Using Personal Development Planning (PDP) in Research Degree Programmes

Personal Development Planning (PDP) works best when participants sign up to the process, rather than seeing it as another task or form to be completed. How PDP is done is less important than the process of doing it - and for this the researcher may need encouragement from the supervisory team. Some individuals are naturally reflective and will adapt well to a PDP process, but others may be more ‘activists' and find this difficult to do at the start.

The Researcher Development Framework enables researchers to articulate their skills and take a pro-active approach to their own professional development. You can use the Researcher Development Framework on a regular basis to:

• plan professional or career development for teams or groups of researchers
• work with individual researchers to explore strengths and areas for further development.
• identify formal and informal opportunities for development
• inform constructive development discussions and career opportunities inside and outside academia that suit their strengths, for example in review meetings
• use the framework for regular or appraisals to explore skills and areas for development aid your own self-reflection and goal setting.

PDP works best if:

• embedded in research degree processes, particularly as an integral part of supervisions and progress reviews
• encouraged by the institution, particularly the supervisory team and department
• well supported by the institution, with links to information on and access to development opportunities, such as courses, seminars, etc.
• flexible to suit different learning styles
• time is put aside for ‘reflection'
• the process is owned by the researcher.

The benefits of PDP are that the researcher:

• can be more organised and have good time management
• will become more self aware and able to identify their training needs
• will have a record of progress, both personal and research, that will be invaluable during the writing up process
• will be comitted to their continued professional development and more likely to take ownership of their career development.