To ensure ongoing relevance and effectiveness, teaching and learning in higher education institutions must undergo regular reviews and targeted interventions. This study undertook a comprehensive needs assessment to guide the development of targeted professional development (PD) programs in teaching, learning, and assessment in the nine colleges of the Royal University of Bhutan. Employing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, data were collected from 318 faculty members through a mixed-methods survey questionnaire. This instrument integrated established tools, including the Approaches to Classroom Assessment Inventory Version 3, Teaching Competencies Scale, and Revised Approaches to Teaching Inventory, ensuring a robust evaluation of faculty needs. Typically, needs assessment studies use one of these instruments, resulting in a partial understanding of the needs. The findings revealed a significant and pressing demand for PD initiatives focusing on student-centered teaching strategies, innovative assessment approaches, using assessment data to inform instructional activities, providing qualitative feedback, and understanding 21st-century learners. Furthermore, the study uncovered considerable variation in professional development needs across the different colleges, underscoring the necessity for customized and tailored PD programs to each institution's unique contexts and challenges, highlighting the critical importance of continuous, need-based professional development initiatives. The study also discusses the implications of these findings for designing and implementing effective PD programs, offering insightful and practical recommendations for institutional leaders and policymakers. Drawing upon a framework built from this study, PD initiatives at the Royal University of Bhutan are now being implemented and funded by the Erasmus Plus Programme.

Authors:
Gembo Tshering, Royal University of Bhutan, Bhutan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Gembo Tshering is a Lecturer at the Paro College of Education, Royal University of Bhutan. His teaching and research interests include educational assessment, teacher education, and international education studies.

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