7. Postgraduate and professional
Supporting postgraduate students and staff
The same benefits of review and planning processes for personal and professional development apply to students at Masters and doctoral level.
For the latter there have been a number of initiatives (Robert's review Set for Success, Bologna EUA agreement on 3rd tier education) to ensure researchers receive support in developing higher level transferable skills, and QAA guidelines encourage systems which promote ongoing reflective records. Such activities have been found to encourage research management, give a sense of direction, and enhance the supervision relationship (NPC evaluation survey 2004). NUPAD resources (Masters, Research) include higher level skills auditing, recording informal and formal development and monitoring the direction of the research project or plan of work, in addition to career management skills.
Similarly reflection and planning processes can aid the learning and development of those higher level skills associated with Masters level education. For vocational programmes, support should complement other types of review and planning systems experienced at work, and for many students workplace professional practice will help them see the benefits of keeping track of academic aspects of their career development. Particular resources within the NUPAD pages developed for this group include support for dissertation management, writing reflective or evaluative accounts, professional networking, and self-presentation strategies, which are all important aspects of PDP practice for these students.
Personal and professional development practice for staff
These processes are of course also valuable for professional practice in any environment and can support teaching, scholarship and research activities. Reflective practice is essential for refining professional skills in lecturing and tutoring, while recording new ideas and insights in one's field or discipline, or details of progress with publications, perhaps in an e-portfolio, can contribute to a rich resource for building an academic or professional profile.
Some suggestions of areas of teaching or scholarship which might be included in an e-portfolio are listed in e-portfolio as a tool for professional development in teaching.
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