Valoraciones del profesorado universitario sobre las acciones que pueden favorecer el proceso de convergencia europea

Authors

Mercedes González SammamedSalto de línea Universidad de A Coruña. Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación. A Coruña, España.Salto de línea Salto de línea Manuela Raposo RivasSalto de línea Universidad de Vigo. Facultad de Ciencias de la Educación. Vigo, España.

Abstract

Evaluation of university professors in actions favoring the European Convergence processSalto de línea Salto de línea Building the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) demands to take different initiatives to facilitate the adaptation and harmonisation of the European higher education systems. Keeping in mind the important role of the teaching staff in this process, we studied the perspectives of university professors on different aspects of the European Convergence process. This article presents the results obtained and indicates what actions should be taken to ease the transition and adoption of the new model of higher education proposed in the Bologna agreements. The findings point out that these actions should be applied to the two main constituents of the teaching-learning process: the faculty and the students. Indeed, the teaching staff considers the microcosm of the classroom and teaching center as most important when defining, promoting and institutionalizing the changes to be applied. Hence, the professional perspective, which is more approachable and manageable, has greater weight than the political and administrative views, which are perhaps more distant and inaccessible. The process of convergence is seen by the teaching staff as an opportunity to improve higher education, we need to take an introspective look at ourselves as teachers to review what we do: how we teach, why we do it, and what for. It is a way to reconsider ‘what’ and ‘how’ our students learn. Furthermore, the teaching staff also insists in the fact that there are several structural, administrative and organizational aspects, of greater or lesser political influence but with clear didactic and curricular impact, that should also be reconsidered.

Keywords

University education, European Higher Education Area, university teacher training and teaching innovation, actions related to the European Convergence Process, university policy.