Faculty Engagement in Professional Development: A Bangladesh Case Study

Abstract

Professional development for faculty members in higher education institutions is a normal part of their careers. Effective teaching depends on effective teachers, which in turn depends on the extent to which those teachers engage in professional development. The objectives of this study involved exploring faculty members’ engagement in professional development (PD) at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. Specifically, the study examined the nature and outcomes of professional development interventions at that institution, as well as the opportunities and challenges faculty members faced in relation to their engagement in professional development programs. The study uses the findings to offer some suggestions for best practices in faculty engagement in professional development programs at the University of Dhaka as well as similar universities across the country. The study is a qualitative exploration of the individual experiences and collective opinions of twenty faculty members about their engagement in professional development interventions at the University of Dhaka’s Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CoETL) and the Institutional Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC). A case study methodology was adopted for this study with the goal of capturing the individuality of each case and ensuring that in-depth information on the cases was captured. In-depth one-on-one interviews were conducted with the twenty participants, who freely discussed their engagement in professional development. The study found that from the perspective of Bangladeshi higher education institutions, there were very limited scopes available for faculty members to engage in professional development. The study indicated that faculty members usually used traditional teaching strategies in large classrooms because of the deficiency of professional development programs and resources for all faculty members. In addition, due to that deficiency of professional development programs and resources, faculty members' academic achievements and professional advances were also undermined. Further, the lack of faculty member engagement in professional development undermined the reputation of higher education in Bangladesh. The study offers recommendations for higher administration policymakers, including the University Grants Commission (UGC), and university authorities, and provides suggestions for further research.