The Fundamental Components of Effective Teaching in Higher Education from the Perspective of Students and Faculty Members at University of Kurdistan

The aim of this study was discovering and classifying the fundamental components of effective teaching in higher education. In fact, its main purpose was to identify the components of effective teaching as well as providing a framework for effective teaching from the perspective of faculty members and students at University of Kurdistan. Using a quantitative approach and stratified sampling, a sample consisting of 383 students and 156 faculty members was selected and studied at University of Kurdistan in 2012. The research instrument for collecting the data was a researcher-made questionnaire, embedded in the existing literature and previous research. The data was analyzed with exploratory factor analysis, using principal component analysis as the extraction method. The results indicated that the fundamental components of effective teaching from the students’ viewpoint were instructional skills, systematic assessment, and personal attributes. These factors were different form the faculty members’ perspective. In addition to instructional skills and personal attributes, they stated that ethical features and relationship with the students are two other important factors of effective teaching in higher education. Mixing the data from both groups, we found that effective teaching had another fundamental component called the faculty members’ experience.