FACULTY INSIGHTS ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND THEIR EFFECTIVENESS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, LAHORE: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Professional development of faculty members is considered an important aspect of ensuring academic excellence. It ensures that teachers are skillful, innovative, and capable of delivering outstanding teaching. This study investigated the perspective of university faculty members on the professional development opportunities available to them and their effectiveness. The purposive sampling technique was used to select faculty members from the University of Education, Lahore. A total of forty-six faculty members were selected as a sample for the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather detailed information from the participants till achieving the saturation point. These semi-structured interviews were transcribed verbatim and translated into English. The data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Most of the faculty members mentioned that professional development opportunities were provided to them in the form of workshops, seminars, webinars, training sessions, conferences, induction training, Ph.D. and Postdoc scholarships which were significant contributors to enhancing their teaching and learning experiences. However, some faculty members showed their dissatisfaction by considering professional development activities as less effective due to their irrelevant content, inexperienced master trainers, and provision of basic knowledge by resource persons rather than introducing something new to their fields. Some faculty members perceived that professional development opportunities were infrequent and limited to fulfill their needs. It is recommended that professional development opportunities be provided by conducting a proper need analysis that can bridge the gap between the perceived needs and actual needs of faculty members. Additionally, professional development programmes might be improved by promoting a collaborative learning environment, providing continuous feedback mechanisms, and enhancing induction and mentorship.