ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Teacher Education
Exploring the Impact and Growth Opportunities in Continuing Education Facilitator Training Programs – An Empirical Journey
Provisionally accepted
- Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, México, Mexico
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This study evaluates an andragogical teaching model implemented in continuous education (CE) programs at a private university in Mexico. To train CE facilitators (instructors) on this model, workshops were introduced in 2016; however, they have not yet been evaluated. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching model workshops and identify areas for improvement based on facilitator perceptions, guided by the theories of competency development and job satisfaction. A mixed-methods approach, combining historical data, surveys, and focus groups, was employed. A historical dataset from 536 facilitators was extracted from institutional records containing teaching evaluations before and after the training on the teaching model. From that population, a sample of 158 facilitators completed a researcher-developed survey on the effects of the training. Additionally, two focus groups were conducted with 16 facilitators. Results showed statistically significant improvement in teaching evaluations following training, with mean evaluation scores increasing by 0.82 points on a 10-point scale (p ≤ 0.001). Over 60% of facilitators reported improvements in teaching clarity, relevance, and practicality. Around 65% indicated that the topic had increased relevance to their work, while only 30% noted improved visibility, recognition, or income. Qualitatively, facilitators valued the model's clarity, structure, and focus but recommended tailoring workshops to specific CE programs, offering ongoing support, and regularly updating workshop content. In conclusion, the workshops effectively enhanced facilitators' teaching competencies. However, improvements are needed in job satisfaction components. Reliance on self-reported data and the single institutional context limits the study's findings.
Keywords: Andragogy, Educational innovation, higher education, lifelonglearning, Stakeholders
Received: 28 Mar 2025; Accepted: 27 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Vázquez-Villegas, Torres Mata and Miranda Becerra. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Patricia Vázquez-Villegas, paty.vazquez@tec.mx
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