Self-efficacy is a crucial concept in education, as it affects students' and educators' motivation to learn and adopt new teaching strategies. According to Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory, self-efficacy is the belief that one can successfully learn and apply new knowledge or skills. It is grounded on two variables: the belief in one's ability to learn and the belief in the positive outcome of learning.

Research has shown that self-efficacy levels are critical in determining student achievement. Hickman, DeMoulin, and Ashton found a strong correlation between self-efficacy and student achievement. For faculty, self-efficacy is related to openness in acquiring new strategies, adopting technological innovations, avoiding burnout, and remaining current in their fields.

To raise self-efficacy levels, there are four primary strategies: enactive mastery, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. Enactive mastery involves providing opportunities for students and educators to perform tasks and experience success, which lays a foundation for attempting additional skills. Vicarious experiences involve observing peers successfully complete the desired change or task, allowing the observer to internalize the belief that they too can succeed. Verbal persuasion involves offering encouragement and support to help learners believe in their ability to succeed. Physiological states involve creating a non-stressful learning environment to prevent physiological cues of anxiety from hindering learning.

By understanding and applying these strategies, educators can help students and faculty overcome self-efficacy barriers and achieve maximum learning potential.