Needs assessment of faculty members' educational needs in order to empower them at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences

Abstract

Introduction: Faculty members are considered as basic resources of every university. Therefore, educational needs assessment in order to empower most faculty members is an inseparable part of educational planning. Methods: The study was conducted using a descriptive cross sectional method. The population consisted of university professors. About 65% professors participated. The reliability and validity of data collection tool, a self-made researcher questionnaire, was approved according to different studies. The participants were selected through census method and the results were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: The highest priority of the professors in this study included the realms of modern methods and techniques of teaching (68%), training tips and consultation (62%), methods of professional promotion (61%), academic regulations and rules (58/3%), applying computers in education (55%), evidence-based practice (47%), and student assessment methods (43%). Among different academic ranks (p=. / 043) or instructors of basic sciences and clinical sciences (p =. / 053), there was no statistically significant difference between the instructors' preference to attend the workshops virtually or in person and they mostly preferred to attend the workshops in person. Conclusion: Holding educational workshops, considering educational priorities, to empower professors functionally, seems necessary.

A comprehensive “real need” assessment, a step toward improving the quality of faculty development programs: A survey‐based study in Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences

“…6,32 Algahtani et al found that a majority of faculty members considered research-related aspects to be a less important program, 4 which is consistent with Karimi's study, where less than 50% of participants expressed interest in research. 6 Consistent results have been documented by other researchers as well. 5,32 Our study found lower priority levels for the research domain 3,9 and the use of digital libraries (search in scientific literature and databases), 8,11 in contrast to previous research.…”

“…In the literature, other studies have reached similar conclusions about faculty need for personal development 16,19–21 . Nonetheless, curriculum design received less than half the vote in the Karimi research, 6 and teachers reported feeling most effective in personal development in the Yenen study's 3 …”

“…(2) How the participants responded to the items in the sense that based on Kaufman's definition of need, the questionnaire could estimate the real need by measuring the gap between the current situation and what should be. 13 For the first challenge, that is to achieve valid and comprehensive content, data were obtained through three sources: (i) reading the duties of the faculty members approved by Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education 14 ; (ii) an intensive review of previous studies on the research area 1,[4][5][6][8][9][10][11] ; and (iii) drawing on experiences of holding FDPs in HUMS and some other medical sciences universities. As a result, an initial questionnaire with 11 domains and 148 items was obtained.…”

“…The terms “faculty development,” “staff development,” and “professional development” are used interchangeably to describe all the activities, both formal and informal, 1–3 that are organized to prepare faculty members for their duties and responsibilities. Research and scholarship, teaching, and leadership are all included in these responsibilities 2,4–8 …”

“…However, to guarantee efficacy, all training initiatives should be faculty‐centered and built upon sound needs assessment techniques 3,6,8,9,11 . A needs assessment is a systematic procedure for gathering and examining data to identify the gaps between “what is,” or the present situation, and “what should be,” or the ideal circumstances 1,6,9 .…”