Olvis Adalid Castro González
This article aimed to analyze the perspectives of teachers at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) in order to identify the dimensions and categories of teaching competencies they consider essential for their performance as university educators, as well as the training needs they perceive and the strategies they deem most relevant for their professional development. The methodology followed a qualitative approach, with four discussion groups involving 23 teachers from different areas and campuses. The analysis, of a mixed (deductive–inductive) nature, was supported by artificial intelligence tools (DeepSeek R3) for the identification of emerging categories, with prior informed consent from participants. Data triangulation was carried out between groups and later with specialized literature. The results outline a complex and multidimensional profile, organized into eleven key categories distributed across five dimensions: pedagogical-didactic, relational, ethical and social, digital-technological, and professional development. These range from the essence of being a teacher to didactic, disciplinary, communicative, relational, reflective, ethical, investigative, technological, transversal, and professional development competencies. The study reveals a consensus on the need for a student-centered and adaptive pedagogical approach, but highlights significant tensions between the teaching ideal and structural limitations, such as administrative overload, the digital divide, and the lack of training coherent with their disciplinary areas. It is concluded that the construction of a competency profile for UNAH must integrate these voices from the faculty, balancing pedagogical aspirations with institutional and social realities to promote genuine and contextualized teacher professional development.