Improving Teaching Quality in Vocational and Technical Higher Education with Emphasis on Job Creation and Skill-Oriented Approach

Adopting the employment approach, the present study aimed to identify the strategies for improving teaching quality in vocational and technical higher education. This was an applied research with mixed methods design. The statistical population involved in the qualitative phase consisted of curriculum experts, faculty members of technical and vocational universities and employers in Iran, among whom 18 participants were selected via a purposive sampling method. The statistical population of the quantitative phase, on the other hand, consisted of all lecturers at Shariati University of Technical and Professional Affairs in Tehran, among whom 230 participants were selected via the stratified random sampling method. Research data were collected through the semistructured interviewing technique and a researcher-made questionnaire. Content validity was used to determine the validity of the interview questions and the questionnaire and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to estimate the reliability of the questionnaire. As the results of the qualitative research indicated, using work-based teaching methods and empirical activities, applying theoretical knowledge in practice, teaching in real work environments or simulated environments such as labs and workshops, employing groupbased and collaborative learning, using expert laboratory technicians to teach practical units, and interacting with faculty and students to exchange skills are the most important strategies that can affect the quality of teaching. The results of the quantitative phase also made it clear that the stated strategies are effective in improving the quality of teaching. Therefore, based on the results of this study, in order to improve the quality of technical and vocational higher education and achieve its goals and missions, it is necessary to adopt a different approach to teaching and training in relation to other higher education subsystems, and focus on skills, and be employment- and skill-based.