Problematising ourselves: continuing professional development in higher education

The University of Debrecen is a participant of the PETRA project (Promoting Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Azerbaijani Universities) with the University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, University of Applied Sciences Vienna, Austria, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain. The aim of the project is promoting of teaching and learning excellence in Azerbaijan Universities, by supporting the professional development in higher education and, in the academic community. For this reason, the program wants to enhance the usage of technology and innovative forms of teaching, to provide support for designing courses and for choosing and using diverse approaches in assessment. The purpose of this study is to identify the possibilities of promoting the professional development in higher education and to explore the theoretical landscape: the roles and implications of the professional development. This paper explores the connections between the reflective behaviour of the teachers and their assessment methods and wants to provide new approaches to assessment in the context of the institutional strategies of the higher education. This paper argues for innovative forms of assessment such as the portfolios in teacher preparation or the group-based assessment forms - as methods of promoting higher quality learning. The study investigates the ways towards the autonomous assessment in the higher education, using self-assessment and peer assessment.

This article focuses on the use of portfolios for learning and professional development in Higher Education (HE). Recent research findings related to learning and assessment help to contextualize the study. The use of portfolios for summative assessment and development of teaching and reflective practice dominates the literature. What is lacking is research that provides insights into how a portfolio for learning can be used in HE to develop understanding into one’s own learning, assessment and professional practices. The action research findings related to portfolio use for learning purposes identified in the three case studies include: the importance of establishing the purpose of the portfolio; the impact of portfolio use on the approach to learning, to teaching and to professional development; the changes to professional practice brought about as a result of the learning; and the need to consider issues related to ethics and confidentiality.

The purpose of this article is to review current empirical research on language teacher professional development in higher education from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and ERIC adopting the PRISMA methodology. This revision led to 10 articles demonstrating that language professors opt for a more student-centered approach and highly communicative lessons demonstrating their openness to new educational paradigms. Second, when institutions offer professional development training programs, their content should be designed considering language educators’ experience, expectations, and necessities. Not following this will favor resistance and dissatisfaction among educators. Third, even though modern e-learning tools are beneficial, language educators do not use them actively due to insufficient IT support and training; they often rely on self-learning. Finally, it is also argued that continuous training, peer observation, senior mentoring, and teacher autonomy are necessary for language teacher professional development.

Introduction: The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and digital technologies has created new requirements for faculty professional development in higher education. This study examines connections between AI literacy, digital competencies, institutional support, technological self-efficacy, teaching effectiveness, and professional development readiness. Objective: To investigate how AI literacy, digital competencies, institutional support, and technological self-efficacy affect professional development readiness among higher education faculty, with teaching effectiveness as a mediating factor. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 412 faculty members from various higher education institutions between September 2024 and January 2025. Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM to examine direct effects and mediation relationships. Results: All four independent variables significantly influenced teaching effectiveness (digital competencies β=0.324, AI literacy β=0.298, technological self-efficacy β=0.203, institutional support β=0.185) and professional development readiness. Teaching effectiveness strongly predicted professional development readiness (β=0.487) and partially mediated all relationships (VAF: 41.7%-50.5%). Conclusions: Teaching effectiveness serves as a crucial mediating mechanism through which AI literacy, digital competencies, institutional support, and technological self-efficacy enhance faculty professional development readiness. These findings suggest that comprehensive faculty development programs should simultaneously address multiple technological competencies while emphasizing practical teaching applications.

