Abstract:

The global professional development (PD) training industry has an estimated market size of USD366.2 billion in 2018. (International Trade Administration, n.d.) The size indicates a massive demand in work place training or continuing education. Transposed to the higher education (HE) sector, this learning and development (L&D) is undertaken by faculty development or academic development departments for faculty members and often situated within a Centre of Teaching Excellence. However, the demand for upskilling in the wider L&D industry does not seem to be reflected in HE. Certainly the dichotomy between the numbers reported in the L&D industry at large and the 30 to 35% engagement of associate faculty recorded between 2017 and 2020 in this higher education institution suggests so.

The various possibilities for this depressed rate of engagement may include:
- The voluntary nature of PD programs
- Significant investment of time and financial resources required
- The corresponding opportunity costs
- Tenuous link between PD and career advancement or compensation
- Potential curriculum barriers to skill transfer
- Attractive offerings in the competitive L&D landscape

To tackle the above issues, the approach adopted was to develop a comprehensive recruitment, monitoring, training and reward system. Gaps in online teaching capabilities in new hires are identified at the point of recruitment using an Online Teaching Competency assessment rubric. These identified new lecturers were then nominated for and channeled into PD. Meanwhile existing lecturers undergo routine lesson observations on an ongoing basis and all lecturers complete teaching practice surveys for finer grained PD needs analysis. The reward system of Teaching Awards also requires lecturers’ participation and commitment in PD on top of impeccable end-of-course ratings and satisfactory lesson observations reports.

This paper delineates an applied research conducted within one institution in its attempt to identify PD needs and to develop a relevant and useful PD program so as to increase the uptake of PD among adjunct faculty. A mixed methods research design approach involving data from lecturer job interviews, lecturer teaching practice survey and lesson observation reports was employed to answer the research question: What are the online teaching competencies that adjunct faculty require professional development training in? The approach, exploration, findings and ultimate PD design may support other faculty development in universities worldwide.

Keywords:

Capability Development, Blended Learning, Professional Development, Faculty Development.