Assessment of Academic and Educational Abilities of the Faculty Members of Hamedan University of Medical Sciences

The first step in educational planning is identifying and prioritizing educational needs so that if this is done correctly, it will be easier and more effective to implement educational development processes. The purpose of this study was to determine the faculty members’ academic and educational abilities from their point of view in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.

This cross-sectional study was performed in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2016. The statistical population included all the faculty members of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. 205 faculty members were selected by stratified random sampling. Data gathering tool was a researcher-made questionnaire. After confirming its validity and reliability, the faculty members expressed their views on academic and educational abilities in four domains based on a 5-point Likert scale of 1 to 5. Data were analyzed using one-sample t-test and Friedman ANOVA.

According to the faculty members’ point of view, the priorities of academic and educational abilities were the skill of curriculum design (mean score = 4.10 ± 3), teaching and learning skill (mean score = 4.24 ± 2), educational evaluation skill (mean score = 4.31 ± 2) and counseling and communication skill (mean score = 4.53 ±2), respectively.

The results of this study indicated that curriculum design needs to be considered as a top priority for academic and educational abilities of faculty members, and special training courses should be provided to familiarize faculty members with the elements and components of curriculum design in Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.