The innovation competence profile of teachers in higher education institutions

ABSTRACT

The institutional drive to implement innovation in higher education institutions, in line with the goals of the European Higher Education Area, is insufficient to achieve the effective implementation, as it is conditioned by a number of factors, most importantly, the motivation and training of university teachers. This study aims to analyse the level of innovation competence among teachers of higher education, establishing a framework adapted to the university environment and creating a questionnaire to determine the innovation competence profile of teachers. A sample of 1,404 teachers in Spain, Mexico and Bolivia was used to conduct a comparative study of their innovation skills and resources which will aid the development of possible strategies for improvement. The results will facilitate decision-making in designing training policies to raise the level of innovation competence among university teaching staff and the adaptation of the teaching/learning process for the acquisition of 21st century competences.

KEYWORDS:

• Teaching innovation
• teaching competence/skill
• teaching methodology
• active methods
• higher education
• teacher assessment
• educational research
• questionnaire

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The questionnaire, ‘Instrumento para la evaluación de la Competencia innovadora del docente universitario-CIDU 2018’, nº M-004790/2018, is registered in the Registro General de la Propiedad Intelectual – Nº Asiento Registral: 16/2018/7721.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Francisco José Fernández-Cruz

Francisco José Fernández-Cruz Elementary Education Teacher, Educational Psychologist (Psychopedagogue) and Doctor of Education, working as Professor at Department of Research Methods and Diagnosis in Education at Complutense University of Madrid. His research has centred on Information Technology and Communication, Teacher Competencies, Quality and Evaluation.

Fidel Rodríguez-Legendre

Fidel Rodríguez-Legendre Sociologist and Doctor in History by Universidad Central de Venezuela and Doctor in Communication Sciences and Sociology by Complutense University of Madrid. Professor of Sociology of Education, Art Education and its Didactics, History of the West, Social and Consumer Psychology and Sociology of Consumption at Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid.