New Perspectives in Science Education

This article describes the multidimensional role of university lecturers in Iran. The role of university lecturers in learning process should not be ignored. In some cultures or disciplines, an effective university lecturer is someone who does not essentially transfer knowledge, but rather motivates students to participate and create knowledge.  In addition, one effective university lecturer should consider the students as “Midwife of Wisdom”.  According to this task, the teaching theories are defined. The goal of this study is to find the role of a university lecturer in Iran.

In a qualitative study in Iran twenty education students were asked about an effective university lecturer. The results show that student’s expectations from university lecturers are multidimensional: as knowledge transfer, counselor, mentor, spiritual welfare and even master. So far the naming of the university lecturer is “Master”.

This study indicates that the role of university lecturers in diverse learning culture is different and each socio-cultural constellation influences the student’s anticipation from university lecturers. This specifies the importance of learning schemes in intercultural academic world.

Keywords: University lecturer, Learning culture, Iran