Identifying the Selection Criteria for Elite Lecturer in Medical Education: A Qualitative Study

The selection of an elite teacher with the necessary competencies is considered as a motivational force to improve the quality of teaching. This study aimed to determine standard criteria for selecting elite lecturers in medical science universities.

Using a content analysis approach, this qualitative study was carried out in Tabriz University of Medical Sciences (TUOMS), as one of the top ranking medical universities in Iran. Data was collected by purposive sampling method from individuals with experience in the field of teacher evaluation working in the Deputy of Education and Education Development Center (EDC) of TUOMS. Focus group discussion (FGD) sessions continued until data saturation was achieved.

Based on the analysis of the interviews, four criteria for selecting elite teachers were identified as follows: "the dynamics of education", "research and educational innovation", "evaluation of fair treatment, discipline, and professional ethics", and "accountability in transformational innovation packages in education". In addition, the score of clinical teachers and basic sciences teachers was considered as 94 and 100, respectively.

In this study, a standard tool was designed to select elite lecturers in an attempt to observe educational justice and encourage teachers to perform their various roles and tasks. Our results can be used as a standard tool in other Iranian medical universities.