Professional Development In Higher Education Research Articles

Evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of an online professional development program for health professional educators: The case of Jimma University

The usage of virtual platforms for reforming teachers' continuous professional development (CPD) is becoming more and more necessary in contemporary higher education (HE) settings. For a comprehensive understanding of the implications of this strategy for CPD, research studies from various contexts are required. This study evaluated the effectiveness and implementation of a pilot online professional development (PD) package called the ‘higher diploma program (HDP)’ for health professional educators (HPEs) in the Ethiopian HE context. We used mixed methods in a Hybrid II design. Additionally, a comprehensive e-learning quality framework guided the overall research and integration of the qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative component includes a key-informant interview (KII) with facilitators, a program coordinator, and a single focus group discussion with HPEs. Additionally, the quantitative component includes a cross-sectional survey of the (HPEs’) responses to a self-report questionnaire. The findings show that this pilot project was feasible and well accepted by the HPEs, facilitators, and coordinators of the project. These participants also perceived several implementation challenges as weaknesses of the pilot project. Mitigating the prevailing challenges requires sustained and collaborative efforts by universities, the education and health sector, and other partner institutions. Our interpretations imply that customizing online PD in HE is, ultimately, a local phenomenon that results from individual motivation and interest, institutional capacity, and contextual factors like access to technology, the quality of online PD resources, and program management.

Professional Development in Higher Education: Experiences from Royal Thimphu College

This study explored the satisfaction and effectiveness of professional development (PD) programmes offered by the Centre for Innovative Teaching and Learning (CITL) for tutors at Royal Thimphu College (RTC) and to identify areas for improvement. A mixed research methodology was employed, incorporating a self-assessment survey, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions among tutors. Data collected were categorised into participation and satisfaction, training impact, and future needs. Secondary data such as student consultative meeting minutes and feedback from 2022 PDs were also utilised. In 2022, 16 trainings, 4 seminars, 2 experience-sharing sessions, and 1 cycle of peer observation partnership on teaching and learning were provided. Seventy-three out of 96 tutors participated in two or more CITL programmes. Overall, a mean score of 3.34 was reported on a 4-point Likert scale for satisfaction. The most useful PDs encompassed classroom management, constructive alignment, Bloom's Taxonomy and Blueprint, lesson planning, and giving and receiving feedback. The impact of these training programmes varied, depending on the tutor's education level and experience. Tutors with master's degrees and less than five years of teaching experience reported higher levels of impact. Future needs included training on teaching practical modules, effective technology use, giving and receiving feedback, and data analysis skills. Emergent themes included tutors struggling to find time for CITL programmes and desiring work-life balance. Recommendations are suggested to address these needs, advocating for iterative PDs, additional support for new tutors, and further studies on work-life balance among academicians.

Academics’ perceptions on online continuous professional development in higher education

This study aimed to investigate academics’ perceptions of online continuous professional development (OCPD) and the design and development of online modules in higher education. Fourteen academics from one faculty at the University of Technology in South Africa participated. In selecting the participants for this study, purposive and convenient sampling was applied. A qualitative case study approach was used. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Saldaña’s thematic approach to analysis was used to analyse data using Atlas.ti. It was found that most of the academics who attended OCPD were able to build their module on IMFUNDO because the instructional designer provided the module structure or template. The findings revealed that the university’s eChampions contributed immensely during the process by providing additional support in the departments. It is recommended that further studies be conducted on the students’ perceptions of implementing the IMFUNDO modules developed in this study.

Excuse me whiteness: attempting to transform pedagogies through critical professional development

ABSTRACT While Students of Color are the largest college-going population, their rates of persistence and graduation remain lower than their white peers. As an intervention into this inequity, many colleges and universities have implemented anti-racist and culturally sustaining professional development. Yet, little empirical research exists to explore the impact(s) of these learning opportunities. This paper explores the promises and perils of professional development in higher education. Drawing on dueothnographic conversations between two facilitators of what Rita Kohli has framed as Critical Professional Development (CPD), the co-authors of this study present analyses that highlight the strengths of CPD in higher education settings while also illuminating the ways that whiteness propertied permeates these settings, preventing authentic learning and healing from taking place. The paper concludes with recommendations to both illuminate and dismantle reifications of whiteness in CPD contexts by way of racial affinity spaces and institutional accountability.

