Introduction to Personal Development Planning PDP Jovin Kitau

Introduction to Personal Development Planning (PDP) Jovin Kitau

Overview of the PDP session § An introduction to PDP and how it works § An opportunity to think about your own personal development and career needs § Start developing draft objectives for your PDP Action plan

PDP Overview § A strategy to support individuals with their educational, career and professional development § A dynamic process - an iterative cycle of critical reflection, planning, implementing, monitoring, reviewing and evaluating § Used in a variety of contexts - 2001 formal policy in the UK Higher Education system - 2004, mandatory for all postgraduate research students funded by UK research councils § From 2006, used with specific groups of researchers in Africa to support their career and professional development

What is PDP? In the context of UK Higher Education. . . “a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development” [QAA, 2000] An iterative cycle of Planning, Doing, Recording, Reviewing and Evaluating

Using personal knowledge & evaluation to plan future actions, change thinking, beliefs and behaviours and communicate learning and achievement to others Self assessment, identifying & setting personal goals & targets & thinking about how they might be achieved Making judgements Develop a plan and Evaluating Planning (about self, own carrying out work, learning) and activities, developing determining what attitudes relating to needs to be done to plans The PDP Cycle develop/improve/ move on Doing Reviewing The evidence of learning, reflecting on what has happened and making sense of it Recording Evidence (learning, achievements, ideas. . . ) to support reflective learning

As a researcher, why do I need PDP? § Support and Enhance your personal, professional and career development – and take ownership of it § An opportunity to help you develop and reach your full potential as an all rounded and excellent researcher § Empower you as a researcher to make an impact in your career and aspire to excellence § Evidence the impact of your professional and career development § Enhance the training and development of researchers in here at KCMC

How can PDP help me to develop as a researcher? § Focus your research and career development and choose methods of development most suited to you § Develop self-reflective and critical thinking skills that are so crucial to learning and confidence building § Be confident about setting yourself career goals § Highlight and articulate the evidence of all your skills and knowledge in your CV, in job applications and at interviews

But just to be clear. . . § Your Personal Development Plan is not a research plan or a replacement for a research plan. It should complement it § It should not be a list of the stages of the research process, but a plan of personally identified skills and knowledge needed to help development as a researcher – during and beyond your Ph. D programme

Some resources. . .

Researcher Development Framework RDF Framework of the knowledge, behaviour and attitudes of successful researchers Enables selfassessment of strengths and areas for further development www. vitae. ac. uk/rdf

Knowledge and application of ethical principles, legal requirements and regulations, project planning and delivery, financial management and income and funding generation Self-reflection, responsive to change, time management, networking, career management and CPD Publications, dissemination of results and impact, team working, collaborations, influence and leadership, people management, mentoring Subject knowledge, research methodology (theoretical and practical application), critical thinking, problem solving. . .

Joint Skills Statement § Based on a document devised by the UK Research Councils, it sets out 7 areas of skills and competencies to assist researchers with their development 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Research skills and techniques Research management Research environment Personal effectiveness Communication skills Networking and team working Career management

1. Research Skills & Techniques Recognizing and validating research problems. Understanding the relevant research methodologies and techniques for appropriate application to your research 2. Research Environment Awareness of research issues: e. g. standards of good research practice, confidentiality, ethical issues, copyright 3. Research Management Effective project management; using information technology appropriately for database management, recording and presenting information 4. Personal Effectiveness Demonstrate self-awareness and the ability to identify own training needs. Show initiative, work independently and be selfreliant 5. Communication skills Writing skills appropriate to style & purpose, e. g. progress reports, published documents, thesis. Presentation skills construct arguments & defend research at seminars, conferences, viva. 6. Networking & Team-working Develop and maintain networks and working relationships with supervisors, colleagues and peers within the institution and the wider research community 7. Career Management Take ownership and manage your career development and progression. Present skills, personal attributes and experiences through effective CVs, applications and interviews

PDP Terminology PDP is the entire process The Activities: + Planning + Developing + Implementing + Monitoring + Reflecting + Recording + Reporting The Plan: The System: PDP can also mean your The tools, the support, any inbuilt formal systems (e. g. the annual reporting) Personal Development Plan Which is then referred to as “my PDP”

Some useful websites § http: //www. vitae. ac. uk/researchers/1218/Postgraduate -researchers. html § http: //www. authoraid. info/ § http: //www. medcol. mw/rsc/index. htm § http: //www. heacademy. ac. uk/ourwork/learning/pdp

Getting started with your PDP Hazel Mccullough

Learning objectives By the end of this session, you will have: § Identified at least one personal and career development need § Developed at least one PDP objective to write into your PDP Action Plan

Planning Evaluating The PDP Cycle Reviewing Doing Recording Self assessment, identifying & setting personal goals & targets & thinking about how they might be achieved

Action Planning for your PDP § Part of your PDP action planning involves setting overall aim(s) and objectives § Your plan also includes the activities, resources and opportunities to help you achieve these § Setting these PDP activities in a time frame § Thinking about how you will show evidence of achievement § Recording your achievement § Reflecting on your learning

Your PDP Aims § This is a broad statement of what you set out to achieve over a defined period of time § It states your intention of purpose Ask yourself… § What do I want to achieve by undertaking this PDP? § Where do I want to be in 5 years time?

