Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional
credentials such as
academic degree
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...
s to formal coursework, attending conferences, and
informal learning
Informal learning is characterized "by a low degree of planning and organizing in terms of the learning context, learning support, learning time, and learning objectives". It differs from formal learning, non-formal learning, and self-regulated le ...
opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage. There is a variety of approaches to professional development, including consultation, coaching,
communities of practice
A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who "share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly". The concept was first proposed by cognitive anthropologist Jean Lave and educati ...
, lesson study, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance.
[National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2008)]
"What do we mean by professional development in the early childhood field?"
Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute.
History
The
University of Management and Technology notes the use of the phrase "professional development" from 1857 onwards.
In the training of school staff in the United States, "
e need for professional development ... came to the forefront in the 1960s".
Participants
A wide variety of people, such as teachers, military officers and non-commissioned officers, health care professionals, lawyers, accountants and engineers engage in professional development. Individuals may participate in professional development because of an interest in lifelong learning, a sense of moral obligation, to maintain and improve professional competence, to enhance career progression, to keep abreast of new technology and practices, or to comply with professional regulatory requirements. Many American states have professional development requirements for school teachers. For example, Arkansas teachers must complete 60 hours of documented professional development activities annually. Professional development credits are named differently from state to state. For example, teachers in Indiana are required to earn 90 Continuing Renewal Units (CRUs) per year; in Massachusetts, teachers need 150 Professional Development Points (PDPs); and in Georgia, teachers must earn 10 Professional Learning Units (PLUs). American and Canadian nurses, as well as those in the United Kingdom, have to participate in formal and informal professional development (earning credit based on attendance of education that has been accredited by a regulatory agency) in order to maintain professional registration.
Professional school
A professional school is a
graduate school
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have earned an Undergraduate education, un ...
level institution that prepares students for careers in specific fields. Some of the schools also offer undergraduate degrees in specific professions. Examples of this type of school include:
architecture school
This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world.
An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education.
Africa
...
,
business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, o ...
,
divinity school
A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...
,
engineering school
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...
,
journalism school
A journalism school is a school or department, usually part of an established university, where journalists are trained. 'J-School' is an increasingly used term for a journalism department at a school or college.
Journalists in most parts of the ...
,
law school
A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction.
Law degrees Argentina
In Argentina, ...
,
library school Education for librarianship, including for paraprofessional library workers, varies around the world, and has changed over time. In recent decades, many institutions offering librarianship education have changed their names to reflect the shift from ...
,
schools of education (
normal school
A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
),
public policy school
A public policy school is typically a university program that teaches students policy analysis, policy studies, public policy, political economy, urban planning, public administration, international relations, security studies, political science, ...
and
social work school. The field of healthcare has many professional schools, including
medical school
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, M ...
,
chiropractic school
This list of chiropractic schools is organized alphabetically by country. In those countries with functioning, specialized, accrediting agencies, the colleges holding "recognized", or "accredited" status are delineated. Other countries and regions ...
,
dental school
A dental school (school of dental medicine, school of dentistry, dental college) is a tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches dental medicine to prospective dentists and potentially other dental auxiliaries ...
,
pharmacy school
The basic requirement for pharmacists to be considered for registration is often an undergraduate or postgraduate pharmacy degree from a recognized university. In many countries, this involves a four- or five-year course to attain a bachelor of ...
,
physician assistant school,
physiotherapy school,
podiatric medical school ''Podiatric Medical School'' is the term used to designate the medical institutions which educate students and train them to be podiatric physicians, which diagnose and treat conditions affecting the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. ...
,
public health school,
speech–language pathology
Speech-language pathology (or speech and language pathology) is a healthcare field of expertise practiced globally. Speech-language pathology (SLP) specializes in the evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of communication disorders ( ...
school,
occupational therapy school,
nursing school
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ca ...
,
veterinary school
Veterinary education is the tertiary education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian, one must first complete a veterinary degree in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM , V.M.D. , BVS, BVSc, BVMS, BVM, cand.med.vet).
In the United States and ...
and
optometry school.
Approaches
In a broad sense, professional development may include ''formal'' types of vocational education, typically post-secondary or poly-technical training leading to qualification or credential required to obtain or retain employment. Professional development may also come in the form of pre-service or in-service professional development programs. These programs may be formal, or informal, group or individualized. Individuals may pursue professional development independently, or programs may be offered by human resource departments. Professional development on the job may develop or enhance process skills, sometimes referred to as leadership skills, as well as task skills. Some examples for process skills are 'effectiveness skills', 'team functioning skills', and 'systems thinking skills'.
