professional development

{{Short description|Learning to earn or maintain professional credentials}}

{{Redirect-distinguish|Professional education|Vocational education}}

Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing praxis in addition to the transferable skills and theoretical academic knowledge found in traditional liberal arts and pure sciences education. It is used to earn or maintain professional credentials such as professional certifications or academic degrees through formal coursework at institutions known as professional schools, or attending conferences and informal learning opportunities to strengthen or gain new skills.{{Cite journal |last=Summer |first=Gail |date=2006-01-01 |title=Professional Education/Liberal Arts Education: Not a Case of Either-Or but Both-And |url=https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/intersections/vol2006/iss24/6 |journal=Intersections |volume=2006 |issue=24}}

Available at: http://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/intersections/vol2006/iss24/6

Professional education has been described as intensive and collaborative, ideally incorporating an evaluative stage.Speck, M. & Knipe, C. (2005) Why can't we get it right? Designing high-quality professional development for standards-based schools(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press{{qn|date=August 2013}} There is a variety of approaches to professional development or professional education, including consultation, coaching, communities of practice, lesson study, case study, capstone project, mentoring, reflective supervision and technical assistance.National Professional Development Center on Inclusion. (2008). [http://fpg.unc.edu/node/4611 "What do we mean by professional development in the early childhood field?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724204955/http://fpg.unc.edu/node/4611 |date=2018-07-24 }}. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG Child Development Institute.

Participants

A wide variety of people, such as teachers, military officers and non-commissioned officers, health care professionals, architects, 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.Golding, L. & Gray, I. (2006).Continuing professional development for clinical psychologists:A practical handbook. The British Psychological Society. Oxford: Blackwell PublishingJasper, M. (2006).Professional development, reflection, and decision-making. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. In the training of school staff in the United States, "[t]he need for professional development ... came to the forefront in the 1960s".{{cite book |last=Murphy-Latta |first=Terry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NuZDx8_yU9AC |title=A Comparative Study of Professional Development Utilizing the Missouri Commissioner's Award of Excellence and Indicators of Student Achievement |year=2008 |isbn=9780549489900 |page=19 |quote=Throughout the history of American education, numerous theories and issues have been emphasized as important factors in teaching and learning. The need for professional development for school staff came to the forefront in the 1960s. |access-date=2013-08-12 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Many American states have professional development requirements for school teachers. For example, Arkansas teachers must complete 60 hours of documented professional development activities annually.{{cite web|title=Professional Development and Renewal of Standard Teaching License|url=http://www.arkansased.org/teachers/prof_dev_renewal.html|website=ArkansasEd.org|publisher=Arkansas Department of Education|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090430155048/http://arkansased.org/teachers/prof_dev_renewal.html|archive-date=30 April 2009}} 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;{{cite web |url=http://www.teacher-world.com/certification/indiana-renewal.html |title=Indiana Certification Renewal | Find Out How to Renew Indiana Teaching Certificates on |publisher=Teacher-world.com |access-date=2014-03-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928084139/http://www.teacher-world.com/certification/indiana-renewal.html |archive-date=2013-09-28 |url-status=dead }} in Massachusetts, teachers need 150 Professional Development Points (PDPs);{{cite web|url=http://www.doe.mass.edu/recert/qa.html |title=Recertification Q and A - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education |publisher=Doe.mass.edu |date=2014-02-03 |access-date=2014-03-20}} and in Georgia, teachers must earn 10 Professional Learning Units (PLUs).{{cite web |url=http://www.teachersprofessionallearningunits.com/ga-certification-resources.php |title=Georgia Teacher Certification Information - Georgia PLU's Resources Online - GA Teaching License Resources |publisher=Teachersprofessionallearningunits.com |access-date=2014-03-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216171116/http://teachersprofessionallearningunits.com/ga-certification-resources.php |archive-date=2013-12-16 }} 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.{{cite web|title=Continuing Competence|url=http://www.crnm.mb.ca/competence.php|website=College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531032351/http://www.crnm.mb.ca/competence.php|archive-date=31 May 2008|date=April 2004}}{{cite web|title=Continuing Education|url=http://www.ndbon.org/education/continuing%20education/continuing%20education.shtml|website=North Dakota Board of Nursing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207190359/http://www.ndbon.org/education/continuing%20education/continuing%20education.shtml|archive-date=7 February 2009}}{{cite web|url=http://www.nmc-uk.org/ |title=The Nursing and Midwifery Council | Nursing and Midwifery Council |publisher=Nmc-uk.org |date=2014-03-14 |access-date=2014-03-20}}

