A Schetch of the University Lecturers’ Professionalization

The purpose of the article is – basing on the theoretical and empirical insights from the researches in various countries – to analyse the structure of the university lecturers’ activities, binding this structure with the needs to develop lecturers’ professionalization. Another objective of the article is – to stimulate scientific researches and more detailed academic discussions on the subjects of the lecturers’ activities structure, its transformations, harmonisation among the activities’ spheres, professionalism, possibilities to develop professionalization, etc.The article consists of two parts: the Part One – The University Lecturers’ Activities Spheres in the Context of Professionalization (B. Jatkauskienė), the Part Two – The Possibilities of the University Lecturers’ Professionalism Development (G. Le Boterf).In the first part there are analysed the researches on the activities structure (activities spheres) that have been made in various foreign countries. This provides us with the information about the similar tendencies in the different universities: the university lecturers’ activities face the transformations that have more qualitative nature then quantitive one. The structure of lecturers’ activities consists of: lecturing (pedagogical activity), scientific research, supervision of the MA or PhD thesis, services provided within or outside the university and professional development.It is supposed that some activities’ spheres (for example, scientific research) are highly prioritized by the lecturers themselves, at the same time other spheres have not that much of their attention. Thus, there is a problematic discourse on the holistic professionalization / professionalism meaning of the professional university lecturer, including the fact that the majority of the university lecturers (not only in Lithuania) are amateurs in the higher education didactics. Though, the real situation in the university lecturers’ professionalism and professionalization could be revealed only by the detailed scientific researches.In the second part of the article there are foreseen the university lecturers’ professionalism development guidelines in the aspect of activities’ spheres and typical activities’ situations. There is also stressed the fact that the gap in the university lecturers’ professionalization could be minimized by establishing the Didactic Centre in the university – to provide services for lecturers who both just have started lecturing and already have some experience.The conclusions are prepared basing on the theoretical and empirical insights.KEY WORDS: university lecturers operational structure, professionalism, professionalization