Professional development and teaching quality in higher education
This dissertation aims to contribute to the debate on what constitutes quality teaching in higher education and, subsequently, how professional development can improve it. While the first chapters focus on operationalizing teaching quality in six observable teaching behaviour domains that are known to impact student achievement, the following chapters turn to how professional development programmes affect teachers’ outcomes. In chapter 2, the results of 203 classroom observations indicate differences in detected teaching behaviour. In chapter 3, the observed behavior reveals a hierarchical ordering, suggesting that teachers develop their teaching skills gradually. Chapter 4 explores the development of teachers’ teaching self-efficacy beliefs and teaching conceptions throughout a formal professional development programme. The findings suggest that some participants gained more than others. Finally, chapter 5 examines to what extent collaboration patterns of lecturers change throughout an informal professional development initiative. Towards the end of the project, teachers appear more directly and more closely connected to each other. Furthermore, teachers who are in close physical proximity to each other are more likely to collaborate with each other. Besides the individual conclusions of each chapter, the chapters have four overarching themes: (1) moving towards a common language and a shared understanding regarding teaching quality in higher education, (2) measuring teaching quality using classroom observations, (3) exploring whether teaching skills develop along a hierarchical path, and (4) facilitating collaboration between lecturers to improve teaching quality. Insights from this dissertation can help educational developers tailor professional development programmes and provide feedback to teachers’ individual learning needs