Identity and academic cultures in transit in processes of curricular innovation
Main Article Content
Keywords
Teaching identity, Academic identity, Higher education, Teaching culture, Educational change
Abstract
The worldwide higher education paradigm has changed from a paradigm based on teaching to one based on learning. This change has led the development of new identities and teaching cultures in higher education. This study studies these key elements in an innovative modular system created and developed within the Degree of Social Education at the University of the Basque Country. A communicative methodology is proposed mixing different techniques (interviews, discussions and analysis of data) and considering different agents (44 professors and students). All the data was transcribed, registered and qualitatively encoded using NVivo10 program. The results have revealed that this innovative degree structure helped in the transformation of identities, from individualistic to collaborative. Furthermore, although there was a previous teacher culture concerned with innovation, this now has been consolidated into an innovative teaching culture. Moreover, four key elements that fostered identity and cultural change, but also personal and collective transformation were identified and labelled as: to grow and learn, take care of oneself, to connect and to integrate. Finally, the curricular and structural changes occurring in this transformation process were also analyzed and systematized. In conclusion, this work provides evidence to support the value of transformative change in academic identity and Higher Education teaching culture. Such change requires certain conditions and resources, including an assumption of teamwork and careful management of daily teaching work.
Likewise, the design of university degrees plays a key role in this transition towards a culture of innovation.
References
Alonso, I., Lobato, C., & Arandia, M. (2015). La identidad profesional docente como clave para el cambio en la educación superior. Opción, 31(5), 51-71.
Arandia, M., & Fernández, I. (2012). ¿Es posible un curriculum más allá de las asignaturas? Diseño y práctica del grado de Educación Social en la Universidad del País Vasco. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria, 10(3), 99-123.
Arthur, L. (2016). Communities of practice in higher education: Professional learning in an academic career. International Journal for Academic Development, 21(3), 230- 241.
Arvaja, M. (2018). Tensions and striving for coherence in an academic’s professional identity work. Teaching in Higher Education, 23(3), 291-306.
Caballero, K., & Bolívar, A. (2015). Identidades profesionales, concepciones de enseñanza-aprendizaje y estrategias docentes del profesorado universitario. REDU. Revista de Docencia Universitaria, 13(1), 57-77.
Denzin, N. K. (2012). Triangulation 2.0. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 6(2), 80- 88.
Fernández, I., Guisasola, G., Garmendia, M., Alkorta, I., & Madinabeitia, A. (2013). ¿Puede la formación tener efectos globales en la universidad? Desarrollo docente, metodologías acticas y curriculum híbrido. Infancia y aprendizaje, 36(3), 387-400.
Fitzmaurice, M. (2013). Constructing professional identity as a new academic: a moral endeavour. Studies in Higher Education, 38(4), 613-622.
Flecha, R., Vargas, J., & Davila, A. (2012). Metodología comunicativa crítica en la investigación en ciencias sociales: La investigación WORKALÓ. Lan Harremanak- Revista de Relaciones Laborales, (11), 21-33.
Gómez, A. (2018). Communicative methodology and social impact. London, England: Routledge.
Gómez, A., & Díez-Palomares, J. (2009). Metodología comunicativa crítica: transformaciones y cambios en el S. XXI. Education in the Knowledge Society, 10(3), 103-118.
Gómez, M., Escofet, A., & Freixa, M. (2014). The teaching staff in higher education. Utopia or reality? Revista Española de Pedagogía, 72(259), 509-523.
Hargreaves, A., & Harris, A. (dirs.) (2011). Performance beyond expectations. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership.
Heck, T. W., Bacharach, N., & Dahlberg, K. (2008). Co-teaching: Enhancing the student teaching experience. In Eighth Annual IBER & TLC Conference.
Heinrich, E. (2015). Identifying teaching groups as a basis for academic development. Higher Education Research & Development, 34(5), 899- 913.
Hoang, C. H., & Pretorius, L. (2019). Identity and Agency as Academics: Navigating Academia as a Doctoral Student. In Wellbeing in Doctoral Education (pp. 143-151). Springer, Singapore.
Jawitz, J. (2009). Academic identities and communities of practice in a professional discipline. Teaching in Higher Education, 14(3), 241-251.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors will keep their copyright and guarantee the journal the right of first publication of their work, which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Recognition License that allows third parties to share the work whenever its author is indicated and his first publication this magazine.
Revista Boletín Redipe by Red Iberoamericana de Pedagogía is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Israel Alonso Sáez, University of the Basque Country, Spain
University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea. KideON Research Group. Socio-educational Inclusion.
Aitor Garagarza, University of the Basque Country, Spain
University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea. KideON Research Group. Socio-educational Inclusion.
Nahia Idoiaga, University of the Basque Country, Spain
University of the Basque Country / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea. KideON Research Group. Socio-educational Inclusion.