What makes an ideal lecturer?: Decoding the student narratives

Purpose Students are key stakeholders in higher education, yet their voices are often overlooked in faculty development initiatives, despite their direct experience with teaching and learning. For that reason, this study aimed to capture students’ perceptions of ideal lecturer characteristics in higher education. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on a secondary dataset compiled by the authors, who recorded the narratives of university students in Bandung, Indonesia. The authors collected data by conducting street interviews with students at selected universities in Bandung, Indonesia. Street interviews are a qualitative research method in which researchers approach participants in public places. In this study, the authors interviewed 400 university students. Findings The findings indicate that students value interpersonal qualities in addition to academic expertise, particularly highlighting the importance of approachability and the capacity to uphold leadership while fostering an egalitarian learning environment. The study identified key dimensions of an ideal lecturer, encompassing personal attributes (friendliness, fairness and responsiveness), professional skills (technological literacy, communication abilities and organized teaching methods) and pedagogical strategies (student-centered instruction and adaptability to varied students' learning styles). Additionally, the research highlighted the importance of lecturer integrity and role modelling in fostering trust within the educational environment. Research limitations/implications Given its qualitative nature, the 400 students interviewed may not fully represent the broader Indonesian or international higher education landscape. However, the study offers insights that can be used in future, larger-scale, more diverse studies on lecturer qualities. Practical implications The study’s findings suggest that professional development initiatives should focus on both interpersonal and pedagogical skills, which could have significant implications for the overall quality of higher education institutions. Originality/value Unlike most previous studies that measured lecturer qualities mainly through institutional metrics or administrative perspectives, this study foregrounds student narratives, thereby filling a gap in the literature on teaching excellence.