Starting to write your Plan Self assessment, identifying & setting personal goals & targets & thinking about how they might be achieved Evaluating Planning The PDP Cycle Reviewing Doing Recording Developing a plan, carrying out activities, developing attitudes relating to plans

Your PDP Objectives § These are the “bite-sized” chunks to help you achieve your aim(s) § You may need one or you may need several objectives to help you achieve each of your identified areas for development § Not all your objectives will be about developing skills or even new skills. Some will be about developing knowledge or changing behaviours and attitudes. § Some might be about improving or developing skills that you have got already but at a higher or more advanced level § Your objectives need to be SMART § Most importantly, your objectives relate to your goals

Self-assessment exercise 1. Think about where you are with your Ph. D, your research project, your career 2. Make a list of the area or areas where you feel you may need to develop / improve to help you progress with your research / Ph. D / career 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Research skills and techniques Research management Research environment Personal effectiveness Communication skills Networking and team working Career management

PDP self-assessment exercise Strengths What am I good at doing? Areas for Development What areas do I need to work on/ develop or improve? Opportunities What are the opportunities / Who are the people that might help me with my PDP? Barriers What are the key obstacles that might prevent me from completing my PDP objectives

Self awareness is a wonderful thing and vital for reflection

1. Research Skills & Techniques Recognizing and validating research problems. Understanding the relevant research methodologies and techniques for appropriate application to your research 2. Research Environment Awareness of research issues: e. g. standards of good research practice, confidentiality, ethical issues, copyright 3. Research Management Effective project management; using information technology appropriately for database management, recording and presenting information 4. Personal Effectiveness Demonstrate self-awareness and the ability to identify own training needs. Show initiative, work independently and be selfreliant 5. Communication skills Writing skills appropriate to style & purpose, e. g. progress reports, published documents, thesis. Presentation skills construct arguments & defend research at seminars, conferences, viva. 6. Networking & Team-working Develop and maintain networks and working relationships with supervisors, colleagues and peers within the institution and the wider research community 7. Career Management Take ownership and manage your career development and progression. Present skills, personal attributes and experiences through effective CVs, applications and interviews

Exercise: drafting your PDP objectives § Using the information from your self assessment sheet, this exercise is to get you to start drafting some of your PDP objectives § Some things to think about: § Is the objective developing a skill from scratch? § Is it improving upon something already learned or known to you – or are you developing the skills at a more advanced level? § Don’t forget about the knowledge that needs developing – and don’t forget about the behaviours and attitudes that you may need to change to improve yourself § Are your objectives SMART? § Do your objectives relate to your aim(s) and your goals?

Writing SMART Objectives SPECIFIC MEASURABLE ACHIEVABLE RELEVANT TIME-BOUND – be clear and concise in meaning and focus – to help you monitor your progress and success – don’t set yourself up to fail – its purpose is to meet your aim(s) and goals – allow yourself sufficient time Use action verbs to write your SMART objectives. Example: to develop, to gain knowledge in, to become skilled at. . . instead of verbs that cannot be easily defined or measured. Example: To learn, to understand, to appreciate. . . If these verbs are used, formulate them so that they become more measurable – e. g. To learn how to do something – to be able to do something

Knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviour § Knowledge – refers to content information and data that is applied directly to performing a function § Skills – the practiced ability to do something with a certain amount of dexterity and at varying levels of competency § Attitudes – refer to the learned tendency to act in a consistent way to a particular situation § Behaviour – refers to an action or reaction to something, a situation or someone

Knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviour: relating to learning and research • Need to develop the skills to put this knowledge into practice and in context (e. g. From manual to lab setting) • Not to compromise the quality of your research, you develop a positive attitude towards QA and GCP/GLP Leads to some form of behaviour change • Have an understanding / working knowledge of a particular area of research (e. g. GCP/GLP)

Levels of skill competence: From Novice to Expert Holistic grasp of complex situations. Can move between intuitive and analytical approaches with ease Proficient Deals with complex situations holistically. Takes full responsibility of own work and others Competent Can cope with complex situations through deliberate analysis and planning Can formulate routines Advanced Beginner Able to manage complex situations partially. Uses own judgement but still needs some supervision Novice Rigidly sticks to the rules and guidelines Need close supervision and instruction

Thinking about the activities you will need to undertake to help you achieve your PDP objectives

Learning Styles – How do you learn? Honey and Mumford (1989) identified four main learning styles: 1. Do you like to get involved in new experiences, focus on the 'here and now', gregarious, seek challenges, are open-minded, and get bored with implementation? Activists 2. Do you 'stand back‘ and look at things from different perspectives, gather data, ponder and analyse, delay reaching conclusions, listen before speaking, thoughtful Reflectors 3. Do you think things through in logical steps, assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories, rationally objective, reject subjectivity. Tend to be perfectionists Theorists 4. Are you keen to seek and try out new ideas, practical, down-to -earth, enjoy problem solving and decision-making quickly, bored with long discussions Pragmatists

Learning Styles

Some key PDP points § Try not to see your PDP as an additional task that you need to do along with your Ph. D and your research – integrate it into your work schedules and work flows § You don’t need a complicated plan – keep it simple, focused and with SMART objectives § PDP is a dynamic process – so review your plan regularly and keep it updated. Schedule this in as a reminder § PDP is not a magic bullet – for it to be effective you need to work with it. What you put into it is what you will get out of it!

Most importantly § Be flexible with your PDP – if you encounter barriers that might stop you from achieving your plan, don’t give up, instead modify your plan to meet the needs of your current situation § Set deadlines for yourself and revise the deadlines as you need to. They are not set in stone! Reflect on your PDP progress and pat yourself on the back!

Some. Useful useful websites § http: //www. vitae. ac. uk/researchers/1218/Postgraduate- researchers. html § http: //changingminds. org/disciplines/hr/performance_management/sm art_objectives. htm § http: //globalhealthtrials. tghn. org/articles/ § http: //www. wwarn. org/toolkit/courses § http: //www. umdnj. edu/idsweb/idst 5340/models_skills_acquisition. htm Ref: Dreyfus H. L. & Dreyfus, S. E. (1986) Mind over machine: the power of human intuition and expertise in the era of the computer. Oxford: Blackwell