Roles performed by teachers in higher education innovative projects

This qualitative ex-post-facto research aims to understand the role of teachers on innovative projects in Brazilian higher education by applying content analysis technique to 23 reports and four semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that teachers performed five roles: protagonist, supporting player, hero, antagonist, and audience. Personal characteristics such as motivation and resilience are capable of compensating for the absence of other factors and positively influence innovative behavior. The difficulty in performing a role different from knowledge transmitter and the lack of time due to overwork hinders the involvement in innovative projects.