Using a diagnostic tool to inform professional development action planning
My professional development plan was directly informed by the diagnostic activities within the SEDA SLEC programme. In the first weeks of the course, I undertook the diagnostic tool activity where I took time to reflect on my professional confidence across a range of academic development activities and recorded my findings in a Diagnostic Tool. During the final weeks of the course, I returned to my findings and although there were areas of my practice where there was little change in my perceived confidence, the reflective exercise brought to my attention the following five broad development goals as a focus for my future professional development:
- more closely aligning my contribution to academic development within the strategic objectives of the university and national agendas;
- developing a more scholarly approach to my practice;
- exploring the use of more appropriate models to evaluate learning and teaching initiatives;
- building networks of colleagues in academic development within and beyond the university;
- Practice in ways which are ethical and aim to lead by example.
Professional ‘direction of travel’
Building on these five broad goals I have produced a professional development action plan which includes a number of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound) outcomes. These outcomes characterise a deliberate approach to my professional ‘direction of travel’ for the next academic year. They go beyond the existing annual performance review processes by focusing on my longer-term aspirations, however, I will use the review process to provide regular opportunities to assess progress against these outcomes. The four SEDA Core Development Outcomes are addressed holistically within the plan by including the identification; planning, undertaking and reviewing of my professional development goals.
The action plan aims to develop my practice within a tertiary context, this will broaden the boundaries of academic development to focus on enhancing the student experience across further and higher education. Moreover, as a geographically distributed university, where the effective use of technology is vital to the student experience, my academic development practice will necessarily involve the development of appropriate approaches to the use of technology for learning and teaching.
Learning portfolio by Ann Tilbury 