Impact of Faculty Development Programs in ELT & Professional Development

English is the lingua franca, and teaching English language has an undeniable global significance. EFL teachers need to be kept up to date with the developments and changes in the profession. And faculty development program are an effective way to enhance the teaching knowledge of teachers. The effectiveness of these programs depends on their content, methods, and resources. This article focuses on the important role of Faculty Development Programs in teaching English language class management, time management, and efficiency improvement inculcating technological aptitude in teachers, and show how these skills can improve classroom teaching. FDPs and job-embedded professional development could improve teaching and learning, as they provide knowledge, skills, and beliefs to teach effectively; opportunity to participate with other professionals in creating role models that contributed to the improvement of teaching; strengthened commitment to teaching by embedding it within their personal lives; connected what they teach with real-world experiences that were important to them both professionally and personally. The paper also focuses on the challenges related to Faculty Development Programs.


Introduction
The professional world is constantly changing and the competition is constantly increasing, in a result along with career, professional development is also important.Professionalism is about attitude ,dedication, honesty and development in one's profession .It refers to acquiring new skills , experience and knowledge which helps in growing professionally .As teaching is a constantly evolving field, new information is discovered every day, new methods and strategies for our knowledge are being exposed by subject experts, and the teacher must understand the knowledge and present it to his students and this is possible only when the teacher becomes expert in their respective fields and work in academia and higher education institutions in the globalization epoch.Faculty development programs have been proven to improve teaching and learning in universities.FDPs are designed to meet the different needs of teachers and provide guidance from the basic concept through to the final product.These programs incorporate new technologies into the teaching process and respond to the needs of a variety of learning styles.Developing these techniques, enable professors to enhance student learning and take full advantage of digital resources.Faculty members learn to effectively use available resources to support their teaching and learning.The University Grants Commission has come into existence to improve the quality of serving teachers at the college and university levels.Various orientation programs in pedagogy, educational psychology, philosophy, political situation, and socio-economic concern are organized from time to time at the college level.Many teachers are benefiting from the FDP program prepared by UGC's Human Resource Development Centers.
Needless to articulate, English is now an important part of our daily life.To keep up with the world around us, teachers especially need to stay up to date with the latest trends, skills, and information related to professional growth is essential.Language teachers have witnessed immense changes in education with the introduction of new pedagogies and techniques, and these changes include knowledge, ideas, perspectives, opinion, and teaching practices.Equally, they have to assess and reconsider their old teaching practices and change them to match the current standards of teaching.Faculty development programs aim to provide teachers with the tools they need to improve their lessons, techniques, and evaluations of student performance.A well-designed teacher development program can help teachers deepen their understanding of teaching and learning, increase their effectiveness as teachers, increase their engagement in the classroom, and influence their students.It is important for these programs to engage teachers in process-based activities that lead to long-term changes in attitudes and behavior related to teaching.
There are many critical components in developing a successful new technology classroom.The use of instructional technology is a critical component because it helps teachers to implement integration strategies.'Technology' includes a wide range of different devices such as desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, projectors, printers, scanners, digital cameras, and other similar devices.Some of these can be used on their own, with the appropriate software; others can be connected to the Internet.FDPs are very helpful in increasing awareness of technology developments and enhancing teachers' knowledge of how they can be used to enhance classroom teaching.Instructional technologies help in effective teaching and consequently provide students with better reception of the content being taught.Technology can improve quality and relevance, as well as access and equity, through innovations such as blended learning and high-quality online platforms.Faculty development programs focus on the critical components of new technologies used for many activities than just learning in a traditional classroom setting.Access to the internet makes knowledge and training more accessible to everyone in different places, teachers are in a much better position to take command of their own learning which is very helpful when inculcating this behavior in students.
FDPs foster a meaningful exchange of experiences, knowledge, and insight between faculty members, and empower teachers to enhance their professional growth while sustaining the quality of student learning, and improving teaching practices.These programs provide opportunities for teachers to reflect on their teaching as well as develop their skills.They increase motivation and support individualized goals while strengthening understanding between teachers.FDPs enable teachers to develop their pedagogical skills through learning about various research-based approaches to language teaching, such as classroom discussion and differentiated learning.Faculty development programs also provide expert advice on the various requirements fulfill teachers and how teachers can take advantage of teaching resources at the university level.English language teaching is a field that focuses on teaching students how to communicate effectively in English.ELT is a broad term that includes many different types of courses and activities.There are two major categories of ELT: academic and non-academic.Academic ELT refers to the study of the structure of the English language and its use in academic settings.Nonacademic ELT refers to the teaching of English outside of the classroom setting, including the use of English in business, government, and industry.
Faculty development programs are an essential component of curricula in teaching the English language.The ability to build skills on a wide range of skills and knowledge as well as developing building skills and English language websites can be obtained by teachers of English through the FDP.They provide opportunities for teachers to update and refresh teachers' knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to teaching English as a foreign language (TESOL) courses.The aim is to develop a new generation of teachers with a wider set of skills.By incorporating effective strategies into their lessons when teaching English using FDPs, teachers can make sure that both they and their students learn how to speak, write and comprehend the English language effectively enough for variety of usages.
Enriching the faculty vitality in the key domains of teaching, assessing, research, professionalism, and administration is perceived to improve the educational environment significantly and enhance the academic performance of teachers and inspire them to teach students more innovatively, which raise institution's academic standards.
There are two-fold reasons for a teacher to take FDP with some seriousness.Firstly, they have moral obligations towards students, and secondly, they are role models for society.It means: 1) in a classroom, they help students learn and hone their skills and 2) in society, they shape the outlook of future generations to create a better tomorrow.The need to grow professionally as an efficient teacher has given rise to professional development programs with activities that prove beneficial in inculcating the following fundamental factors:

