Abstract:

Most higher education institutions have dedicated departments or units that offer structured training programs that provide continuous professional development (CPD) and training that develop academic staff capabilities. However, it is well accepted that more is needed in the area of academic development of staff, especially given that higher education pedagogies and delivery models are transforming rapidly. CPD enables academics to become conscious of learning pedagogies and adopt active learning strategies in their approach to learning and teaching that invariably create a high quality learning experience for students. A number of universities also take account of quality assurance and quality management aspects that impinge on the quality learning experience and standards applied. Continuous Professional Development and effective training assists faculty to become competent and efficient and support their career aspirations at university. This paper reports on initiatives and specialist professional programs implemented at an Australian offshore university campus to support continuous professional development of academics. The training model adopted is aligned to a transformative model (Kennedy, 2014) that aims to support educational change through building learning communities. The continuous professional development of university staff could lead to considerable benefits for both academics and students particularly through the integration of pedagogies and technologies.

Keywords:

Continuous professional development, academic staff capabilities, integration of pedagogies and technology.