Development of an individual professional development plan

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Development ofan individualprofessional
development plan

• Facilitators
• Robert Gerber Elsa Lombard

Centre for Teaching, Learning and Media
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Issues to be addressed

• What is an individual professional development
  plan (IPDP)?
• What are the components/categories of an IPDP?
• Steps for developing an IPDP
• Possible uses for an IPDP

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Group Exercise

• Focus Individual professional development plan
  (IPDP)
• Grouping Groups
• Purpose To reflect on your understanding of the
  nature of an individual professional
  development plan (IPDP)
• What to do
• Individually
• formulate what you understand under the concept
  individual professional development plan
  (IPDP).
• In your groups
• share your understanding of an individual
  professional development plan (IPDP) and
• come to a consensus on a group definition for an
  individual professional development plan (IPDP).
• Feedback to the big group.

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What is an individual professional development
plan (IPDP)?

• A professional development plan is
• an individualized document that is used
• to record an employee's current training needs or
  desires and
• short and long term career goals.
• It is a written plan for
• developing knowledge, skills, and competencies
  that support both
• the organization's objectives and
• the employee's needs and goals.

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THUS!

• Professional Development Planning is
• a structured process by which
• a person reflects upon and
• plans their own current and future learning and
  development
• either personal development or professional
  development. 
• This will include developing their employability
  skills.
• There is a crucial difference between
  declarative knowledge, knowing a concept and its
  technical skills, and procedural knowledge, being
  able to put those concepts and details into
  action. Knowing does not equal doing, whether
  playing the piano, managing a team, or acting on
  essential advice at the right moment.
• (Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence,
  1997). 
• PDP helps develop both procedural knowledge and
  declarative knowledge. 

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Group Exercise

• Focus The purpose of an IPDP
• Grouping Groups
• Purpose To reflect on he purpose of IPDPs
• What to do
• In your groups
• Formulate your understanding of the purpose of
  IPDPs on the flipchart sheet provided and pin it
  on the felt board at the back of the seminar
  room.
• Feedback to the big group via walk about.

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What is the purpose of an IPDP?

• To improve performance in current work
  assignments,
• acquire or sharpen professional competencies and
• prepare the employee for positions of changing or
  greater responsibilities.

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Who should have an IPDP?

• All full-time employees are strongly encouraged
  to have an annual professional development plan.
• The IPDP is optional for non-permanent employees.

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Group Exercise

• Focus The benefits of an IPDP
• Grouping Groups
• Purpose To reflect on the benefits of an IPDP
• What to do
• In your groups
• List the benefits of an IPDP on the post-it notes
  provided.
• Feedback to the big group by placing your post-it
  benefit notes on the poster sheets on the wall.

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What are the benefits of an IPDP?

• As a planning device, the IPDP
• helps supervisors and employees to be clear on
  individual goals and
• is the basis for input into the organization's
  training needs assessment and training plans.
• For budget purposes, the IPDP
• is used as a tool to determine training needs and
  
• financial resource needs.
• As a communication tool,
• supervisors and employees can discuss career
  goals and
• ways to maintain high levels of productivity.

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Steps in the development of the IPDP

• Assessment of current skills and knowledge to
  establish professional needs
• Planning the learning
• Recording the learning
• Reflecting on the learning
• Evaluate the learning

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1. Establish professional development needs

• Swot analysis
• SWOT analysis provides a structure for analysing
  your own strengths and weaknesses, and the
  opportunities and threats you face.
• SWOT analyses are not ends in themselves but a
  step before some action planning.
• SWOT analyses usually benefit from discussion,
  get other peoples perspectives. Remember to be
  realistic and focused on what really happens.
• So SWOT is about making a structured analysis of
  yourself, an activity, an organisation, a company
  or event as a prelude to action planning.

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Strengths

• What are your personal strengths?
• What does the NMMU do well?
• What do you do well?
  
• What is the good track record?
• What do other people see as your strengths?
  

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Weaknesses

• What can be developed
• What could you improve?
• What is working less optimally than you wish?
• What is being done badly?
• What is the competition doing better?
• What should you avoid doing?

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Opportunities

• If there were no constraints what would you like
  to do?
• What might be possible?
• What will happen in the next few years?
• Where do you organisation want to be in five
  years time?
• Who might you want to work with?
• What could be a win win situation?
• How may new technologies change your practices?
• What financial / govenmental / legislative
  changes can benefit you in the near future?

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Threats

• What are the barriers to your development?
• What sort of obstacles do you face?
• Who else might move in a take over your tasks /
  job?
• What are rival organisations doing?
• Can you fund the short and long term?
• Will new technologies / developments change you
  roles?
• What change is coming?

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Areas of possible professional needs

• Subject Matter Expertise
• Organisational Effectiveness
• Develop and Involve Others
• Communications
• Action Orientation
• Personal Effectiveness

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Subject Matter Expertise

• A thorough knowledge and skills in the
  performance of a given task or subject matter
  area.
• Demonstrate subject matter expertise
• Provide Education Instruction
• Solve Problems
• Integrate Technology

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Organisational effectiveness

• Accomplishes the mission of NMMU through program
  development and evaluation efforts, as well as
  the ability to build relationships and act with
  accountability.
• Lead through programme development
• Builds Relationships
• Display Organisational Savvy
• Display Cultural Competence
• Use Marketing And Public Relations
• Manage Acquire Resources
• Act With Accountability
• Conduct Use Evaluation

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Develop and Involve Others

• Maintains healthy relationships with other people
  in order to meet the needs of clientele
  (students).
• Focus On Student (Client) Needs
• Delegate Tasks
• Facilitate Groups
• Mentor Coach Others
• Foster Teamwork
• Provide Direction For Volunteers

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Communications

• The ability to communicate effectively in
  interpersonal and group situations, whether
  through written or oral means.
• Deliver Presentations
• Speak Effectively
• Prepare Written Communication
• Manage Conflict
• Display Interpersonal Understanding

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Action Orientation

• Shows strong initiative, acts as a champion for
  change, creates a vision and working diligently
  toward that goal.
• Set And Achieve Goals
• Champion Change
• Think Conceptually
• Show Initiative
• Display Vision Purpose

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Personal Effectiveness

• A commitment to the profession as well as the
  flexibility to balance all aspects of personal
  and professional like in order to work
  effectively.
• Balance Professional Personal Life
• Show Flexibility
• Develop Oneself
• Work Effectively

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2. Planning the learning

• Possible approaches for addressing needs
• Experiences
• Courses
• Reading
• Mentoring
• Researching
• Training

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3. Recording the learning

• IPDP template

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4. Reflecting on the learning

• Reflective questions by Phil Race

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5. Evaluate the process/plan
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Characteristics of good IPDPs

• Flexible and can change as job requirements and
  aspirations change.
• Realistic but with foresight and some planning
  you can find challenge, variety and interest in
  your job and career.
• Structured to suit you and your career
• Evidence of learning and transfer instead of
  attending a course and getting a certificate.

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Possible uses for an IPDP

• Teaching Portfolio
• Yearly appraisals
• Personal growth and development
• Asking for funding

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Conclusion

• An individual Professional development Plan is
  not the end in it self-
• it is a vehicle for planning, capturing and
  acknowledging real learning.
• Thank you for attending!