Professional Practice in Higher Education: A Case Study in Faculty Training and Development in Brazil

Abstract

One of the most important debates is currently focusing on specifying the training that university teachers must receive for their professional practice. Improving it in higher education is extremely important not only for the scientific production generated by university but also for the adequacy of the training that future graduates will be offered; professionals facing an increasingly demanding labour market with new needs. University teachers training, thus, should be a priority in academic policies due to their influence and the role played in the evolution of society, as well as being the basis of the quality of Higher Education. This research, a case study in the State of Goias (Brazil), is focused on a sample of practicing university teachers from different fields of knowledge, and has as main objective to know the characteristics of the training received for their professional practice, both in the field of scientific education and their educational role and ability to transfer knowledge. The methodology used has been mixed, not experimental and descriptive, with the help of instruments for data collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative nature (questionnaires, interviews, monitoring, checklists, documentary analysis, etc.). The results confirmed the initial hypothesis, which stated that university teachers current training is primarily scientific and technical, and has gaps in the teacher training required today for a more effective work in the classroom. In this area teachers often use teaching methodologies supported by previous experiences with traditional features. Finally, to optimize this situation, different strategies for university teachers training are proposed seeking to improve both their reflection and teaching practice.