Abstract

This study aimed to (1) examine best practices in academic leadership among department-level administrators in private university nursing faculties in Thailand, (2) develop a self-directed academic leadership enhancement program, and (3) evaluate the program's effectiveness. A mixed-methods research design was implemented in three phases. Phase 1 involved 120 nursing faculty members and department-level administrators from six private nursing institutions with five-year Nursing Council accreditation. Phase 2 engaged nine expert evaluators to validate the program. Phase 3 utilized three department-level administrators as the experimental group.

The results identified six key components of academic leadership performance: mission and academic goal setting and communication; curriculum and instruction management; personnel development; learning atmosphere; monitoring and tracking student progress; and instructional supervision and evaluation. Expert evaluation rated the six-module program as highly appropriate across all four dimensions of accuracy, appropriateness, feasibility, and utility. The program efficiency significantly exceeded the 80/80 criterion, with E1/E2 ratios of 98.89/96.67. Participants achieved an average relative progress score of 75.00%, indicating high relative progress. These findings confirm the program's effectiveness in developing academic leadership competencies among department-level administrators in nursing faculties in private higher education institutions.

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