Increasing academic success in higher education: importance of teacher perceptions

Although numerous studies have shown which educational design principles influence academic success, it remains a challenge to implement these design principles into daily practice. An explanation for the discrepancy between knowledge from scientific research about what works and daily practice can also be attributed to the implementation process of design principles; often the implementation ignores the fact that the teacher is the central link in the educational innovation process. In this study we examined the teacher perceptions about measures that can be used to promote study success. Results show which insights from the research literature show similarities with the perceptions of teachers (formative testing, working in small groups), but more importantly, the results also show in which respects the perceptions of teachers contradict with the findings from the research literature (students determine assessment moments themselves, use of web lectures). The used method not only offers the possibility to formulate widely supported policies that incorporate the vision of the institution, but also provides a basis for formulating a teacher development program.