Rethinking Lecturer Development Programmes in Indonesia

While awaiting the latest government review regarding regulations governing lecturer participation in self-development (PD) programmes—a prerequisite for the disbursement of certification allowances—it is essential to bring the discourse on impactful faculty development programmes to the fore.

Beyond mere access to various available professional development programmes, the discourse on lecturer PD should be more directed towards the extent to which such programmes can drive sustainable changes in lecturers’ practices in carrying out the ‘tridharma’ of higher education (education and teaching, research, and community service).

In this writing, I wish to specifically highlight lecturer PD programmes related to the duty of education and teaching. In Indonesia, we know that all lecturers are obliged to teach. Meanwhile, not all lecturers have ever received formal education regarding pedagogy and learning.

Even if they have, this does not automatically guarantee that they are capable of implementing effective learning practices in the classroom. Therefore, various programmes such as PEKERTI (Programme for Improving Basic Instructional Skills), AA (Applied Approach), learning workshops, and curriculum training have been presented as part of efforts to increase lecturers’ pedagogical capacity. The goal is clear: so that lecturers can conduct the learning process ‘properly’.

In the world of education, the concept of ‘good learning’ is not always interpreted uniformly. Nevertheless, one of the initial indicators often used to assess the quality of learning is whether a lecturer implements Research-Based Instructional Strategies (RBIS) in classroom teaching.

Some examples of RBIS include peer instruction, popularised by Eric Mazur at Harvard University, collaborative learning, inquiry-based learning, formative assessment, and many others. The implementation of RBIS in teaching, as concluded by various research results, has been proven capable of providing more meaningful learning interactions, creating a more student-centred learning environment, and contributing significantly to improving learning outcomes and motivation.

It is not surprising that lecturers continue to be encouraged to adopt and apply these strategies in their teaching practices.

In principle, the implementation of lecturer PD programmes that have been running, such as PEKERTI, AA, and various learning workshops, is essentially intended to disseminate various learning innovations and persuade lecturers to adopt and implement these innovations, including the aforementioned RBIS strategies. In this regard, we are certainly interested in knowing the extent of the impact of these programmes on, for instance, lecturers’ interest in applying the offered learning innovations.

According to the Diffusion of Innovations Theory popularised by Everett Rogers, an individual’s decision to adopt an innovation is not an instantaneous process. There are at least five common stages. A person first needs to become aware of the existence of an innovation (knowledge), then react or show interest in that innovation (persuasion), before finally deciding to accept or reject the offered innovation (decision). If the innovation is accepted, the next stage is the implementation stage. The final stage is confirmation, the phase where an individual affirms the decision to continue or stop using an innovation.

Referring to the perspective of the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, a lecturer PD programme is said to be effective if it enables lecturers to reach the confirmation stage; a stage where change no longer stops at knowledge or awareness, but is realised in practices carried out consistently. In other words, lecturers do not just know or agree with a new idea, but also apply it sustainably in classroom teaching.

In this context, a number of studies in the United States regarding the dissemination of learning innovations among lecturers are, in my opinion, relevant to be raised and used as a lesson. One important finding from these studies is that the dissemination of learning innovations (RBIS) through workshops, journal articles, books, and websites is indeed quite effective in introducing an innovation to lecturers and building positive attitudes towards the offered innovation. However, these dissemination channels often fail to help lecturers move through the implementation and confirmation stages.

This means that many lecturers are aware of and even agree with the benefits of applying a learning innovation, but do not go as far as using it sustainably in their teaching practices (Dancy et al., 2016; Chasteen & Chattergoon, 2020).

Other research shows that top-down dissemination approaches that fail to consider the local context where lecturers work also act as barriers to innovation adoption (Hora & Ferrare, 2012). Interestingly, some studies found that informal conversations between lecturers, especially with peers, are one of the most influential communication channels in the process of adopting learning innovations (Dancy et al., 2016).

Designing Lecturer PD Programmes Based on Empirical Data

In Indonesia, lecturer self-development (PD) programmes that have been running to support the duty of education and teaching, such as PEKERTA and AA, still rely heavily on the workshop format. On the other hand, we still have empirical data…