Preparing future STEM faculty through flexible teaching professional development.

We have prepared thousands of future STEM faculty around the world to adopt evidence-based instructional practices through their participation in two massive open online courses (MOOCs) and facilitated in-person learning communities. Our novel combination of asynchronous online and coordinated, structured face-to-face learning community experiences provides flexible options for STEM graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to pursue teaching professional development. A total of 14,977 participants enrolled in seven offerings of the introductory course held 2014-2018, with 1,725 participants (11.5% of enrolled) completing the course. Our results of high levels of engagement and learning suggest that leveraging the affordances of educational technologies and the geographically clustered nature of this learner demographic in combination with online flexible learning could be a sustainable model for large scale professional development in higher education. The preparation of future STEM faculty makes an important difference in establishing high-quality instruction that meets the diverse needs of all undergraduate students, and the initiative described here can serve as a model for increasing access to such preparation.

ChatGPT and the Pedagogical Challenge: Unveiling the Impact on Early-Career Academics in Higher Education

Emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT offer considerable promise for enhancing professional development in higher education. This study focuses on the experiences of early-career lecturers who utilise ChatGPT for professional development. Central questions explore ChatGPT's influence on their overall professional experience and the challenges and benefits of its use. While research on AI in education has been growing, few studies have delved into the specific experiences of young academics using ChatGPT. This study employed qualitative methods to address this gap, pre-cisely 45- to 60-minute in-depth interviews with two purposively selected lecturers, followed by a thematic analysis using a grounded theory approach. Our findings reveal a multifaceted landscape: on the one hand, ChatGPT enhances the ability to construct intricate academic arguments, increases effi-ciency in research and teaching tasks, and heightens critical thinking capabilities. Conversely, chal-lenges such as initial technical hurdles, occasional incorrect outputs, and concerns about over-dependency were also highlighted. Through this investigation, the study contributes to the broader discourse on AI in education by illustrating both the promising opportunities and potential pitfalls of using ChatGPT in academia. The study underscores the need for a balanced approach to AI adoption. It offers insights into the role of AI tools like ChatGPT in shaping the future of professional development in higher education.

Teaching Through Turmoil: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Exploration of Emergency Remote Teaching in Malaysian Higher Education

The COVID-19 pandemic forced traditional higher education institutions to switch to Emergency Remote Teaching through internet platforms and traditional modes which created significant disruptions. Language educators also were required to conduct online assessments. Using a collaborative autoethnography, we analysed our experiences on Emergency Remote Teaching as three language educators at three Malaysian higher education institutions during the COVID-19 epidemic. We were experts in traditional face-to-face classrooms but novices in online learning environments. The framework for our research was resilience theory. Resilience describes our ability to alter and adapt in the face of adversity. We employed theme analysis to evaluate our self-reflective field notes, which were supplemented with social media posts, from April 2020 to April 2021. Our findings indicate that four themes arose from our research. The findings suggest that four themes emerged from our study; i. strategies used during Emergency Remote Teaching, ii. multiple roles, iii. resiliency, and iv. challenges. The findings give insights into educators' tactics for adapting to the Emergency Remote Teaching environment, their many responsibilities, their resiliency, and the problems they experienced. We feel that our experiences with Emergency Remote Teaching have helped us become better competent language instructors who advocate the synergy of online and offline language study. Our research adds to a better understanding of the experiences that language educators had during Emergency Remote Teaching and the use of these experiences in higher education professional development. These findings are important for policymakers, administrators, and educators as they develop strategies and policies to assist educators in times of crisis.

Developing sustainable career paths as teacher-researchers in a changing academic landscape: A tale of two EFL teachers in China.

