Continuing Personal and Professional Development …

1 1 UCL HUMAN RESOURCES ORGANISATIONAL AND STAFF Development Continuing Personal and Professional Development at UCL 2 Continuing Personal AND Professional Development AT UCL Contents: 1. Introduction 2. The CPD Context 3. UCL Support 4. Feedback and Appraisal 5. The CPD Cycle and Where to Start 6. Evaluation and Impact 7. Recording Your Learning and Development 8. A CPD Portfolio 9. Conclusion Appendix 1 Approaches to Learning and Development Appendix 2 Tools to Help With Portfolio Development Appendix 3 A Change of Career Appendix 4 Learning Styles Appendix 5 Definitions Appendix 6 Continuing Professional Development Record Appendix 7 Basic Principles of CVs And Applications Appendix 8 Resources 3 Continuing Personal AND Professional Development AT UCL 1. INTRODUCTION PURPOSE: This document is intended to provide staff at UCL with a clear understanding of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and its importance, within the context of UCL.

2 It is also intended to encourage equality of opportunity by encouraging everyone to plan their Development and record their skills. The guide will act as a transportable toolkit to help with the planning and recording of your Personal and Professional Development . It should be used in conjunction with any Continuing Professional Development (CPD) related specifically to your profession or Professional registration. The guide also explains why you should record your learning and Development , and how to do it. WHAT IS CPD? The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defines CPD as the need for individuals to keep up to date with rapidly changing knowledge. 1 Other organisations refer to structured processes to maintain, develop and enhance skills, knowledge and competence both professionally and personally in order to improve performance at work 2.

3 The Chartered Institute of Management3 states that Effective CPD is a commitment to professionalism it shows that you have taken Personal responsibility for ensuring that you have the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the challenges of an ever changing world. The process should benefit the individual, colleagues, students, external sponsors and clients, and the institution as a whole. Many Professional bodies require members to provide evidence that they are in touch with the latest developments and techniques (as one example see the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists ). All individuals who take a Professional interest in their jobs should be alert to the need to enhance their skills and competencies, for the following reasons: Maintaining a capability and competence to perform well in your current role. Effective leaders and managers will recommend or organise activities for their staff, but it is the individual s responsibility to anticipate change, keep updated, build on strengths and develop new skills Ensuring that you and your employer comply with legal and other mandatory requirements (such as health and safety, including fire safety, equal opportunity and diversity legislation) Preparing for additional responsibilities in current or future roles Demonstrating motivation and enthusiasm for learning and developing self and others Promoting yourself as meeting the requirements of your current job, having the potential to take on further responsibilities, and showing excellence in performance Registration with your Professional body, and maintenance of your membership, as relevant 2.

4 THE CPD CONTEXT Demands for continuous quality improvement and public accountability mean that all support staff, researchers, managers, and academic staff must be able to demonstrate that they are keeping abreast of new knowledge, techniques and developments related to their roles, and be keenly aware of the changing higher education landscape. The constantly changing environment makes demands on CPD. 1 Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2 Chartered Society of Physiotherapists 3 Chartered Institute of Management 4 Diagram: Factors Impacting on CPD CPD principles include: CPD is a planned process Individuals are responsible for determining what they need to learn, and for managing and undertaking their own CPD activity Managers are responsible for encouraging and supporting staff, and providing feedback, as appropriate Professional Development is a Continuing process of assessment, analysis, action, and review Learning objectives should be based on clear identifiable outcomes, and serve organisational as well as individual goals 3.

5 UCL SUPPORT: There are many different ways in which people can learn, develop, and move forward in their careers. UCL offers a range of workshops and courses; see (please note that this web site provides links to other options for CPD including Information Systems, Safety Services, CALT, MSD.) As an employer, UCL has a responsibility to provide annual appraisal, training and Development to enable you to be successful in the job you have been appointed to do, and to ensure that you are familiar with relevant legal and other requirements. As a major learning organisation it encourages individuals to grow, and to develop their careers. UCL is a multifaceted organisation with numerous diverse opportunities for learning and Development . In addition it has links with many other agencies that could provide further scope for Development , for example the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education ( ), the Association of University Administrators ( ), and the Higher Education Academy ( ).

6 4. FEEDBACK AND APPRAISAL: The annual staff appraisal cycle at UCL is an excellent opportunity to reflect with your manager on achievements to date, receive feedback, explore issues, and agree work priorities and objectives for the forthcoming year. It also provides opportunities to evaluate learning that has taken place during the past twelve months, and identify new learning objectives. Two of the primary aims of UCL s appraisal scheme (see ) are to: 5 enhance the work of the department and the success of UCL through assisting individuals to develop to their full potential identify strengths and Development needs and enable discussion of career aspirations The process also benefits the appraiser/manager by providing insights into aspects of the work of the department or section that they might not otherwise be aware of; ensuring that performance targets are met through clarifying and agreeing objectives that are relevant and achievable; and through the satisfaction of active participation in the learning and Development of an individual member of staff.

7 A selection of common learning and Development tools and techniques is given in Appendix 1. 5. THE CPD CYCLE AND WHERE TO START CPD is a Continuing process of setting objectives and charting progress towards their achievement that is often integral to our work. Committed staff are learning all the time and this informal learning should be recognised, valued and recorded. A useful starting place is to consider your current situation (Appendix 2): Where are you now? Where would you like to see yourself in two, five, ten years time? How will you get there? What experience, training, Development , education will you need? Who or what can help you with this? What measures can you put in place to ensure that you know when you have achieved what you set out to achieve? THE CPD PROCESS This includes review, planning, engagement in learning opportunities and activities, assessment of outcomes and implementation of the learning in the work place.

8 Your overall plan should have helped you to identify specific learning needs, based on expectations of your job role, appraisal objectives, performance, professionalism, and career aspirations. The next step is to meet those needs. A recommended approach is: Assess your current skills Identify learning needs Define expected learning outcomes with dates and milestones Identify appropriate learning activity (clarifying resources required) Undertake learning activity Reflect on actual outcomes and apply to work practice Gather evidence to support improved work practice Identify further needs 6 Diagram: The CPD Process What learning is appropriate? Learning can result from formal, structured, off the job events, as well as informal, unplanned incidents, and research indicates that individuals have preferred learning styles that will affect how well they learn.

9 Details of some of the many types of learning that are available to you are given in Appendix 1. 6. EVALUATION AND IMPACT Any learning activity should be evaluated in terms of impact (how did it make a difference?) and the resulting learning and application of learning. Evaluation has a number of benefits. It Demonstrates the value that learning and training have for UCL Reinforces learning Ensures alignment between learning and the organisation s strategic priorities, see Helps to get the best out of people Uses information to achieve better value from investment made in learning Influences managers to invest in learning and training activities The most widely used evaluation tool is one created by Dr Donald Kirkpatrick4 which has four levels: Reactions liking or feelings for a programme Learning principles, facts etc.

10 Absorbed, objectives met Behaviour using learning on the job Results increased production, improved cost effectiveness, etc. Evaluation should involve the learner s manager, wherever possible, or it is unlikely to meet Kirkpatrick levels 3 and 4. There should be close links between objectives set during the Appraisal, Review and Development Scheme ( ), the agreed learning activity, and evaluation of the outcomes. 4 Kirkpatrick, D L, and Kirkpatrick, J D (2006). Evaluating training programs; the four levels. USA, Berrett-Koehler Assess your current skills7 7. RECORDING YOUR LEARNING AND Development The recording of plans, activities, outcomes and impact is essential, for a number of reasons. It will reinforce the learning, by directing your attention to outcomes, and to the need to maintain and enhance what you have learned.