NEW TEACHER CHALLENGES AT THE EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION AREA: UNIVERSITY TEACHING SKILLS IN E-LEARNING AND B-LEARNING PROCESSES

The aim of this study is to identify teaching skills of university teachers within virtual and blended learning considering the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) demands. The EHEA advocates across the ECTS new ways of teaching and learning focused on students. Drawing on this new concept of teaching and learning processes at the university, we have found it necessary to identify the current initiatives being undertaken in the e-learning and b-learning modalities in Spanish universities and from these to detect and analyze the skills needed by teachers for the implementation and development of the EHEA.

This research is part of the Program “Estudios y Análisis” of the “Minisiterio de Ciencia e Innovación” (Ministry of Science and Innovation). This investigation has been led by the research group FODIP from the Department of Education and Educational Organization of the University of Barcelona .

Specific objectives :
-To describe and analyze education initiatives undertaken by university teachers on the modalities of e-learning and b-learning.
-To propose a map of teaching skills which promotes meaningful learning through the e-learning and b-learning, taking into account the EHEA.
-To identify training needs of university teachers regarding the new concept of teaching with the introduction of the ECTS and the development of meaningful learning through the modalities of e-learning and b-learning.
-To propose guidelines for university teacher training in the fields of e-learning and b-learning in order to promote meaningful learning of the students under the new EHEA.

The study uses an approach based on qualitative, phenomenological assumptions. For the purposes of this research, the above epistemological approach will be pursued through the multi-case study methodology. The sample was intentionally composed by ten universities, representing the entire national territory, where they were developing e-learning and b-learning initiatives. Therefore, it is used a sampling procedure called by Goetz and Le Compte (1988) "selection criteria-based". This kind of sampling, firstly, determines the characteristics of those who would participate in the study, before the entrance into the field. The universities involved are the National Autonomous University of Barcelona, University of Alcalá de Henares, University of Barcelona, University of Deusto, European University of Madrid, Universidad of Huelva, University of the Balearic Islands, University of Santiago de Compostela and University of Seville.

Conclusions
Uses, challenges, needs, elements of competition and other valuations have been expressed by teachers regarding key elements to promote meaningful learning on the modalities of e-learning and b-learning within the framework of EHEA. They discussed several topics related to: institutional platforms, technical and technological support, didactical support, student technical and technological support, current proposals of teacher training in ICT as a support of teaching, initiatives for teaching using ICT and, teaching skills needed to develop e-learning and b-learning processes.

Finally, a map of university teaching skills in the application of e-learning and b-learning techniques, tools and associated guidance are proposed from the synthesis of the results with the horizon of the European Higher Education Area.