Continuous Professional Development in a Micro Learning Format and
Lecturer Identities
Abstract
Situated in the context of prolific continuous professional development
interventions across international higher education, this paper reports
on digital micro learning and lecturer identities. While digital micro
learning has been heralded as offering a nonintrusive, granular and
engaging approach to continuing professional development, there is a
paucity of qualitative studies in this domain. Seeking to bridge this
gap, semi-structured, visual elicitation interviews with lecturers in a
United Arab Emirates’ college and a document analysis yielded a rich
description of the situated learning experiences of the participants.
Applying a socio-cultural identity lens, the thematic analysis revealed
the avenues for identity reification and the barriers which trigger
marginalised identities. Course accessibility advantages, small batch
learning and meaningful reflexive opportunities were drivers to
engagement, learning and imagining future professional selves.
Meanwhile, impediments to digital micro learning which constrained
identity negotiation were forced compliance with mandatory courses and
perfunctory, ineffective digital peer collaboration.