The study aimed to investigate how two English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers integrated their teacher and researcher identities to achieve sustainable professional growth in the context of a changing academic landscape. Using purposive sampling, two EFL teachers from a non-elite public university in China were selected as participants for this qualitative study. Data were collected and triangulated from multiple sources, including semi-structured interviews, narrative frames, document analysis, and the academic profiles of the participants. A qualitative, inductive thematic approach was employed in the data analysis. Adopting "identity" as an analytical lens, this study examined how the two participants underwent different identity trajectories to develop into teacher-researchers under the influence of their personal values and beliefs, as well as contextual factors such as institutional research policy. Throughout their identity construction process, the two participants encountered identity deficits and tensions between multiple professional roles, leading to their struggles with identity and complex identity (re)construction. While the participants underwent interactions between various forms of identity throughout their careers, they enacted agency to take actions and draw on available resources to address their identity deficits and conflicts, ultimately resolving them by pursuing a sustainable career path as teacher-researchers in their situated socio-institutional environment. Despite their different identity trajectories, the construction of the participants' teacher-researcher identity facilitated their continuing professional development. This study contributes to our understanding of the complexities of EFL teachers' identity (re)construction when seeking to establish sustainable career paths in a changing academic context. This study also has implications for both EFL academics and university management on how to assist EFL teachers in integrating teacher and researcher identities to achieve sustainable professional development in higher education.

Doctoral students’ perceptions of assessment ethics: a phenomenological approach in the context of Iran

ABSTRACT Students’ perceptions of assessment in higher education (HE) are critical, since such perceptions can enhance or diminish student motivation for learning. Despite this, research on students’ perceptions of assessment in HE is scarce. To initiate a new agenda in this area, the present study explored Iranian doctoral students’ (N = 16) perceptions of assessment and their emotional/behavioral reactions towards assessment. Qualitative data were collected and analyzed using a phenomenological approach. The overall findings indicated that students’ perceptions of assessment: (a) predominantly centered on unethical issues, (b) evoked some negative emotional but not behavioral reactions towards such perceived unethical assessment, and (c) were mostly summative-oriented. Specifically, based on the findings, a tripartite, local model of assessment was generated highlighting that unethical assessment is relevant to assessment, instructional, and micro-political (power) issues. In the light of these findings, this study may add a new conceptualization of assessment ethics to the literature and highlights the inclusion of training courses on ethics principles across HE professional development programs in Iran and elsewhere.

Teacher Professional Development in Higher Education: The Impact of Pedagogical Training Perceived by Teachers

This paper aims to analyze the impact of a pedagogical training program aimed to promote teacher professional development in a higher education institution in Portugal. Based on a mixed-methods approach, the study evaluates the satisfaction of 36 higher education teachers with the pedagogical training program offered and discusses its impact on teachers’ perceptions of teaching practices, conceptions, and professional development. The results from the questionnaires applied to participants, including multiple choice questions and open-ended answers, indicate high satisfaction with the implemented training program. Based on this case study, the authors discuss the implications of findings for teacher professional development and identify key characteristics for the design of successful pedagogical training programs in higher education.

Conceptualizations and instructional strategies on critical thinking in higher education: A systematic review of systematic reviews

AimThis systematic review identified systematic reviews of quantitative and qualitative empirical studies on the promotion and development of critical thinking in higher education students that allowed us to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the main definitions of critical thinking found in systematic reviews of critical thinking in higher education, and what are their similarities and differences? and (2) What are the most commonly used teaching strategies in higher education for teaching or promoting critical thinking, and how effective have they proven to be?MethodsSystematic reviews were selected according to the guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyzes (PRISMA, 2020) and the eligibility criteria proposed by the PICOS strategy (population, interventions, comparators, outcomes and study design), based on 23 records of scientifically identified registers in the Journal Citation Report databases of the Web of Science.ResultsThe bibliometric and systematic search of reviews of empirical studies on the topic allowed the selection of five systematic reviews. The results highlighted that conceptually critical thinking is related to both dispositions and skills, and that although there is no consensus on its definition, it is established that it is a higher-order cognitive process that can be trained. However, the results show that more studies have been conducted considering critical thinking as a skill than as a disposition, that the immersion approach has been widely used, and that some instructional strategies have shown greater effectiveness than others when the disciplines are evaluated independently.DiscussionDespite the relative consensus on the importance of critical thinking for professional development in higher education, this review highlights some difficulties in conceptualizing critical thinking, in the relationship between dispositions and skills, and in its assessment in academic disciplines.

