Educational Process at the Technical University Through the Eyes of Its Participants

Abstract

The active learning principle implies a responsibility of all participants in education process, not only for the training but also for the process of identifying and developing the content, methods and techniques. It is also increasingly demanding of the personal qualities of teachers and trainers. A study was conducted to identify the perceptions and attitudes of three groups participating in the educational process: graduate students, PhD students (intending to become teachers and trainers) and teachers at the Polytechnic University. There were differences in the perceptions of the above groups of what professional and personal qualities of a successful teacher in a technical university should be. The cognitive and functional components of the pedagogical competence are more important for the technical university teachers, whereas the graduate students consider emotional and behavioral components of the pedagogical competence to be more significant. Graduate students and PhD students believe the interactive forms of the educational process to be most effective, whereas the technical university teachers prefer the traditional forms of teaching. The most important professional qualities of a successful technical university teacher include the following: a profound knowledge of the subject, a teachable presentation, an enthusiasm for the subject and the ability to inspire the students for their profession. Such personal qualities as sociability, friendliness, fairness, sense of humor, and sensitivity were the most frequently mentioned ones.