Evaluating Teaching Practices in Graduate Programs

This book proposes a method to evaluate the work of teachers acting in a very specific educational context: graduate programs at higher education institutions. There are many publications on the field of measurement and evaluation of teaching practices, but these studies are usually conducted at the undergraduate level and ignore the nuances of teaching practices at the graduate level. Should professors demonstrate the same skills when they teach in undergraduate programs as they do when they teach in graduate programs? Is it appropriate to use the same assessment tools both at the undergraduate and the graduate levels? Do the teaching practices evolve the same way at the graduate and undergraduate levels? The book intends to answer these questions by introducing a methodological approach to find the relevant variables that are the foundation of professional practices at the graduate level as determined by the scientific community and through the analysis of the stakeholders’ perceptions. The proposed methodological approach combines quantitative and qualitative research techniques to identify and explain, within a mixed-method framework, the most important factors that lead to teaching quality at graduate level. Therefore, How to Evaluate Teaching Practices in Graduate Practices will be a valuable resource for students, university professors and educational administrators interested in quality assurance processes in higher education institutions.