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The academic careers of university teachers should be based on successful research and high-quality teaching (Paris Communique, 2018). In research, the measurable criteria of academic performance can be defined relatively precisely, but when it comes to evaluating the success of teaching, room for debate opens up. The role of university teachers today is demanding and complex. Against the backdrop of global crisis situations, the emphasised need for digital transformation, and the increasing massification and diversification of the student body, they are expected to prepare students for the unpredictable jobs of the future. Moreover, they are also expected to perform their teaching activities with high quality, enthusiasm, and passion (Hagenauer and Volet, 2014). On this basis, this paper considers the role of university teachers using a conceptual framework for exploring positive attitudes toward teaching. The conceptual framework consists of four dimensions - (1) the emotional dimension, (2) the professional development dimension, (3) the constructivist approach to teaching dimension, and (4) the teaching-research nexus dimension, which can be used for a broader consideration of (positive) attitudes toward teaching. The paper presents the mentioned conceptual framework and the preliminary results of a qualitative research, the aim of which is to determine how university teachers employed at the University of Rijeka understand and evaluate the mentioned framework. Snowball sampling and creative qualitative methods were used (e.g., determining keywords, evoking opinions through visualized photographs, responses to vignettes, and written discussions about the proposed conceptual framework). The research findings open a space for discussion about redefining the teaching profession in the future and reflecting on new approaches to exploring the complex and changing role of university teachers. |
