Dr James Cilia has been appointed Administrative Director of the Office for Professional Academic Development (OPAD).
OPAD has been established to foster the professional growth and development of UM academics. This Office will support academics at all stages in their careers to enhance their (a) teaching and learning, (b) research and scholarship, and (c) service and engagement.
This will be accomplished through the provision of workshops, extended training programmes, mentorship opportunities and online self-learning resources. OPAD will also serve as a central hub that connects academics from different disciplines promoting networking, sharing information and collaboration on multi-disciplinary projects.
Dr Cilia will work with an advisory committee to establish the strategic direction and key priorities of OPAD. This committee will support Faculties, Institutes, Centres and Schools, administrative directorates, and other entities, with training and development initiatives aimed at academic staff.
OPAD will also work in partnership with the Office for Human Resources Management & Development on training initiatives targeting all categories of staff at UM.
Dr Cilia said: “I am grateful for this opportunity to lead this new directorate, and I am committed to approach this challenging role with dedication and enthusiasm. OPAD will take a 360-degree view of all that academics do to thrive throughout their careers… supporting academics in teaching, scholarship, mentoring, tenure and promotion preparation, leadership development, and well-being. I encourage academics to actively engage with OPAD. Their input and participation will shape the future of professional development opportunities at UM.”
Prior to this role, Dr Cilia was a Deputy Director and Head of User Services at the University IT Services. He played a key role in the launch and implementation of various mainstream learning technologies at UM including the virtual learning environment platform, plagiarism detection software, lecture capture and videoconferencing technologies. He delivers workshops and training for academics on the use of learning technologies. Over the past 6 years, he has also served as Rector’s Delegate for Professional Academic Development.
Dr Cilia completed his Ph.D. studies at the Institute of Education, University College London. His doctoral research focused on academic development to support pedagogically-informed uses of learning technologies. He has a Master and Bachelor degree from the Faculty of Education, University of Malta.