A Suggested Framework for Measuring and Improving Teaching Staff Competencies of the Universities: A Field Study in the Public Jordanian Universities at the Southern Governorates

Abstract

This study aims to identify and improve teaching staff competencies’ level of public Jordanian universities located in the southern governorates and identify the relative importance of their availability. The study aims to introduce a suggested framework for measuring and improving teaching staff competencies in the universities. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, a questionnaire was distributed to the faculty members at the universities of Mutah, Tafileh and Al-Hussein Bin Talal. The total number of teaching staff was (1230) and a random sample of (291) teaching staff members was taken. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, V. 20) was used in the statistical analysis to obtain the mean measures and the correlation. The study reached several results, the most important of which are that the average general level of the availability of competencies among teaching staff members was medium and the general average of the dimensions of teaching staff competencies in the Jordanian universities in the southern governorates came at a medium level with a mean of 3.17. The competency of personal skills ranked first, followed by the competency of teaching, then by the competency of scientific research, then by the competency of technological skills with intermediate grades and finally came the competency of community service at a low level with an average of 2.37. The study recommends that universities should pay attention to the competency of teaching by holding training programs to enable faculty members to obtain this competency. Universities should also put more focus on the competency of scientific research for teaching staff members and encourage them to carry out scientific research through the provision of incentives. The study also recommends to provide teaching staff members with the competency of community service, by directing field research to solve the problems of local communities. Lastly, the study recommends adopting the suggested framework and creating the appropriate environment for its application.