Academics’ pedagogical training: Effects on teachers and students’ outcomes, a multilevel analysis

Between July 2018 and July 2021, academics from five Romanian universities participated in three 15 ECTS pedagogical programs. The main purpose of these programs was to change academics’ teaching towards a learning-centered approach to teaching. Excepting the specific contents of each program (i.e., P1 – general principles and methods for teaching in higher education; P2 – Maastricht University model of Problem-Based Learning and P3 – evidence-based teaching in higher education), all programs had the same structure (i.e., 150 hours, of which 40 hours theoretical courses, 80 hours practical applications, and 30 hours peer to peer observation and group reflection).To evaluate the programs’ effect, we collected data, in four waves with six months between, about participants’ perception of the quality and usefulness of the programs, academics' teaching approaches, students' perception of the teachers' classroom behavior, and students' learning approaches. For data analysis, students’ answers were aggregated at the teacher level. The programs sustained academics in adopting more positive approaches to teaching especially by decreasing their teacher-centered intentions and related strategies. Students’ deep approach has been significantly and positively linked to challenging beliefs and motivation as teachers' classroom behaviors. The surface approach has been significantly and negatively related to understanding the fundamental concepts, relevance, organization, and flexibility while positively associated with teacher-student relationships. Also, it seems that students in classes taught by older male professors have adopted a deeper approach to learning. Generally, the data highlightthat the training programs achieved the objectives proposed