Does a faculty development programme improve teachers' perceived competence in different teacher roles?

Background: Changing concepts of education have led many medical schools to adopt student-centred approaches to teaching, requiring different teaching competencies than more traditional approaches. Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate whether participation in a faculty development (FD) programme had a positive effect on veterinary medical teachers' perceptions of their competence in seven different teaching roles. Method: All teaching staff of a veterinary medical school (251) were invited to complete a questionnaire asking about their perceived competence in seven teaching roles. A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis examined the effect of the completion of a FD programme on perceived teaching competence. Results: There was a significant positive effect of the FD programme on teachers' perceived competence in majority of the teaching roles at issue. Conclusions: FD appeared to have a positive effect on the perceived competence of veterinary medical teachers. Further research should investigate whether FD actually results in improved teaching performance.