Towards a conceptual framework of professional development: a phenomenographic study of academics’ mindsets in a business school

ABSTRACT Business education has had limited discussion on professional development for academics. Given the increasing focus on the quality of teaching and learning in higher education, we investigate how academics conceptualise professional development. This has important implications since one’s conceptions of a phenomenon can influence subsequent approaches. Few phenomenographic studies have investigated academics’ conceptions of professional development. Our study asked business academics a typical phenomenograhic question: what does professional learning and development mean to you? Our participants conceptualised it in four qualitatively different ways: continual growth mindset; student-centric mindset; knowledge-sharing mindset; and purpose-oriented mindset. We discuss the implications of these mindsets for designing professional development in higher education.

Academic development through a collective approach – introducing peer observation of teaching in a multidisciplinary faculty

Peer observation of teaching is seen as a significant feature of professional development in higher education, aiming to improve teaching and learning. This qualitative case study explores how peer observation can be introduced at a multidisciplinary faculty with STEM and business educations, identifying opportunities and challenges experienced when colleagues participate in peer observation. A peer observation project was launched as part of implementing the faculty strategy to enhance educational quality and led by the vice-dean of education at the faculty. A stepwise protocol focusing on planning, classroom management and self-reflection was used to help organize the cooperation. Twelve academics participated, all were observed during teaching, and all acted as an observer. Semi-structured interviews with four participants and a summary from the closing meeting of the project, showed that peer observation enhanced the educational discourse with their significant colleagues and enabled to accentuate teaching as a collective approach. The findings of this study indicate the potential of peer observation of teaching. Experience was gained on how education leaders can approach the task of introducing peer observation of teaching as a practice in a multidisciplinary faculty, overcoming barriers to participation such as lack of time and fear of being observed, and enabling a real step away from teaching as a private enterprise towards teaching as acollective approach for faculty development.

The Aftermath of COVID 19 : Future Insights for Teachers’ Professional Development in Higher Education

The Aftermath of COVID 19 : Future Insights for Teachers’ Professional Development in Higher Education

Parental Parental Involvement and Professional Trends & Practices in Higher Education: An Islamic Module for Internship Progressiveness

Education is the most important phase in human life. It begins from teaching of parents to tutors and then institutions to society. Parents are the fore-most; oldest and ever-remaining character in learning and developmental process and modern research admitted that they have a very crucial role in human development. Capitalist behaviour camouflaged this crucial role to conceal the mistakes and emotional deficiency of educational management. Administration put a board “No parents beyond this point” to stop communication of parents with children and teachers. They invaded many practices in educational administrative circle to snub the parents so that they can draw more financial benefits in the name of modern and quality education. Modern researches and worthy teaching of Semitic religions are bluntly saying that involvement of parents is very productive and effective in not only general learning process but also in professional development.
 Parents, especially in Eastern countries, are sufficiently unaware with the practices of their involvement in Professional Development Process (PDP) of their children specifically in Higher education. Researches in Education developed many modules of parental involvement in educational spheres like Parent Teacher Association (PTA), Home School Project (HSP), Second Educators (SEs), Home Visiting Scheme (HVS), Home University Agreement (HUA) and Parents-Student Internship Project (P-SIP). This article discussed critically and annalistically the importance of P-SIP and its module to convey the wholesome picture of parental involvement in learning process for professional development in higher education. Resultantly, any institution can adopt this module to implement it into its system for a productive learning output.

