PersonalDevelopmentPlan.doc

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT RECORD London Metropolitan UniversityThe Graduate SchoolPersonal Development PlanningThis document is intended to explain the concept of Personal Development Planning and Personal Development Plans (PDPs), to analyse your training needs and to give you the opportunity to develop your own Personal Development Record, (PDR). PDRs are not a new idea but it is only in recent years that they have become more accepted and used in a wide variety of contexts. Indeed many professional bodies have developed significant and sophisticated approaches to PDPs and PDRs and it is often compulsory for their members to maintain them in order to retain particular membership levels of such organisations. A number of professions require them to be used in order to maintain a licence to practice. Many large companies and not for profit organisations also expect their staff to maintain PDRs.This document is written predominantly for use by research degree students. However, other researchers and those involved in research in a variety of ways could find elements of it useful to them in their personal and professional development. It should be read in conjunction with other documents as appropriate, e.g. the Research Degree Regulations, Handbook for Research Students and Supervisors and Code of Practice, Code of Good Research Practice, the University’s Research Ethics Policy, etc. You should have received copies of these publications when you began your research. These booklets will be re-issued whenever they are updated. They and other information are also on the Graduate School website. Those who are also involved in supervising research may also refer to the Handbook for Supervisors of Research Students.What is Personal Development Planning See also section on PDP in: Guidelines for HE Progress Files, QAA, UUK, SCOP, Universities Scotland, May 2001, www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressFiles/guidelines/progfile2001.pdf?Personal Development Planning has been described as “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”.The primary purpose of a PDP (Personal Development Plan) is to help you learn and develop more effectively and to be able to:· learn in a wider variety of ways and a wider range of contexts;· recognise and be able to list evidence for your own learning and therefore the progress you are making;· draw upon and use your expanded personal knowledge to achieve particular goals;· review, plan and take responsibility for your own learning;· recognise and define your training/learning needs.This document will help you to produce a PDP and analyse your needs and to:· define short and long term aims and objectives· decide what is needed to achieve these aims and objectives· be able to list, analyse and understand your strengths and weaknesses· use the analysis of aims and objectives and strengths and weaknesses to define your need for additional study, training, and further development of all kinds to enhance your skills, knowledge and competencies. Such a process is often described as producing a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) · reflect on and take active part in planning and development of your own personal skills· be more effective in carrying out tasks (e.g. your research)What is a Personal Development Record?There are many different kinds of PDR (Personal Development Records) built around a variety of frameworks. However, all are intended in different ways to maintain a clear record of learning and personal development.By reflecting on your skill needs over time and recording the training that is successfully completed a comprehensive set of information can be built up that can help you, inter alia to:· initially be a more effective researcher· be a more independent, autonomous and effective learner· plan and manage your career· decide on future career paths · create appropriate CVs· have evidence with which to apply for (or retain) membership of a Professional or Statutory Body related to your profession· apply for promotionThus, although this document is written around the concept of the needs of research degree it can also be used to look further ahead into your career or life after you have successfully completed your research, written and submitted your thesis, negotiated your viva and been awarded your PhD (or MPhil).Who should use this PDP framework?We are acutely aware that research degree students in the University are a very heterogeneous group. Some will be what some other universities would see as “traditional” research students – studying full-time for an MPhil/PhD, each 。