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The purpose of this paper is to examine the continuing professional development (CPD) activities undertaken by special librarians in Jamaica, their motivation, the challenges faced and the areas of interest for professional development.

Special librarians working in Jamaica were surveyed using an online questionnaire which was disseminated via e-mail.

The study indicates that special librarians in Jamaica were engaged in both formal and informal CPD activities. They were motivated by factors such as keeping up to date with changes in librarianship and personal satisfaction. Challenges to participating in CPD include, lack of funding, time constraints and lack of worthwhile options. Areas of interest for CPD were mainly information technology-based.

The study was limited to the contact lists of the special libraries section of the Library and Information Association of Jamaica (LIAJA) and the Government Library and Information Network of the Jamaica Library and Information Network (JAMLIN).

The results have implications for the planning and implementation of continuing professional activities for Jamaica’s special librarians. It also fills a gap in library literature regarding the continuing professional activities of special librarians.

The paper is one of few studies focusing on the CPD activities of special librarians undertaken in a developing country.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an evaluation of the key features of a work‐based, competency‐led curriculum model of continuing professional development for social workers and to present a revised model, which addresses the issues that arise for learners pursuing continuing professional and academic development (CPD) within a work‐based curriculum.

Reflections on and evaluation of both undergraduate and post graduate, work‐based curricula with employers, tutors and learners led to significant revisions to further models of work‐based learning for CPD. These changes are presented in the form of a revised model, which addresses the tensions between work‐based, competency‐led curricula and the issues that arise for learners pursuing continuing professional and academic development in full‐time employment.

The paper makes explicit the struggle in developing and delivering work‐based, competency‐led curricula while also trying to address the pragmatic issues that arise for learners pursuing professional and academic development in full‐time employment. In order to resolve some of the tensions a revised model of CPD in the workplace is proposed.

The study is based on the evaluation of two CPD programmes in post‐qualifying social work at one university, over a ten‐year period. However in this sense the study is limited to the experience of the tutors in a particular context.

The importance of considering the workplace as a learning environment for CPD is emphasised, as are the tensions that arise for learners meeting the demands of academia in full‐time employment.

This paper presents valuable lessons learned from ten years of pedagogic experience developing and delivering work‐based CPD programmes.

Prior to the recent establishment of the Training Centre for Continuing Education of Librarians, training of librarians in Croatia had been organized sporadically by several organizations in the field. For the majority of librarians, however, professional education could have easily ended with diploma, because there has been no legal obligation to attend any form of further education. The first attempt to establish a consistent pattern of continuing education for librarians in the whole country was made when four major organizations in the library field, the National and University Library, Zagreb City Libraries, Croatian Library Association and Department of Information Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy, signed an agreement on the establishment of the Training Centre. The programme of the Centre was successfully launched in February 2002. However, further activities of the Centre might become seriously hampered by the lack of legal provision for continuing education that makes it difficult for librarians to obtain leave, lack of funding allocated in library budgets for the education, and the impossibility of relating professional development to professional promotion.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on mapping the ways in which HE institutions enhance faculty members’ professional development. More precisely, by introducing a case from one of the well-established universities in Iran, the authors aim to examine the focus of faculty development (FD) activities and how FD is conducted, with a view to shedding light on the challenges of and disparities between faculty roles and areas of FD in higher education (HE) in Iran as a developing country.

In order to explore and map the characteristics of FD and analyse the trends that Iranian HE institutions are experiencing in this area, a sequential explanatory multiple sources design, consisting of two distinct phases, was implemented (Creswell, 2012). In this design, the documents regarding the faculty professional development (decisions, agreements, The Job Structure Memorandum, and relevant documents and policies at the Iranian Ministry of Science, Research and Technology and the studied HE institution) were analysed first. Next, field records were collected by means of a series semi-structured interviews with faculty members in the given HE setting.

The analysis of the collected data brought to the surface three themes, namely, FD: policies and procedures, faculties professional development in practice, and associated challenges and future prospects. These initial findings helped to understand if and how FD activities occur as well as map the challenges and complexities in faculties’ CPD in Iranian HE. Further, it discusses possible solutions to develop relevant and practical professional development.

This case study is partly limited to a group of faculty members’ experiences and reflections on FD in one Iranian HE institution. Conducting additional surveys and observations with a large sample of the faculties and students may verify and consolidate the findings of the study and contribute to further insights on the ways faculties’ professional development can be transformed.

Taking into account the findings of the study, a dynamic framework for continued professional development of faculties in Iran is developed.

The findings of the study present valuable insights into the FD procedures, challenges and paradoxes that seem to shape FD in Iranian HE institutions. Moreover, the findings indicated much-needed structural modifications to simplify and harmonise the policies and procedures to harness profession development. To conclude, the initiatives and action plans that may contribute to FD and reshape the Iranian HE landscape is discussed. The applications and implications are also relevant for similar HE systems in developing countries.

Discusses the papers presented at the Fifth World Conference on Continuing Professional Development for the Library and Information Professions organised by the Round Table on Continuing Professional Development of IFLA held August 2002. They included theoretical discussions, research reports, descriptions of best practice, case studies, project evaluations and state‐of‐the‐art reviews presented by library and information professionals.

