Redefining university teaching practice. Reflection and action in the University of Medellin

Abstract

The research project Pedagogic styles and the improvement of teaching practices in the University of Medellin arose out of, on the one hand, a series of demands and needs in respect of the quality of higher education and, on the other, a context in which some of the teaching staff have no formal pedagogic training. It was therefore imperative to approach teacher training and qualification from a variety of angles and in diverse ways. The central research question posed was: how does the recognition of different pedagogic styles amongst university teachers contribute to the improvement of their teaching? To answer this question was the overall objective of the research. In order to set about answering this question and achieve the research objective different qualitative and hermeneutic methods were used along with participatory action research.