Browsing by Author "Medhanit Adane"

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    Continuous Professional Development in Ethiopian Public Higher Education: The Case of Three Universities
    (Addis Ababa University, 2025-09) Medhanit Adane; Amare Asgedom
    This study sought to explore the practices and challenges of continuous professional development of academic staff in Ethiopian higher education. The study posed five fundamental research questions: 1) how do academic staff understand and practice continuous professional development in the Ethiopian universities? 2) how do the universities practice continuous professional development? 3) why do Ethiopian universities and academic staff practice the way they practice? 4) how do academic staff account for their continuous professional development engagement? 5) what are the enablers and challenges in practicing continuous professional development in the case universities? To answer these questions, a qualitative research approach, exploratory case study research design, was employed. Data were mainly collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and document reviews. The data were analyzed using deductive thematic analysis. Based on the analysis and discussions, it was found that there is varied perception of CPD among academics. When it comes to how academics practice CPD, the findings showed that those at the research sites participated in different CPD activities; however, their methods varied, with some being more influenced by outside pressures than by their own desire to professionally develop. The looseness of accountability in relation to CPD engagement undermines the professionalism of teaching in higher education. The CPD program in the three universities faces significant challenges, including a lack of tailoring the program to individual academic needs, uniform and repetitive content, a lack of assessment of the impact of CPD, a lack of clear policy that guides the programs, and weak integration of CPD with technology and classroom practices. Hence, the study recommended that effective CPD practice in higher education requires a systematic, comprehensive, and well-established policy-led approach to staff professional development. Key words: Academics, adult learning theory, continuous professional development, higher education institutions