Reasons for undertaking FDP
Professional development-Professional development of the teacher is important for the development of the whole country; the future of the nation is prepared in front of the teachers in every field of education, so the teacher should know about the new trends in the subject area and new trends in technology and strategies in their particular subject.It is the responsibility of the government and institutions to organize faculty development programs to improve the teaching-learning process and Skill development -forces teachers to reform their skills, pedagogy, and overall attitude towards professional growth, exercises include study materials, presentation, and application stage with feedback.Every individual participant teacher hones their teaching skills and awareness.The best way to improve employee skills is through training courses that focus on specific job requirements.This makes it easy for employers and employees to agree on the importance of continuing education programs.The faculty development program is a series of workshops designed to provide faculty members with the skills necessary to teach at the college level.
Achieve organizational goals-issues related to institutional policies, support, and resources for teachers, an open learning atmosphere with the institute's limited involvement, and post-learning activities.Curriculum development is the process of designing and revising curricula to ensure that they align with state standards and address the needs of students.It requires collaboration among various stakeholders, including administrators, teachers, parents, and community members.
Improve teaching proficiency-The purpose of faculty development programs is to enhance the knowledge base of instructors and provide them with the skills necessary to teach effectively.Faculty development programs may be designed to meet specific instructional goals, such as increasing student learning outcomes or improving teaching practices.In addition, faculty development programs may be designed for general purposes, such as enhancing the quality of instruction at the college level.These insights allow them to make changes in their own teaching practices.
Guidance from specialists in the field of teaching-includes constant guidance and follow-up activities that result in improvisation in teaching methodologies.A set of experimental activities allow participants to try new pedagogies Collaborative learning and brainstorming with co-workers-provide the opportunity to learn and interact with co-workers, which otherwise is not possible.The majority of the teachers showed selfawareness towards professional development and believed in collaborative work as a path to improve their skills creatively and continuously.
Career advancement: This can help a person to get more opportunities for career advancement or to progress in his/her career.Accumulating new skills develop a better competence among a teacher as compared to traditional teacher therefore Programs open new doors of achievement for the teacher.

Challenges
It is necessary for the teachers to keep pace with the professional activities and also keep abreast of the current trends in teaching.Every teacher must attend an orientation and refresher course at least once every three to 5 years but in between these, there are problems that the faculty has to face: Lack of interest Some senior teachers who are nearing their retirement, do not pay attention to any kind of training programs, research writing, etc and never even allow their junior staff to conduct and participate in such activity.

Lack of resources:
Finance plays a vital role in the successful implementation of any program.Appointment of experts, new technology-based support, and proper training programs are not possible without the proper amount of expenditure.Shortage of experts Skilled, competent, and qualified specialists are required to conduct in-service teacher programs which are not possible on a large scale.

Lack of time:
Teachers with their busy schedules do not have proper time to attend these programs Sometimes due to a shortage of faculty members higher officials do not allow their employees to attend during their working hours.
Language barriers If such programs or conferences are held at the national level, then language are a big barrier because each state has its language which a teacher of another state cannot understand like a teacher from Haryana does not necessarily have to.Can read or write Marathi, Telugu, or any other language.

Conclusion
The paradigm shift in teaching and learning (Jacobs and Farrell, 2001) has made FDP necessary for teachers who otherwise are highly inspired by conventional forms of teaching (Lau, 2006).EFL teachers control classroom activities efficiently, but to do an even better job, they ought to have a great deal of understanding of determinants and variables that dictate the classroom situation of teaching and learning.FDP creates a positive learning environment that influences pedagogies.In fact, if teachers get the right resources, support, and professional training, they become more informed and inspiring professionals who influence learners and inspire fellow teachers.FDPs make use of a balance of instruction and participatory activities.Therefore, faculty development should be supported as an antidote to stagnation (Murray, 2002) for the internalization of universities.The importance of professional development courses, activities, resources, collaborations, peer learning, self-reflection, and observation emphasizes improving teaching skills.A needs analysis can assist teacher trainers and organizers in designing a good FDP curriculum for all teachers.Fostering a close collaborative and active participation between participants.FDPs improve students' attitudes toward learning and their critical thinking and oral communication skills.
and the teacher must participate in them.FDP fosters the faculty's responsibility to pursue continual, lifelong growth, one that is informed by the lessons not just of trial and error from experience, but of theory, research, and professional collaborations with colleagues.Enriching the faculty's vitality in the critical areas of teaching, assessment, research, professionalism, and administration is perceived as greatly improving the instructional environment and improving student academic achievement.Faculty development programs that provide personal, educational, and organizational development are important in instructional and curriculum development, program evaluation, instructional methodology, education research, psychology, adult education, career transition, and management of change.More importantly, the Professional development of teachers is a component of any educational system concerned with preparing and educating teachers to acquire the necessary competencies and abilities in teaching to improve the quality of instructors in their classrooms.It is crucial in keeping abreast with the modern changes and developments in the teaching world.There are many ways to develop professionally, either through degrees, courses, workshops, training, or seminars to achieve the following:Technologies development-FDP introduces participants to the integration of technology to integrate technology effectively into their instruction and learning experiences.Many faculty members do not know how to incorporate technology into their classrooms; faculty development programs provide educators with the resources and training they need to incorporate technology into their classrooms.Along with other skills, online education, MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), and mobile learning methods are introduced to the participants of FDPs.