Faculty development initiatives: A prerequisite for capacity building and enhanced productivity in a medical institution

Objective: To determine the contribution of teaching, learning and assessment forum's initiatives on professional development of faculty and staff. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted at the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi, from July to December 2016, and comprised teaching, learning and assessment activities carried out from 2012 to 2015. The responses acquired from feedback evaluation were recorded at the end of activity on a Likert-type scale ranging from 1-5. Positive responses were presented for each variable with respective activity type across the study years. The association of the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment between type of event and yearly outcome was also assessed. Results: A total of 66activities were held during the study period. Of them, 49(74.24%) were workshops/human resource trainings, 5(7.57%) were courses and 12(18.18%) were seminars. Together, they involved over 500 participants. Objectives, disclosure statement, contents, level of interaction, acquired knowledge, time management, queries responded, organisational activity, course material and overall assessment showed consistent positive response across the years, but the acquisition of new knowledge differed significantly (p<0.05) through the study years. Conclusion: Teaching, learning and assessment initiatives, play a positive role in professional development of faculty and staff.