Professional development opportunities can range from a single workshop to a semester-long academic course, to services offered by a medley of different professional development providers and varying widely with respect to the philosophy, content, and format of the learning experiences. Some examples of approaches to professional development include:
*Case Study Method – The case method is a teaching approach that consists in presenting the students with a case, putting them in the role of a decision maker facing a problem – See
Case method The case method is a teaching approach that uses decision-forcing cases to put students in the role of people who were faced with difficult decisions at some point in the past. It developed during the course of the twentieth-century from its origin ...
.
*Consultation – to assist an individual or group of individuals to clarify and address immediate concerns by following a systematic problem-solving process.
*Coaching – to enhance a person’s competencies in a specific skill area by providing a process of observation, reflection, and action.
*Communities of Practice – to improve professional practice by engaging in shared inquiry and learning with people who have a common goal
*Lesson Study – to solve practical dilemmas related to intervention or instruction through participation with other professionals in systematically examining practice
*Mentoring – to promote an individual's awareness and refinement of his or her own professional development by providing and recommending structured opportunities for reflection and observation
*Reflective Supervision – to support, develop, and ultimately evaluate the performance of employees through a process of inquiry that encourages their understanding and articulation of the rationale for their own practices
*Technical Assistance – to assist individuals and their organization to improve by offering resources and information, supporting networking and change efforts.
The
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
's 2019
World Development Report
The World Development Report (WDR) is an annual report published since 1978 by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) or World Bank. Each WDR provides in-depth analysis of a specific aspect of economic development. Past ...
on the future of work argues that professional development opportunities for those both in and out of work, such as flexible learning opportunities at universities and adult learning programs, enable labor markets to adjust to the future of work.
Initial
Initial professional development (IPD) is defined as "a period of development during which an individual acquires a level of
competence necessary in order to operate as an autonomous professional".
Professional associations
A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and the ...
may recognise the successful completion of IPD by the award of
chartered or similar status. Examples of professional bodies that require IPD prior to the award of professional status are the
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, the
Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institution of Structural Engineers is a professional body for structural engineering based in the United Kingdom.
The Institution has over 30,000 members operating in over 100 countries. The Institution provides professional accreditation ...
, and the
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is a global organisation for health and safety professionals, based in UK.
Structure
IOSH is the chartered professional body for health and safety in the workplace. It acts as a champion, ...
.
Continuing
Continuing professional development (CPD) or continuing professional education (CPE) is
continuing education
Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United ...
to maintain knowledge and skills. Most
profession
A profession is a field of work that has been successfully ''professionalized''. It can be defined as a disciplined group of individuals, '' professionals'', who adhere to ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are accepted by ...
s have CPD obligations. Examples are the
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a global professional body for surveyors, founded in London in 1868. It works at a cross-governmental level, and aims to promote and enforce the highest international standards in the val ...
,
American Academy of Financial Management
The American Academy of Financial Management (AAFM) was a US-based board of standards, certifying body, and accreditation council focused on the finance sector and wealth management professionals.. AAFM was superseded by the Global Academy of Fi ...
, safety professionals with the
International Institute of Risk & Safety Management
The International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM) is a non-profit professional organization for occupational health and safety practitioners worldwide, based in the United Kingdom. It provides education, training, advice, resources ...
(IIRSM) or the
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) is a global organisation for health and safety professionals, based in UK.
Structure
IOSH is the chartered professional body for health and safety in the workplace. It acts as a champion, ...
(IOSH), and medical and legal professionals, who are subject to
continuing medical education or
continuing legal education
Continuing legal education (CLE), also known as mandatory or minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) or, in some jurisdictions outside the United States, as continuing professional development, consists of professional education for attorneys t ...
requirements, which vary by jurisdiction.
CPD authorities in the United Kingdom include the CPD Standards Office who work in partnership with the CPD Institute, and also the CPD Certification Service. For example, CPD by the
Institute of Highway Engineers
The Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE), formerly the ''Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers'', is the professional institution for practitioners in highway and traffic engineering in the UK, offering Engineering Council registration an ...
is approved by the CPD Standards Office, and CPD by the
Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation
The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (formerly the Institution of Highways and Transportation) is a UK-based learned society (with worldwide membership) concerned specifically with the planning, design, construction, maintenan ...
is approved by the CPD Certification Service.
A systematic review published in 2019 by the
Campbell Collaboration found little evidence of the effectiveness of continuing professional development (CPD).
[Filges, T, Torgerson, C, Gascoine, L, Dietrichson, J, Nielsen, C, Viinholt, BA. Effectiveness of continuing professional development training of welfare professionals on outcomes for children and young people: A systematic review. Campbell Systematic Reviews. 2019; 15:e1060. https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1060]
See also
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Professional Development
Personal development
Vocational education
Professional ethics