A Higher Education Action Research Study on the Effectiveness of an ePortfolio as a Learning Tool to Promote Reflective Professional Development

Within higher education, ePortfolios have been demonstrated to enhance professional development and to promote critical thinking. In this context, one higher education level nine module, namely, the Professional Development Framework Portfolio module, was analysed. The module was piloted during the 2019-2020 academic year in one Irish Institute of Technology. It was intentionally designed to align with the Professional Development Framework promoted by the Irish National Forum for the Enhancement for Teaching and Learning. The primary aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of an ePortfolio as a learning tool for professional development, in the context of the module’s delivery. An action research methodology was employed. Data collection tools and processes included a learner-questionnaire, an ePortfolio mapping analysis, and a dialogical reflection on the part of two lecturer-researchers. Salient findings were that the use of ePortfolios for the purpose of professional development in higher education was evidenced, and the effectiveness of ePortfolios to facilitate the mapping of professional development was established. The main recommendations to enhance this module for future action research iterations included: 1) to facilitate deeper reflection on personal professional development goals, 2) to support reflective practice and reflective writing skills, and 3) to provide a pre-module workshop on ePortfolio web development prior to module commencement. More broadly, it was also recommended to revisit the time demands of the module and to research the extent to which the module might effectively promote a sustainable professional development community of practice framed around ePortfolio development.

Preparing teachers for emergency remote teaching: A professional development framework for teachers in higher education

COVID-19 has significantly impacted teaching and learning in higher education, leading institutions to embrace Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in response to school and university closure. A systematic review research methodology was used to identify, analyse and synthesise literature on professional development in higher education published between 2010 and 2020. Following an inductive thematic analysis, the authors identified four themes that represent the literature: learning approaches, delivery modes, design features and institutional support. Based on the emerging themes and the analysis of the selection of studies, a framework for professional development is proposed to prepare teachers in higher education for ERT. The use of the framework is recommended to guide higher education institutions in best assisting their academic staff during an ERT context.

Preparing teachers for emergency remote teaching: A professional development framework for teachers in higher education

COVID-19 has significantly impacted teaching and learning in higher education, leading institutions to embrace Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) in response to school and university closure. A systematic review research methodology was used to identify, analyse and synthesise literature on professional development in higher education published between 2010 and 2020. Following an inductive thematic analysis, the authors identified four themes that represent the literature: learning approaches, delivery modes, design features and institutional support. Based on the emerging themes and the analysis of the selection of studies, a framework for professional development is proposed to prepare teachers in higher education for ERT. The use of the framework is recommended to guide higher education institutions in best assisting their academic staff during an ERT context.

“The teacher educator’s perceptions of professional agency – a paradox of enabling and hindering digital professional development in higher education”

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate professional agency in the context of higher education as manifested in Swedish teacher educators’ perceptions regarding their working life in a digital society and to seek to obtain insights on salient factors influencing professional agency and identity. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with teacher educators working at four different universities were analysed using directed content analysis. The theoretical perspective taken is a subject-centred socio-cultural approach to professional agency. This is an approach where the social context (the socio-cultural conditions) and individuals’ agency (professional subjects) are mutually constitutive but analytically separate. Agency is something that is exercised, and in this study, professional agency was explored in the work context, in teaching practice and in relation to the professional identity. The results of this study not only confirm the complexity of being a professional TE in the times of digitalisation but more importantly demonstrate a paradox in the TE’s perceived high agency that both enables and hinders self-development (the individual) as well as development of the working community, the organisation, and the university. The study implies that considerations and understanding of the TE’s autonomy and perceived agency are significant for professional and work development.

Determination of conditions for motivating the development of key competencies of higher education students

The article defines the concept of "competence", which allows discussing the academic culture model as a set of educational competencies. As key competencies are not only a system of knowledge, skills and attitudes, but the ability to apply them in a specific situation to solve everyday problems effectively. In the process of professional development in higher education, how competencies are designed from the objectives of the courses, expanding the personal and social experience in the area of knowledge and beyond. It is concluded that the conditions for the development of competencies should not be well used, since they are provocations from the field of knowledge.