Exploring faculty learning needs towards their teaching development in two Greek universities

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of the first study conducted in Greece aiming to identify faculty learning needs associated with the development of their teaching practices. Following the foundation of the Hellenic University Pedagogy Network, Teaching and Learning in Higher Education started to emerge as a new research field in Greece. Two peripheral Greek Universities, namely the Democritus University of Thrace and the University of Patras established Centres for Teaching and Learning, the very first structures in Greece for the promotion of teaching practices for faculty. The study presented hereafter was conducted in the universities at the beginning of the academic year 2020-2021 and was funded by European Union (National Strategic Reference Framework). The main elements of the study include the investigation of certain dimensions of the role of academics and the registration and analysis of their educational needs towards the amelioration of their teaching practices. More specifically, issues explored include teaching methods and techniques used by academics in their everyday practice, the degree of integration of new technologies in their teaching, the possible needs for differentiation of their practices and the degree of responding to their students' needs. In this paper, we will present the results and conclusions for some of the mentioned elements mainly those related to the preferred topics of training by the participants, their views about teaching and professional development and the elements they believe that constitute a "good" teaching.