Core Competencies for Maritime Business Educators in the Digital Era

Abstract

In light of digitalization, the objectives of this study are to (1) identify the emerging, core competencies of maritime business educators (MBE) and (2) examine their effects on perceived teaching performance. A systematic review of the contemporary literature was first performed to build a competency framework. Subsequently, an online survey was administered to 196 faculty members of the top 10 leading maritime universities as identified from the Worldwide Maritime School Rankings produced by Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The collected data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis to extract the main competencies of MBE. The results uncovered five key competencies from 22 sub-competencies. Thereafter, Hierarchical Regression Modeling was used to examine the effects of the key competencies on perceived teaching performance. After controlling for teaching experience and job position, it was found that the five competency requirements, in descending order of their importance, have significant positive effects on teaching performance: Pedagogy, Maritime, Interpersonal, Business and Digital. Academically, this study consolidates the literature and identifies the emerging core competencies that are expected from MBE in the digital era. The study also implicates education policy formulation, offering directions for institutions to allocate their resources, develop suitable training and assessment programs, and facilitate benchmarking.

Advanced learning methods in maritime education and training: A bibliometric analysis on the digitalization of education and modern trends

“…Still, the maritime officers and operators were the most extensively studied part in the literature. This finding is in line with other studies as different authors have also stated that MET research mostly focuses on onboard competencies [44, 174]. It is clear that the term “maritime education and training” has now become a keyword for describing educational practices of STCW for the deck and engine officers who take duty in merchant vessels.…”

“…Most of these advancements are the integration of digital tools and processes into existing workflows and systems of maritime transport to improve efficiency, safety, and sustainability, that is, digitalization. This situation has also increased the requirement for highly trained individuals with appropriate skills rather than the need for unskilled labor to perform maritime-related roles [96,174].…”

“…All these combined factors have made e-learning a widespread topic in several industries and MET was one of them. This increased digitalization presents an opportunity for MET to incorporate several teaching technologies into training programs [101,174].…”

Sailing Towards Excellence: Revamping the Education Policy to Foster Maritime Leadership in Indonesia

“…The study by Miao et al (2019) emphasizes the importance of practical knowledge. When educational programs fall short of delivering hands-on experiences, graduates may find themselves ill-equipped to address the multifaceted challenges of maritime leadership [19], [25], [26].…”

Values, Competences and Sustainability in Public Security and IT Higher Education

“…In this view, the second phenomenon to be examined is the competences of higher education staff. Many scientific works investigate this topic from various points of view (e.g., [20][21][22][23][24], etc.). According to Adamonien ė and Petrauskien ė [25], the modern HEI needs leaders and teachers who are able to creatively and innovatively identify and tackle the problems arising in an institution, and who possess the competences of leadership, management of changes, strategic thinking, and so on (p. 6).…”