Student Perceptions of Teaching Competencies and Educational Excellence: A Mixed-Methods Study in Higher Education

This mixed-methods study examines university students' perceptions of teaching competencies and proposes the Orbital Model of Teaching Excellence. Quantitative data from a survey of 616 students and qualitative data from focus groups with seven experienced faculty members in Quito, Ecuador, revealed that effective communication is the most valued competency (27.7%). Further analysis showed that advanced-level students prioritize this competency significantly more than beginning-level students (χ2=45.5χ 2 =45.5, p<0.001p<0.001). Qualitative analysis identified four central themes: communication as pedagogical mediation, the integrated organization-motivation nexus, the emotional-relational ecosystem, and critical-transformative praxis. Through integration of both datasets, the Orbital Model was developed, which conceptualizes excellence as an emergent property of dynamic interaction between four pillars (methodologies, competencies, student-environment interaction, and ICT integration), energized by three catalytic processes (evaluation, research, and innovation) within a specific institutional and sociocultural context. The findings underscore the need for contextualized approaches to faculty improvement and offer practical implications for professional development and institutional policies in the context of Latin American higher education.