Faculty Beliefs and Needs: Opening the Gate to ICT-based Professional Development in Teaching and Learning

ABSTRACT: Globalization, competitiveness, and the need for competent human resources are the main factors which have sped up efforts to maintain and increase quality in higher education throughout the world. Although quality education is the result of a number and variety of components, teaching faculty has a major and determining role. The need for professional development arises as members of faculty are often not trained in teaching. This necessitates ICT-based faculty professional development approaches which are flexible learning environments and offer many advantages for sustainable faculty growth. Emerging quality concerns in higher education institutions in North Cyprus will lead to professional development issues in the very near future. Consequently, there is an urgent need for research on faculty needs and beliefs in teaching, learning, professional development, and ICT-based approaches. The purpose of the present study is to explore faculty’s professional development needs and beliefs in one of the leading higher education institutions in North Cyprus, namely, the Eastern Mediterranean University. The study will investigate the needs of faculty as regards professional development in teaching and learning. In addition, it will look into their beliefs in professional development in teaching and learning and about ICT-based learning opportunities for professional development in teaching and learning. Using the collected data, a comparative study will be done to determine whether the faculty’s needs in teaching and learning vary depending on their demographics and their beliefs. This research study will use quantitative research methodology. The collected data will be stored and analyzed using computer-assisted quantitative data management and analysis tools. The research study thus aims to deliver findings that may be helpful for designing a faculty-centered professional development framework in the future. Keywords: Faculty development, professional development, beliefs, higher education, educational technology, teaching and learning, needs assessment. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………