Developing Academic Staff for Effective Teaching: A Focus on Sharing of Expertise in Universities in Nigeria

Abstract

Aims: This study was to examine the extent of sharing of teaching skills among professors and junior academic staff in universities in Nigeria. Study Design: This study was a descriptive design. Place and Duration of Study: The study took place in universities in south west, Nigeria, within ten months. The average time for the face to face interview was approximately 30 minutes. Methodology: A qualitative research was employed using semi-structure interview, observation and participative observation. A sample of twelve professors were purposively selected based on years of experience as professors, while sixteen academic staff of senior lecturer and below were sampled from four universities in south west, Nigeria, making a total sample of twenty eight. Five research questions were raised and answered. Research questions were subjected to descriptive analysis. Results: The finding of the study showed that professors shared the teaching skills in both formal and informal forms; however formal way was more prominent. It also revealed that the professors showed high level of willingness to share expertise by responding positively on their willingness to share their teaching skills. The study also came out with the finding that junior colleagues rarely initiated intention to share teaching skills. The study identified barriers to sharing of teaching skills as: ignorance, non-accessibility of professors due to tight schedule, time constraint, and work overload for junior academic staff, environmental challenges, individuals’ ego, attitude, and position hindrances. The strategies to share expertise were identified in the study as: orientation for fresh academic staff, imbibe culture of sharing, rating teaching high as promotion criterion, and closeness of junior colleagues to professors. Conclusion: It was concluded that Sharing of teaching expertise is a ready tool to develop teaching skills of academic staff. It was therefore recommended that university system should encourage interpersonal sharing of teaching expertise among academic staff. Junior academic staff should be given orientation on the need to acquire new idea on teaching skills, and the need to initiate intention to learn.