Academic Staff CPD in A Private Higher Education Institute in Malaysia: Exploring the Perspective

Abstract

This paper, a qualitative data presentation, was aimed at gathering the perception of an academician in a leadership position who grew in the profession for over a decade. The selected private higher education institution in Malaysia, in the pre-pandemic period, underwent a major leadership change that had a shift in the business direction followed by the pandemic which impacted the academics directly. Both the academic and the institution not only sustained the pandemic impact and shift of dynamics that took place but achieved the goals of the major shift.  The researchers interviewed the academician to collect data which was then thematically analyzed to categorize, draw and present what emerged. The interview questions were developed to obtain the key person’s description and evaluations of the institution’s continuous professional development (CPD) activities, planning, and effort in the said institution. Data indicated that the institution is currently weathering challenges from being unable to identify the type of CPD needed, academic staff lacking the motivation to commit to CPD or to self-reflectively plan CPD activities along with a general lack of emphasis on CPD value to personal and institutional development. Data further sees the lack of reward linked to pursuing CPD to influence academics as professionals. The conviction that they, in turn, will impact learner growth, which ultimately is the institution’s mission, has to be made a pressing matter. A clear link to these challenges points to the need for purposeful communication between academics, the human resources department, and the senior management to address on-ground challenges, be realistic on what budget support can be made available, prioritize urgent gaps, and deploy purposeful CPD activities and references for the academics to fill the gaps effectively and efficiently.