CHALLENGES IN CURRICULAR INNOVATION IN UNIVERSITY TRAINING FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ACADEMICS

Abstract
Implementing innovations in higher education is a highly chal-lenging process, due to multiple causes. Underestimating the pur-poses of innovation without considering the teaching staff that implements it can generate important problems. The study ana-lyzed the perceptions about innovation in a sample of teachers from different academic programs at a Chilean regional univer-sity. Nineteen members of the university participated in a series of semi-structured interviews and one focus group. The study had a qualitative approach, and the responses were analyzed using the Grounded Theory principles. The results were sorted into three dimensions: a) the political context (micro and macro) in which the innovation processes are implemented, b) the tensions between the institution and innovation, and c) the innovation in terms of meanings and their evaluations. The participants agree that curricular innovation is a very complex process, in which the negotiation of senses and meanings is essential to develop an adequate implementation; consequently, if they feel part of the design processes, they will feel more engaged in the tasks.
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