The study focused on professional development of lecturers at Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges in the Eastern Cape Province. The effectiveness of lecturers at FET colleges depends on continuous development in order to meet challenges that they face due to continuous changes in technology and curriculum. Also, the development of the lecturers has a positive effect on their teaching with the result that both the students and the wider institution benefit from it. The literature reviewed revealed the effects, types, theories and nature of professional development. A qualitative research approach in the form of document analysis, interviews and observations was used in order to explore the implementation and/or lack thereof of professional development and its effects in teaching and learning within the institution. It is hoped that the qualitative study and the literature review will contribute to the implementation of professional development for the benefit of students and the college. Different strategies for the implementation of professional development were recommended that could further enhance the introduction of professional development in FET colleges. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This study investigated how institutional conditions and cultures enabled or impeded the development and implementation of academic professional development programmes in Zimbabwe State universities. The study was prompted by undervaluing of academic professional development in Zimbabwe State universities manifested by its absence in half of the institutions. Literature suggests that factors that enable or impede implementation of academic staff development programmes include irrelevant academic professional programmes and influence of departmental cultures. The critical theory paradigm guided this study because the intention was to change and transform teaching practices by gaining insights on academics‘ perspectives on conditions that influence implementation of academic staff development programmes. A qualitative study was employed where interviews, focus group discussions, documents and questionnaires were used. Two state universities were conveniently sampled from which sixteen academics, four deans, two Directors of the Teaching and Learning Centres and two Vice Chancellors were purposively selected to participate in the study. The research produced findings reflecting that disciplines have huge influence on the development and implementation of academic professional development in higher education institutions. The scholarship of research constrained the scholarship of teaching in higher education practice. It was realised that academics‘ research interests subordinate teaching interests and by implication academic professional development programmes. This influences academics to have negative attitudes towards academic professional development programmes resulting in poor uptake of the programmes. It also emerged from the findings that promotion policies favour research over teaching resulting in academics marginalising teaching in their academic roles. It also emerged clearly as well that good researchers are not necessarily good teachers and that holding a PhD does not translate an academic to be a good teacher. However, it also emerged that departmental cultures can be used to promote interdisciplinary research which academic professional development might embrace in its practice. The research experienced limitations in terms of time and threat to confidentiality but their effects were countered through control measures effected by the researcher. The study recommends that State universities should set up teaching and learning centres that will lead in the development of a culture that values teaching and learning in faculties in which academic professional development programmes will professionalize university teaching The study also recommends that academic professional development should address needs of academics for them to be relevant and that their approach should include formal courses such as Post Graduate Diploma in Higher Education in which teaching in higher education is valued / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The evolution of technologies used for learning in open distance learning (ODL) has compelled academics to upgrade their teaching skills and competencies in order to teach in an ever-changing environment. While the earlier ODL generations were characterised by the use of written, printed texts, radio, television, print media and postal services, the current generations are characterised by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance teaching and learning. This study explored the experiences of academics who participated in the staff development courses for innovative teaching and learning at the University of South Africa. To explore the experiences, a qualitative research design of a phenomenological genre was adopted. Using interviews, data was collected from six purposively selected academics and analysed following Giorgi’s phenomenological methods. The academics’ experiences and concerns provided some insight into their development needs and how they would have liked to have been developed for innovative teaching. It emerged that staff development provided valuable knowledge, skills and competencies, enabling and promoting innovative forms of e-teaching and learning. These experiences and concerns were synthesised into a staff development framework consisting of four phases: Orientation; Learning; Acquisition of skills and Competencies; and Performance indicating that effective staff development requires that participants are initially orientated to the training programme before exposure to authentic learning activities. Through this exposure they acquire the vital online teaching skills and competencies thereby enhancing their performance as online teachers. The staff development framework indicated further that for effective staff development to take place, the different phases should not only be supported by university management but also by an evaluation mechanism to establish whether the objectives in each phase have been achieved. It also emerged that time played an important role in staff development, as the duration of each phase and the development intervention as a whole affects how well academics are able to acquire and perfect their teaching skills. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The evolution of technologies used for learning in open distance learning (ODL) has compelled academics to upgrade their teaching skills and competencies in order to teach in an ever-changing environment. While the earlier ODL generations were characterised by the use of written, printed texts, radio, television, print media and postal services, the current generations are characterised by the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to enhance teaching and learning. This study explored the experiences of academics who participated in the staff development courses for innovative teaching and learning at the University of South Africa. To explore the experiences, a qualitative research design of a phenomenological genre was adopted. Using interviews, data was collected from six purposively selected academics and analysed following Giorgi’s phenomenological methods. The academics’ experiences and concerns provided some insight into their development needs and how they would have liked to have been developed for innovative teaching. It emerged that staff development provided valuable knowledge, skills and competencies, enabling and promoting innovative forms of e-teaching and learning. These experiences and concerns were synthesised into a staff development framework consisting of four phases: Orientation; Learning; Acquisition of skills and Competencies; and Performance indicating that effective staff development requires that participants are initially orientated to the training programme before exposure to authentic learning activities. Through this exposure they acquire the vital online teaching skills and competencies thereby enhancing their performance as online teachers. The staff development framework indicated further that for effective staff development to take place, the different phases should not only be supported by university management but also by an evaluation mechanism to establish whether the objectives in each phase have been achieved. It also emerged that time played an important role in staff development, as the duration of each phase and the development intervention as a whole affects how well academics are able to acquire and perfect their teaching skills. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)