Improving continuing professional development in the use of ICT

Common shortcomings in educational design in Higher Education have not been fully addressed during the rapid shift towards online, resource-based learning. A contributing factor to poor course design is the adherence of academic staff towards passive and didactic forms of online teaching and learning. This problem could potentially be reduced by offering Continuing Professional Development (CPD) opportunities which enable staff to gain efficiently the skills and knowledge required to incorporate new teaching methods within their course design. This paper aims to offer practical recommendations for the design and provision of CPD programmes. These recommendations are constructed by integrating key issues arising from current literature with proposals from academics who have practical experience in the use of ICT in their teaching. The overall effectiveness of these recommendations is evaluated during implementation within an existing CPD programme.

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