This research focuses on the In-Service Education and Training (INSET) of university lecturers. The challenges facing universities and the competences required of lecturers in order to perform their academic tasks more effectively and efficiently are discussed. An overview of INSET and attempts to improve the research, teaching and community-service functions of academics in both the developed and developing countries is provided. In addition, the study also describes quality measures which have been put in place in the tertiary education sector.
A multi-method approach was employed to investigate the current INSET of lecturers. Further, this approach helped the researcher to study the contemporary provision of INSET programmes. The methods of collecting data included a systematic review of literature, questionnaires, interviews and participant observation.
The study presents an exposition of the theories, models and concepts which underpin INSET of academics. Systems theory as a framework for analysing and understanding INSET as well as the relevance of pedagogy and andragogy to the professional development of academics are briefly explained. The role of INSET in the provision of opportunities for the improvement of the qualifications and competences of university lecturers internationally and in South Africa are investigated.
Conclusions and recommendations related to INSET provision derived from the South African and international settings are developed, synthesised and synchronised. These conclusions and recommendations are elicited from the exhaustive literature review, historico-comparative studies, empirical study and the researcher's personal experience of facilitating INSET of university lecturers in South Africa and abroad.
