Professional development for university lecturers: effectiveness of training in Google Workspace

Desarrollo profesional del docente universitario: eficacia de la formación en Google Workspace

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The integration of ICT, including Google's suite of tools, has significantly transformed university pedagogy, shifting from a traditional teacher-centric model to a student-centric one. This research addresses the enhancement of university teaching through training in Google Workspace, which is key to faculty professionalisation and adaptation to 21st-century demands. METHOD: A non-experimental, descriptive-correlational design was used, with a convenience sample of 275 teachers from the University of Salamanca participating in seven editions of a course (2020-2025). The instruments used were an ad hoc questionnaire that included a pre-post test to measure perceived knowledge and rating scales (Content and Methodology, with excellent reliability, ω > .87). The analysis included descriptive statistics, paired t-tests to measure knowledge gain, and one-way ANOVA to identify differences between groups. RESULTS: The results indicated high acceptance and a significant, consistent improvement in perceived knowledge of Google's tools across all groups and years. Notably, the greatest gains were observed amongst older participants and female academics, although the course benefited all disciplines and professional categories. DISCUSSION: The findings confirm the high impact and validity of teacher training in higher education. It concludes that there is a need to move beyond “one-size-fits-all” training approaches, suggesting the design of differentiated pathways (e.g., by level of competence or professional category) to optimize teacher professionalization.