Keeping Teachers Up-to-date is essential to reach and maintain a High Quality University Education

Abstract

A multidisciplinary group of teachers and scientists from the Faculty for Higher Education (FES) Zaragoza from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is dedicated to the continuous improvement of biochemistry teaching within the programme of chemistry, pharmacy and biology (QFB) at our University. To provide our teachers with modern teaching abilities is our top priority. Therefore, we offer various activities to promote their continuous scientific and didactic updating. We also encourage self-awareness on the strong need for continuous adaptation and utilization of information and communication technologies (ICT) that have become very popular among young generations. Teaching is not an isolated discipline. On the contrary, teaching is intimately related with social and economic circumstances. Teachers and students must be aware of their social environment, continuously improving their capability to approach national problems with an accurate utilization of national resources. Research and development have to be linked to the best teaching techniques that stimulate teachers and scientists to grow as educators and experimenters. Our scientific meetings and courses on scientific topics and teaching techniques have contributed not only to promote individual teaching and scientific capabilities but also to update the study programme from the QFB curricula at our University.

A Criteria Catalog of Innovation Facilities at Higher Education Institutes: An Observational Approach

“…This orientation of universities towards becoming entrepreneurial organizations and engaging in a Triple Helix (university-industry-government) environment, is being nurtured by the external influences in the form of explicit policies from government aiming at increasing universities' responsibilities in ensuring the proper communication and commercialization of research outcomes and also the internal development within universities intending to facilitate their academics and students to utilize academic learning in practical ways with the support of academic experts (Clauss et al, 2018). It is believed that in order to prepare the students to face modern challenges with success and better compete in labor market, HEIs need to offer relevant and updated curricula with strong focus on critical thinking, creativity, flexibility, and entrepreneurship and vocational training (Aguilar-Santelises et al, 2015). This vocational orientation of academic activities prompts the HEIs to adopt a strategy for teaching-learning process that ensures the students` access to knowledge and skills for lifelong learning that include the core generic skills, skills for personal development, and specific skills for their integration in work environment (Roger-Monzó et al, 2015).…”