Enhancing higher education teaching and learning in northern Syria: Academic development needs of teaching staff at free Aleppo and Sham universities

Free Aleppo University (FAU) and Sham University are higher education institutions established in 2015 in the non-Assad regime-controlled areas of Northern Syria. Despite ongoing conflict, the displacement of academic staff, damage to infrastructure and severe resource constraints, these universities continue to provide access to higher education to learners in the region, including thousands of internally displaced persons. ‘Modernisation and capacity building for academics in research, teaching and curriculum development’ was identified as a shared priority for both institutions at a round table in February 2020. This study, conducted by representatives from each university together with Syrian and UK-based academics collaborating on the Council for At Risk Academics (Cara) Syria Programme, responds to this priority by exploring the professional development needs and priorities of academic staff at Free Aleppo University (FAU) and Sham University. Semi-structured interviews with teaching staff at each institution (n=20) were analysed to elicit insight into the teaching experiences and development needs of teaching academics. Findings revealed academic development priorities that are consistent with areas of emphasis in the field of academic development internationally, but also highlighted the need for specialist professional development provision to support staff in responding to the unique challenges of the resource-poor and precarious Northern Syrian HE context.