The development of a competency pool for higher education teachers

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of existing challenges associated with the application of a competency-based approach to the study of higher education teacher competencies in the context of institutional and technological transformations in Russian higher education. The article substantiates the need for a transition to a systemic understanding of competencies as an integrative unity, in which the relationship between each systemic element traced. This will facilitate the manifestation of a synergistic effect caused by the simultaneous interaction of competencies in the process of solving professional problems in real time. As a result, the need for a competency pool that meets modern requirements for higher education teachers formulated. Conceptually, the paper draws on competency-based and systemic approaches. The author attempts to formulate her own vision of a higher education teacher competency pool. It demonstrated that a competency-based approach might serve as a methodological tool for developing competencies, allowing for the grouping of closely related competencies into larger clusters based on the essence of professional activity. The study substantiates the system-forming role of methodological competence across various dimensions. The results may be of practical interest to researchers working on competency-based approaches, developing the competencies of higher education staff, and young teachers just beginning their careers in higher education.