Abstract:

The quality of education is a topic frequently discussed in the environment of contemporary Slovak university education. University teachers, their educational work, scientific-research work and their personalities are closely connected with the topic of quality in education. The COVID-19 pandemic attested to the need of paying increased attention mainly to the professional competencies of university teachers. High-quality educational activities require teachers adequately trained in the areas of pedagogy and university didactics. Teachers must flexibly react to changing conditions of university education and thus it is necessary, on the one hand, to define teachers´ professional competencies and on the other hand, to continue developing them. We used quantitative research design. The contribution introduces theoretical characterisation of professional competencies and presents results from our pilot survey, which aimed to collect university teachers´ opinions on the need for developing their professional competencies. The survey was conducted as part of the project NFP312010BFQ3 A Support of the Internal System for Facilitating High-Quality University Education at UCM / Appeal: OPLZ-PO1/2021/DOP/1.3.1-01 – A Support of Internal Systems for Facilitating High-Quality University Education. The survey was carried out using an online questionnaire and the respondents were teachers of the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava. The survey sample consisted of 169 respondents from 5 faculties of the university. Data were analysed and subsequently compared in categories: gender, age, the length of participation in university education and the subject taught. Descriptive statistical methodology and document analysis was employed. The survey results can lead to development of modular systems of educating university teachers with the intention of developing their professional competencies related to the execution of educational processes. Respondents - university teachers in the questionnaire expressed the need to develop didactic and psychodidactic competencies, diagnostic and intervention competencies, social and communicative competencies. Finally, the paper presents a proposal of the workshop model focused on the development of didactic and psychodidactic competencies of university teachers that can be used for the teacher competencies improvement.

Keywords:

University teacher, professional competencies, opinion survey, questionnaire, data analysis and comparison.