Pedagogy in HE: does it matter?

Abstract

Pedagogical competencies of instructors play a crucial role in improving the quality of the teaching and learning in higher education institutions. However, in many countries worldwide, pedagogical training is not a requirement for being an instructor at a university [Postareff, L., S. Lindblom-Ylanne, and A. Nevgi. 2007. The Effect of Pedagogical Training on Teaching in Higher Education. Teaching and Teacher Education 23: 557-71; Badley, G. 2000. Developing Globally-Competent University Teachers. Innovations in Education and Training International 37 (3): 244-53]. This study explores how pedagogical competencies of instructors affect the perceptions of students by focusing on three key dimensions of classroom pedagogy; namely delivery (provision of content and facilitation), communication and assessment. The results of the scale administered to a total of 1083 university students suggests that there are meaningful differences in terms of students' perceptions regarding their instructors' pedagogical competencies. The greatest difference is reflected in the ratings of items related to the communication dimension.