19 Traits And Skills Make A University Professor Advance Professionally (PART 1)

It is easy to select people for the position of university professor. But there is a big difference between an employee as a university professor and a good, more effective, and professional university professor. Note that a good and effective university professor plays a crucial role in the university’s and student’s academic development and success. In addition, a good university professor significantly impacts students, helping them engage in lifelong learning. Moreover, it can make a massive difference to students at any stage of their university studies. As a university professor, he does not need a specific personality type to be an inspiring and influential university professor. However, the traits and skills of a good university professor must be developed and enhanced if his goal is to become a more attractive and successful university professor.

Traits and skills of a good university professor

1. Setting clear goals

A successful college professor knows how to set clear goals for the students, the entire class, and himself. Developing goals can help measure academic performance while giving students clear directions for improvement.

2. Create a sense of belonging

When a professor has a warm and welcoming attitude, they make students feel welcome and comfortable in their classroom. This creates a sense of belonging for students. Mutual respect in the classroom also creates a supportive and collaborative environment.

3. Justice and equal opportunities

A good university professor deals with students and grades fairly. It allows all students equal opportunities and privileges by providing precise requirements. Note that justice in this field means allowing every student to succeed. Note that not all students learn in the same way and at the same rate.

4. Focus on understanding

A university professor should focus on ensuring his students understand the material rather than just lecturing to be counted. He cares about retaining his students, providing they know and can do the work, not just ticking the boxes of a lesson plan.

5. Positivity and optimism

A good university professor is optimistic about teaching and their students. He always looks at the bright side of every situation. In addition, he communicates with students about their progress, praises them, and shows them appreciation for their work.

6. Set high expectations

A good university professor realizes that his expectations for his students greatly influence their achievement. He believes every student can succeed by teaching them the highest standards, building their confidence, and leading them to believe in themselves.

7. Practice empathy instead of making assumptions

As a university professor, it is essential to empathize with how students feel. They need validation for their feelings to understand and process them well. As a college professor, it is necessary to practice empathy rather than make assumptions and try to understand and address the root problem causing students to fall behind their peers, perform worse than they used to, or criticize in class.

8. Objectivity and impartiality

A university professor will be responsible for teaching a massive group of students. To combat discrimination and inequality and ensure fairness, it needs to assess the needs of its students in an objective and unbiased manner. It, therefore, requires him to check his judgments and assumptions constantly. Furthermore, learning must take place in a safe environment, so when he is teaching, he must remove anything that could make him view the students in a less positive light.

9. Constant renewal and learning

In higher education, faculty members can learn, research, teach, shape their futures, and influence them. So, a good university professor recognizes that many of today’s university students have the learning needs to succeed. Therefore, he constantly renews himself as a professional to provide students with the highest possible quality of education. He learns new teaching strategies or incorporates new technologies into lessons.

10. Humor to break the ice

A good university professor makes the learning process fun. He uses humor sometimes to break the ice in difficult situations during daily classes.

11. Admitting mistakes

A good university professor is quick to admit a mistake when it happens. He also apologizes to the students involved. In addition, he responds and makes adjustments when students point out errors and omissions.

12. Managing stress and tension

Students can cause a lot of stress and pressure on the university professor. Sometimes, his emotions can be frustrating and affect students, leading to a lack of interest in learning and a loss of confidence. It can also lead to a loss of respect from students, leading to classroom chaos. Therefore, a university professor must maintain calm to be a good role model for his students. Note that managing stress and tension is the key to his professionalism.

13. Friendliness and attention

A university professor should be friendly, not only to the students but to everyone on campus. It is where students can go with any problems or concerns or even share a story. Because a good university professor has good communication and listening skills, takes time out of his busy schedule, and cares for anyone who needs him with great enthusiasm.

14. Passion for lifelong learning

A university professor is often required to complete continuing education courses and is encouraged to pursue professional development opportunities to serve their students best. Note that a good university professor must be able to look at himself objectively and always be ready to engage in lifelong learning.

15. Continuous cooperation and interaction

Education is an intensely collaborative field involving constant interaction between students, professors, administrators, and the community. So, instead of thinking of themselves as weak because they ask for suggestions or help, a good university professor views collaboration to learn from a fellow professional.

16. Self-confidence

There’s nothing worse than a university professor who doesn’t seem to know what he’s talking about. Note that students can recognize this immediately. But if he teaches confidently, his students will trust and follow his steps.

17. Strong work ethic

The secret that keeps a good university professor going is that they genuinely want to be a more effective university professor and will stop at nothing to succeed. Note that his strong work ethic makes him do almost anything to help his students by allocating time for them to find appropriate solutions and achieve success.

18. Motivation to inspire

When motivated, students perform academically and behaviorally at university. Therefore, a university professor is an important role model for his students by being motivational, instilling confidence, and inspiring them to learn and do their best.

19. Technological efficiency

In today’s world, advanced technology such as artificial intelligence and other technologies play increasing roles in education. The ever-changing world of classroom innovation depends on the ability of the university professor to adapt new technologies that can benefit the teaching process. Therefore, technological proficiency is vital for university professors in any subject, and they must try to stay up-to-date and integrate technology into the classroom.

Practicing the traits and skills of a good university professor provides an ideal opportunity for the faculty member to gain the qualifications and experience he needs for career advancement.