Analysis of the some effective teaching quality factors within faculty members of agricultural and natural resources colleges in Tehran University

Agricultural higher education institutions have a significant role in development of the agriculture sector and the effectiveness of higher education is dependent on the quality of teaching offered by its faculty members. The purpose of this study was to determine and classify factors related to teaching quality by members of a scientific board. The method of evaluation for this research was by evaluation of data from a descriptive survey taken with a researcher made questionnaire. The target population of the study consisted of 256 faculty members in agricultural colleges in Tehran University. A sample of 100 staff was selected through a randomized multi-stage sampling method based on the Koukran formula. The questionnaire, used as the research tool, was verified by a panel of experts. The reliability of the questionnaire was verified through calculating the Crookback Alpha coefficient equal to 0/86 following a pilot study. Data was analyzed through SPSS15/Win and results of the explorative factor analysis revealed that five components explained 74/82% of the total variance. These factors were as follows; (1) lesson plan (19.52%), (2) teaching skill (17.97%), (3) communication skills (17.93%), (4) expertise related to lesson content (10.59%), and (5) individual capabilities of members (9.15%) respectively.