Benchmark of Teaching Competencies of an “Appropriately Qualified” Maritime Instructor: Basis for a Development Matrix

The MET system is composed of four distinct elements: students, academic staff, programs, and facilities. Research has shown that the most critical factor in the quality of maritime education lies in its human resources: the academic staff. However, focus has predominantly been allocated on the development of competences of students rather than instructors.

Likewise, the main purpose of this mixed-methods study was to determine the teaching competencies of an “appropriately qualified” maritime instructor in order to establish a Competency Development Matrix. Based on the review of literature on teaching competencies and STCW standards, an online survey and semi-structured interview was conducted to analyze and interpret data through statistical and thematic analysis gathered from maritime instructors across the country.

Results revealed the highest ranked teaching competencies under the domains of teaching skills, attitude towards work, and technical knowledge were utilized to define the Benchmark of an "appropriately qualified" maritime instructor, with teaching skills holding the highest value. It is also noteworthy that one significant competence that deserves immediate attention is the lack of pedagogical competence of maritime instructors, mainly attributed to lack of training and familiarity due to the technical nature of seafaring.

On this basis, it is recommended that MET institutions should implement the proposed Competency Development Matrix to help determine instructors’ deficiencies in order to facilitate competency-based training programs to effectively ensure quality in maritime education.