future needs would be difficult, but skills in critical assessment, adaptability, flexibility, research, cooperative work would certainly be useful preparation for the future. Curricula preparing students for employment may also be valuable. More concretely, through professional and industrial experience in curricula and resources for students; preparing students for employment by offering theoretical knowledge and practical experiences for readiness to start work; and more broadly, ensuring graduates are better prepared to join the workforce can be included;

Criterion 3 - Assessment and feedback approaches that promote learner independence. Attention may be given to addressing this need on a broader level, such as developing students as individuals and their capacity for self-assessment. At a practical level, the use of electronic tools and other internet and electronic initiatives that encourage students to monitor and evaluate their learning.

Criterion 4 - Respect and support for student development as individuals. A clear articulation of the need to respect diversity and value differentiation is particularly important given the multicultural and multiethnic student, groups in our universities and the need for all students to benefit from that diversity and exposure.

Criterion 5 - Scientific activities that have impacted and improved learning and teaching. Aspects can be considered for coordinating, managing, and leading courses, session teams, and other staff and student learning; raising capacities through various activities in less experienced staff and techniques, such as reviewing teaching schemes and mentoring and contributing to quality assurance and improving teaching and learning.

For more, it is also noted that other new criteria can be considered, such as criteria that recognize specific and challenging requirements for applying sustainable pedagogy, understanding and benefiting from developing technologies, moving with technological innovations to meet students' needs. Sub-criteria such as: behavior, new and developing technologies, the principles of perfect teaching, together, can effectively fulfill the needs of students and teaching at a global level. The new criteria that would enable teachers to demonstrate expertise in meeting the expectations of the faculty, including the expectations of governments, employers, and other interested parties, are also included. In-depth study (Mastrokoukou and others, 2022) has shown a lack of evidence for a common and widely accepted definition. This may not be surprising given that teaching effectiveness is a very broad concept that includes a wide range of variables that need to be taken into account, starting with two-way relationships and the link between teaching and learning and consequently between teachers and students. Shedding light on the ways in which teaching effectiveness is defined is important for two main reasons. First and foremost, what is measured is a consideration of what is valued and for this reason what is measured is valued. Teaching effectiveness should comprehensively include competence in four areas:

1. Teaching style;

2. Course organization;

3. Student engagement;

4. Determination of progress (Mastrokoukou and others, 2022).

This review represents a first step towards understanding evidence-based teaching practices. How effectively we teach depends, first and foremost, on what we as teachers think teaching is.

Effective teaching requires us to eliminate those aspects of our teaching that encourage surface approaches to learning. This allows teachers and students to understand that proper engagement is a good and motivating idea and that such a climate must be set to optimize the right interactions with students. An important aspect of effective teaching is reflective practice, using transformative reflection, which involves teachers reflecting on current teaching through the lens of a sound theory of teaching and learning to create an improved teaching environment that adapts to changing conditions (Biggs and Tang, 2011).

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING

In a literature analysis, (Scott and Scott, pb), seven principles of effectiveness in teaching were systematically developed at specific university levels, as follows:

1. Encourage contact between students and faculty. These interactions enable students to manage problems, increase student intellectual commitment, and encourage them to think about their values and future plans.

2. Develop reciprocity and collaboration among students. Encourage students to develop collaborative skills, increase their cognitive processes, and promote deeper learning processes.

3. Encourage active learning. Passive students generally do not learn as effectively as active ones. Student activities are more effective if they include writing, discussing, and applying new learning and connecting with past experiences.

4. Provide immediate feedback. Formative and summary feedback are essential to support ongoing student learning. Teacher feedback should be timely to ensure continuous student development, understanding, and correction of misunderstandings.

Metacognition, or awareness of the learning process and ways of thinking, is also a critical component of successful learning.

5. Emphasize time on task. Organizational skills are essential for student success. Students need help developing proper time management skills. Therefore, teachers need to carefully structure learning experiences and assessment tasks that ensure the development of essential skills.

6. Communicate high expectations, expect more, and you will get more. Academics who have high expectations for students often find additional efforts to meet expectations. Another important aspect of this principle is that there should be clear communication with students about academic expectations.

7. Respect the talents and different ways of learning. This fundamentally implies that teachers must adopt a range of teaching strategies to ensure successful teaching for all students (Scott and Scott, pb).

The answer to the question of becoming an effective teacher requires a comprehensive elaboration. In a mentioned study above (Mastrokoukou and others, 2022), from a comprehensive review of the published literature on effectiveness of teaching in higher education, concluded that teacher effectiveness must broadly include competencies in four areas (teaching style, course organization/material, student engagement, and progress determination). This review represents an important step towards understanding evidence-based practices in teaching, in research on effectiveness in teaching. The authors of this study emphasize that summary themes of effective teaching practices, however, do not contain an exhaustive list of all possible.

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