The article substantiates the priority tasks of reforming the system of higher education in Ukraine. The current state of higher professional education and its tasks are defined; the principles of modern European education are highlighted. Moreover, the components and functions of the organization of the educational process in higher education institutions are identified. The emphasis is placed on the development of pedagogical workers’ professional and pedagogical excellence, the raise of the level of their readiness to use personal development and information and communication technologies, electronic learning tools, information and analytical systems for managing the development of vocational education and students’ training. The recommendations of the European Higher Education Area regarding the development of higher education in the EU countries are substantiated. The author stresses that today one of the main principles of modern European education, which is responsible for the qualitative aspect of training and acquisition of professional competencies, is the mobility of students and teachers. It is noted that the influence of integration processes and the growing role of globalization cause the need to use the international educational standards in the field of education. The influence of reforming the system of higher education onto the creation of favorable conditions for the professional growth of a future specialist is substantiated. Over the last years the improving of the higher education quality have occupied the dominating place in the issues of ensuring the competitiveness of Ukraine’s educational system and training a personnel of a particullar qualification. The author also noted that the influence of integration processes, the growing role of globalization сause the need to use the international educational standards in the field of education. The impact of the higher education system reforming onto the creating of favorable conditions for the development of a person throughout its life, in particular, its professional growth, is theoretically grounded as the key to the development of national intellectual potential. The growing requirements for the quality of training specialists in proffesional education require further theoretical and practical development of the improvement of the system of higher professional education of Ukraine, its recognition in the European and world space, which will be an important step on the way to the professionalism of modern specialists.

While many institutions provide centralized technology support for faculty, there is a lack of centralized professional development opportunities that focus on simultaneously developing instructors’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) in higher education. Additionally, there are few professional development opportunities for faculty that continue throughout the practice of teaching with technology. We propose a model of continuing professional development that provides instructors with the ability to meaningfully integrate technology into their teaching practices through centralized support for developing TPACK. In doing so, we draw upon several theoretical frameworks and evidence based practices.

The paper presents the qualitative analysis of a Lesson Study process in Higher Education. The Lesson Study was developed in the degree of Pedagogy in the University of Oviedo in the context of an Interuniversity Project developed over two academic years (2015-16 and 2016-17). The aims of the analysis were two. On the one hand, to identify dilemmas and questions about teaching and learning arose during the LS (describing how participants faced them and analysing them in the light of current debates on university teaching). On the other hand, to discuss the potentials of LS for teaching improvement and professional development in University. Four techniques were used for data collection: natural observation of classroom practices, field notes and diary, interviews with the teacher and focus group. At the end of the process a final report was written.The categorization of data allowed us to identify problematic areas of the lesson, to analyse how participants faced them and to discuss the potentials of the methodology of LS for professional development in Higher Education.

The focus of this chapter is to present a critical analysis of the literature that supports coaching as a paradigm for change and continuous professional development (CPD). This may include writing for publication, developing leadership skills, enhancing knowledge through credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing courses and enhancing skillset through critical analysis and reflection, within, but not limited to, the nursing profession. It will also present the viewpoint that coaching is a global concept that can be used by all professionals, in all areas of practice, as a means of supporting CPD and in so doing, expand the knowledge of the global workforce. The chapter will begin by introducing coaching as a professional construct and describe how coaching is used within disciplines such as nursing, healthcare and leadership to enhance practice. It will then progress to include how the coaching role, as opposed to the well-defined mentorship role, can help academics gain insight into how they can become actively involved in the drive to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and so the timing for this chapter could be considered pertinent. To source relevant findings, the author will undertake a critical analysis of data using the hierarchy of research, a process which aims to find the best quality evidence available.

This study investigates the integration of humanistic values and practical application in college Chinese courses. By examining five key dimensions—curriculum positioning, teaching content, pedagogical innovation, evaluation systems, and faculty development—it offers theoretical insights and practical implications for enhancing teaching effectiveness and fostering students’ humanistic literacy and practical competencies. In addition, the research explores how the alignment of course objectives with contemporary societal needs can promote students’ critical thinking, cultural awareness, and communication skills. Through a combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses, the study identifies effective strategies for balancing traditional literary education with real-world applicability, thereby providing a comprehensive framework for curriculum design, instructional practice, and continuous professional development in higher education. Ultimately, the findings aim to support educators in cultivating well-rounded graduates who are both culturally informed and practically capable in a rapidly evolving global context.