In this paper, the authors examine the association between the amount of continuing professional education (CPE) hours per staff and audit quality in terms of discretionary accruals and audit opinion.

Several methodologies are adopted to test the hypotheses, including the ordinary least square (OLS) and logistic regression (Logistic). The authors also employ instrument variables regression with two least square (IVREG with 2SLS) and instrument variables probit model (IVProbit) to address the possible endogeneity and strengthen the validity of the main estimation results.

The main results show that there is a positive and significant relationship between CPE hours per staff and audit quality. As the authors grouped CPE into four areas (finance, auditing and accounting, tax, law and regulations and others) the results are more robust for the sub-sample “accounting and audit” and “others”. Moreover, the findings of this study suggest that CPE hours per staff do not affect audit quality significantly for Big4 audit firms compared to non-Big4 firms.

The sample size of the present study is quite small because the transparency reports of the audit firms in Turkey have been available since 2013 and the authors could not reach some auditor demographics at the individual level and some attributes at the audit firm level. Besides, some alternative audit quality measures, such as audit effort, audit fees are not employed because they are not disclosed.

This study contributes to the audit literature using Turkish audit firms. The authors believe that the setting of Turkey may yield interesting results because of the data it provides.

This paper aims to report base‐line data on the current levels of education, skills, and knowledge of Indonesian academic librarians, and provides an insight into their continuing professional development. The paper also seeks to report: the current level of qualifications of librarians working in Indonesian academic libraries; and the current level and type of continuing professional development and work place training in Indonesian academic libraries.

This paper includes the results of a questionnaire delivered to all librarians working in Indonesian public universities. The survey instrument was based on that used in the NEXUS survey distributed to Australian library and information studies (LIS) professionals in 2006. The paper includes a comparison of survey results on key indicators for Indonesian and Australian library and information staff.

The research reports comparative shortcomings in the level and standard of education available to Indonesian academic librarians. The issue of continuing professional development is more complex, with quite high levels of participation in some types of training reported by the Indonesian respondents, but generally lower levels of satisfaction with that training than reported by their Australian counterparts.

Some of the conclusions made comparing the situations in Indonesia and Australia are tentative due to the different understandings of key terms and concepts in the two countries. The data reported in the paper are quantitative and comprehensive findings require further qualitative research.

The results have implications for the future development of library education in Indonesia, and workplace training for Indonesian academic librarians.

The research reported is the first to collect large‐scale data relating to LIS workforce education and continuing professional development from a developing country.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate continuing pedagogical education from a new perspective that is especially relevant during the development of an information society.

The methodological framework of the study builds on the concept of teacher’s personality establishment in the system of pedagogical education. Main stages of professional development were studied on the basis of educational institutions of the Baikal region. Thus, experiments were conducted at the Pedagogical Institute, Buryat State University Continuing Education Institute, Buryat Republic Institute of Educational Policy and the Buryat Republic Pedagogical College. The study used internship platforms of the above educational institutions.

The study shows how the open online pedagogical space, which includes internship and innovative platforms, specialized departments, governing agencies on education, certificate centers, scientific and cultural institutions, higher educational institutions, and schools, reveals the model of continuing pedagogical education in regions.

Individual forms of advanced training are proposed. Optimal ways to create a competitive environment in the system of professional development were identified by the authors.

The reformation of the regional system of advanced training and its transition to a new level of quality allows organizing continuing improvement of teachers’ professional competencies effectively. This paper can improve the professional competence of teachers, which will have a positive effect on the educational process and academic performance of students in general. The next stage in the improvement of teachers’ competence can involve an exchange of experience at international conferences and participation in joint international educational programs.

As a profession, healthcare management values commitment to lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Individual participation, however, is voluntary and healthcare managers choose to participate based in part on perceptions of organizational support (rewards, promotion and recognition) as well as on individual values. As women are narrowing the career attainment gap, participation in development activities may play a critical role. This paper aims to present a pilot study which assesses the differences in male and female healthcare managers' participation in professional development activities and perceived organizational support.

An exploratory survey was emailed to current and past members of three professional associations who share similar missions “to provide educational and networking opportunities” for their members in the southern region of Florida.

The findings suggest that women healthcare managers are less likely to pursue professional development activities than their male counterparts even when the outcome (i.e. obtaining professional certification) is associated with career advancement and salary increases. Furthermore, men are more likely than women to attend multiple continuing education programs when paying out of pocket.

This pilot study is one of the first attempts to account for the factors that explain gender differences in pursuing personal development activities. Rather than conclusive judgments, it provides directions for further research.

As professional and leadership competencies become more ingrained in the industry, women may need to recognize and commit to development activities associated with healthcare leadership and management.

Competencies gained through professional development activities may impact career attainment.

Explores several important issues associated with continuing professional development (CPD). Notes the importance of ensuring that CPD is driven by the needs of the business, and also considers the issue of whether CPD should be compulsory or voluntary. Presents the results of a survey targeted at human resource professionals in South Wales. The survey explored the attitude of respondents to a variety of CPD issues and found that, although most organizations had business plans, such plans were frequently silent on human resource activities which could enhance general business direction. Respondents, while remaining over‐whelmingly opposed to compulsory CPD, were in favour of some certification and recognition for CPD activities.