Studying Faculty Members' Perspectives on the Current Status of Indicators in Education and Research for the Fourth Generation University in Iranian Higher Education

In today's changing world, many universities around the world have moved towards realizing the indicators of the fourth generation university. The aim of this study is to examine the position of the indicators of the fourth generation university in the field of education and research from the perspective of the faculty members of Shahid Beheshti University. The research method is applied in terms of purpose and is a survey in terms of data collection. The statistical population in this study; faculty members of Shahid Beheshti University (Velenjak Campus) in the academic year 2023-2024, numbering 603 people, and the sample size was 234 people using the statistical sample size formula (Cochran formula) and the proportional stratified sampling method. The data collection tool was the use of a researcher-made questionnaire with 30 questions that was distributed among the faculty members of the university. In order to check the reliability of the questionnaire, content and face validity were used, and Cronbach's alpha test was used to calculate the reliability of the questionnaire. The alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was 89%. Data analysis from the questionnaire was performed using SPSS version 26 and descriptive statistics (central and dispersion indices) and inferential statistics (single-sample t-test and sign test). The results of data analysis indicated that from the perspective of the faculty members of Shahid Beheshti University, the position of the fourth generation university indicators in Iranian higher education is at an average level. In particular, the status of these indicators, including the ratio of the educational index to the development of knowledge at the local, national and international levels and the ratio of research indicators such as supporting knowledge-based companies in science and technology parks and increasing the efficiency of growth centers and launching scientific and applied startups, is not at a desirable level. A study of the views of the faculty members showed that Iranian universities, in accordance with the developments in today's world, must play a role in realizing the indicators of the fourth generation university as responsive and community-oriented universities as quickly and with the highest quality