THE EFFECT OF PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PROGRAMS ON UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS TEACHING CONCEPTIONS

This paper presents an initial study of a professional growth program conducted in a University in Lebanon in the Beirut area. The study explores how the program affected the teaching effectiveness in terms of skills and methodologies introduced. In addition to the guided interviews conducted with 7 university professors, an evaluation form was filled up by each one of the 70 university professors who attended the workshop series conducted. The study bears the characteristics of a qualitative study. The data collected was analyzed and a comparative method of analysis was used. The findings show that the program based on workshop series was beneficial for teachers in terms that it introduced them to different new teaching methodologies and allowed them to shift from the traditional classroom methodologies to the nontraditional ones. Moreover, the program influenced all of the participants' teaching skills in terms of introducing them to different organizing strategies which help while developing their lesson plans. This initial study adds to the literature in terms of encouraging professional growth program in higher education for faculty which in return affects positively the students' motivation, engagement in the classrooms, and academic performance.