What is a PDP?
Professional development Plan (PDP) is a tool to help you organize your academic career. To establish realistic goals that fit your academic and professional aspirations. This PDP is particularly designed for faculty with interest in helping academics organize the different activities that comprise all aspects of being an effective teacher, developing skills in research and continue growing as a lifelong learner. The format below provides several options for you to choose what you want to achieve in a given year, according to your priorities.
Recommendations to complete your PDP:
1. Reflect. As you complete the PDP, we recommend that you discuss with a senior mentor, or experience colleagues your goals and conversations with him or her about the academic experience and what kind of academic future you see for yourself. However, you do not need to share your goals, it is our experience is that sharing does result in a more realistic plan of action
2. Share your goals and self-evaluation. Let your Senior mentor know that you are interested in completing the PDP and discuss your aspirations, goals and concerns with him or her. You can also chat with peers or experience collegues about your plans. Some suggested questions to discuss are the following:
What objectives are appropriate for this stage of my academic development?
With which mentors or collaborators do I count?
What barriers do I anticipate that I will face (examples: publication writing skills, grant writing skills, quantitative skills, requiring new academic mentors…..)?
What supports / resources do I need to achieve my goals?
3. Focus. In the process of completing the PDP, you will notice that in the form we present several areas and activities that you can carry out during your university career. Do not try to cover too many areas or activities. We recommend that you prioritize two or three activities a year and focus on those.
4. Update your PDP regularly. The PDP provides a structure to organize your goals every year, establish priorities in various areas (academic progress, professional development, research experiences, among others) and record your achievements. We recommend you review it at least once a semester to examine your academic progress, the barriers and facilitators of your work, and to analyze if your goals have changed or are maintained.
5. Be flexible and patient. Remember that the PDP is not a straitjacket. It is a changing document which you should adjust to your needs and changing aspirations, considering the resources you have available and your circumstances. All your achievements, even those that were not part of your initial plan, are important and valuable for your academic development.
6. Share your achievements. This document is for your personal use. However, we recommend that, at least once a year, you share the process of updating your PDP, documenting your achievements, and drawing up plans for the next stage with your Senior academic or research mentor. Some suggested topics to discuss are the following:
What other unplanned achievements did I have this semester or this year?
What supports / resources did I have to achieve my goals?
What barriers, if any, hindered my academic progress?
What can I improve?
What do I feel proud of?
What should be my next steps?
Should I keep the same goals, or should they change?
The main sections of the PDP are: (however, you can add or omit sections as you see fit)
Teaching objectives and aspirations
Publications Productivity Pipeline
Mentoring Students (graduates and undergraduates
Proposal writing and submissions
Conferences presentations and attendances
Who are your mentors
Download document Professional Development Plan (SPANISH)