Needs and priorities of faculty development for medical teachers in India: a Delphi study

The models of faculty development (FD) currently in use in India are not based on any needs assessment of teachers working in Indian medical schools. We did this study to identify pedagogic themes that should be included in FD programmes in India and to ascertain the relative importance of these themes as perceived by experienced teachers.

A questionnaire containing themes relating to FD was developed from a review of the literature and the content of current FD programmes in India. The themes to be included in the questionnaire were piloted with the help of 3 senior teachers. We then conducted a 3-round normative Delphi technique to identify which of these themes were considered the most important for FD programmes in India.

Of 32 teachers from both clinical and non-clinical departments who agreed to rate the themes, 26 completed the entire process. There was a significant decrease in the standard deviation of the ratings in round 3 as compared to rounds 1 and 2. Themes related to instruction and assessment were rated the highest. Curriculum-related themes received lower priority. There was no significant difference in the ratings provided by clinical and non-clinical teachers.

We prioritized the themes for FD programmes in India on the basis of the felt needs of teachers. These identified themes need to be given priority when planning FD programmes.