From Teaching Delivery to Educational Impact: Rethinking Professional Development in Higher Education

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Modern Research in Education, Teaching and Learning

Year: 2026

[PDF]

From Teaching Delivery to Educational Impact: Rethinking Professional Development in Higher Education

Prof. Ana Vanesa Valero-García

ABSTRACT:

Higher education institutions increasingly face the challenge of guaranteeing teaching quality in contexts shaped by digital transformation, diversity, artificial intelligence and rapidly evolving student needs. Traditional professional development models, often centred on isolated theoretical training activities, no longer respond effectively to the competences required for contemporary university teaching. In response to this challenge, the University of Murcia has designed an innovative learning pathway for early-career academics focused on the development and verification of real teaching competences with direct impact on educational practice. The programme integrates competence-based learning experiences in inclusive education, gender-sensitive teaching, active methodologies, assessment of learning outcomes and personalised learning through artificial intelligence. Unlike conventional training approaches, the pathway aligns learning outcomes, authentic assessment, practical workshops and reflective activities with real teaching challenges in higher education. The presentation argues that meaningful professional development requires more than content transmission. Universities must create learning experiences that allow academics to apply, evaluate and transform their teaching practices in authentic contexts. Ultimately, this experience demonstrates how competence-based and practice-oriented learning pathways can strengthen educational quality, innovation and student learning in higher education.

Keywords: Active Methodologies; Competence-Based Education; Active Methodologies; Inclusive Education; Lifelong Learning; Teaching Innovation