- Secilia Mamuya1, Samwel Mseti2, Zinaida Marwa3
- 1,2,3 The Faculty of Business and Economics, St. Augustine University of Tanzania
The main purpose of this study is to examine the influence
of professional development program prctices in enhancing academic staff
competency in universities. Specifically, the study aims at examining how needs
assessment helps in identifying knowledge gap among academic staff, determining
the contribution of program design toward skills improvement, and finally
finding out the effect of program evaluation on work abilities of academic
staff. The study involved a total population of 274 academic staff out of which
a sample size of 127 was selected on both purposive and random basis. Data
collection deployed structured questionnaire to solicit data from academic
staff and interview from heads of departments and the deputy vice chancellor
for academic affairs. Data analysis was done both quantitatively using SPSS
software and qualitatively using thematic analysis. The key findings of the
study reveal that needs assessment, program design, and program evaluation
significantly influence academic
staff competency.
Originality: the current study combines both qualitative and quantitative approach of data collection and analysis.
