What are the key capabilities needed by university teachers and are these embedded in existing frameworks?

Abstract This study aims to identify the key capabilities needed by university teachers and to examine the extent to which current university frameworks specify and define standards for these skills. This paper is based on extensive literature review and comparative study of individual university frameworks utilising a comparative document analysis. Our key findings are that there is a diverse range of capabilities cited across the literature but only a weak consensus in the frameworks about the key skills and future focused capabilities needed by university teachers. We also find that very few frameworks define levels of performance, and they are prescriptive, with a focus on competence rather than capabilities. Our findings reveal that the available frameworks lack utility for capability development because most lack guidance on definitions of what knowledge, skills and attributes university teachers need to be effective in their roles. Thus, we provide insights into these critical but relatively unstudied issues.