Critical incidents in PUCP university professors

Abstract

This paper presents the critical incidents considered the most important by university professors of four academic departments of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP), as well as the most frequent responses to them. From these results, priority areas and contents have been identified for professor training. Critical incidents are time and space-bound events that cause crisis or instability in professors when they surpass a specific emotional threshold. In order to regain control, some aspects of the professional identity have to be analyzed, although they can also derive in self-protection responses.  In this study, the most important incidents are those related to organization (time, space, resources), nonworking methodological innovations and evaluation. Before most of these incidents, professors react by proposing changes, but only at a strategy level. These results reveal the need to study and reflect upon the most important incidents and upon the role of professors, their perspectives, strategies and feelings in managing these incidents.