Professional development offerings Professional development in higher education in Canada is more commonly referred to as educational development (Fraser, Gosling, Sorcinelli 2010). It can be described in several ways, owing to its a focus on either the individual staff member, the institution, or t

Research into faculty members’ instructional development has primarily focused on individual skills and knowledge. As collegial interactions may support or constrain faculty’s professional development in higher education, this study compared and contrasted the networks of faculty members in different stages of instructional development (novice, experienced non-expert, and experienced expert teachers). Faculty networks comprised the relations that teaching faculty members used to communicate about their teaching practice. To capture these networks, a total of 30 faculty members were interviewed. We used an egocentric network approach to examine the differences between the networks in network size, tie strength, and network diversity. Results based on analyses of variance and multilevel analyses suggested three key findings: (a) Faculty members in different stages of instructional development varied in the size of their network; (b) faculty members in different stages of development had access to different types of networks in terms of tie strength; and (c) faculty members in different stages of development varied in the diversity of teaching experience in their networks. Experienced expert teachers had larger, stronger, and more diverse networks compared with experienced non-experts. Novices also had larger networks, but they were characterized by lower tie strength and less diversity. These findings demonstrate that network development is not just a time–age effect, but suggests arrested development for experienced non-experts linked to limited network input. This provides important evidence for the role of collegial interactions throughout faculty’s development as a teacher. We further discuss the implications of this study in light of faculty members’ instructional development.

PurposeThe 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.MethodsUsing 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.FindingsThroughout 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.ConclusionDespite 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.

The World is changing fast. With ever increasing population at an exponential rate, the need for water, food, energy and many other resources is increasing at a fast pace and becoming unsustainable. Every year, the Earth Overshoot Day takes place sooner in the year, and in 2020, in spite of the World lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, this occurred on the 22nd August! This unbearable situation must change, and the younger generation is aware of it, aiming to do the necessary to change the situation. Thus, the concept of Sustainable Development is gaining increasing importance. Although changing attitudes and behavior is known to take time and be hard, it can be promoted by education at all levels, with potential cascading impact results if implemented in the Higher Education system. In fact, near future young professionals are being educated in this system, and whatever they learn today will certainly be replicated tomorrow, not only in their personal but also in their professional life. Furthermore, although they are young and inexperienced, their ingenuity can help disrupt some established ideas and practices that hinder the changes needed to promote the common well-being. In this Track of TEEM’20, it was presented and discussed a series of different approaches implemented by professors of Higher Education in different fields of knowledge. It was shown that the concepts of Sustainable Development and Sustainability can be well assimilated by young adults by using well thought recreational pedagogical activities. Nevertheless, all the intervenient have highlighted the need to include a feedback loop as a way to adapt and change the activities according to the students’ prior experience and motivation, as well as to the available means and their individual styles.

Scant attention has been paid to the influence of professors on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students' learning and lives at the tertiary level. To fill this void, this chapter examines the influence of professors on students' entering and remaining in the STEM disciplines and pursuing STEM careers within the context of six funded STEM grants in the southern United States. We examine professor–student interactions using the students' storied experiences as the fodder for our narrative inquiry. We present narrative exemplars from which the following themes emerged: (1) agency as a student and agency as a human being, (2) development of students' multilayered identities, and (3) professors' engagement of themselves in their interactions with students. A discussion of learner-centeredness and professors' professional development in higher education concludes this study of professors' influence on students' learning and intended careers.

Continuing professional learning and development (CPLD) in higher education is critical for improving the quality of teaching. Major change or crisis events often bring to light the need to upskill teaching staff to manage successful transition through those periods. When the COVID-19 pandemic caused our institution to pivot to emergency online teaching and learning, we identified a need to provide additional support to academic staff as they moved to online teaching. We introduced an approach called Share Sessions, where staff presented their innovative online teaching practice in a Zoom session. In this chapter, we introduce the Share Sessions as an informal cross-disciplinary approach to CPLD. We report the results of in-depth interviews with ten academics who presented in the Share Sessions. By employing hermeneutic phenomenology as an overarching research methodology, we thematically analysed the interviews and categorised the data into three broad categories: academics as connected learners, community of practice, and sense-making of informal sharing. Suggestions are provided for implementing this approach with a three-step process of planning for before, during, and following the Share Sessions.KeywordsContinuing Professional Learning and DevelopmentOnline teachingHigher educationCOVID-19ZoomCommunity of practice