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'.{{cite journal|last1=Garet|first1=M. S.|last2=Porter|first2=A. C|last3=Desimone|first3=L.|last4=Birman|first4=B. F|last5=Yoon|first5=K. S.|title=What Makes Professional Development Effective? Results From a National Sample of Teachers|journal=American Educational Research Journal|date=1 January 2001|volume=38|issue=4|pages=915–945|doi=10.3102/00028312038004915|s2cid=14682751}}{{cite web|title=Connecting Coaches to Corporates|url=https://twofold.asia/|website=twofold.asia|access-date=28 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624002703/https://twofold.asia/|archive-date=24 June 2015|url-status=dead}}

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 {{Harv|Hammond|1976}} – See Case method.
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.
Community 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.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

The World Bank's 2019 World Development Report on the future of work [http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/816281518818814423/pdf/2019-WDR-Report.pdf World Bank World Development Report 2019: The Changing Nature 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".The UK Initial Professional Development (IPD) Forum http://www.littlerichley.eclipse.co.uk/ukipdforum/ Professional associations 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,{{cite web |url=http://www.ima.org.uk/activities/professional/initial_professional_development_ipd.cfm.html |title=Initial Professional Development (IPD) |publisher=The Institute of Mathematics and its Applications |access-date=8 June 2014}} the Institution of Structural Engineers,{{cite web |url=http://www.istructe.org/careers-and-development/professional-development/initial-professional-development |title=Initial Professional Development |publisher=The Institution of Structural Engineers |access-date=8 June 2014}} and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.{{cite web |url=http://www.iosh.co.uk/Membership/About-membership/Professional-development/About-IPD.aspx |title=Membership: About membership: Professional development: About IPD |publisher=(IOSH) |access-date=9 August 2014}}

Continuing

Continuing professional development (CPD) or continuing professional education (CPE) is continuing education to maintain knowledge and skills. Most professions have CPD obligations. Examples are the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors,{{cite web |title=About RCIS: What we do: Continuing professional development (CPD) |url=https://www.rics.org/regulation/regulatory-compliance/cpd-compliance-guide/cpd-requirements-and-obligations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240129094933/https://www.rics.org/regulation/regulatory-compliance/cpd-compliance-guide/cpd-requirements-and-obligations |archive-date=29 January 2024 |access-date=29 January 2024 |publisher=Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors}} American Academy of Financial Management,{{cite web|url=http://www.financialanalyst.org/ce.html|title=GAFM ® Certified Financial Analyst Certification Risk Certified Financial Planner Books GAFM ® - AFA Accredited Financial Analyst ® Certification - AMA Accredited Management Accountant ® - MMC Master Management Consultant ® Chartered Economist - Continuing Ed|website=www.financialanalyst.org}} safety professionals with the International Institute of Risk & Safety Management (IIRSM){{cite web |url=http://www.iirsm.org/become_a_member/membership_levels |title=IIRSM | Become a Member | Membership Levels |access-date=2013-09-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927010130/http://www.iirsm.org/become_a_member/membership_levels |archive-date=2013-09-27 }} or the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH),{{cite web |url=http://www.iosh.co.uk/Membership/About-membership/Professional-development/About-CPD.aspx |title=Membership: About membership: Professional development: About CPD |publisher=(IOSH) |access-date=9 August 2014}} and medical and legal professionals, who are subject to continuing medical education or continuing legal education requirements, which vary by jurisdiction.

CPD authorities in the United Kingdom include the CPD Standards Office{{cite web |url=https://www.cpdstandards.com/ |title=CPD Standards Office |access-date=November 26, 2022}} who work in partnership with the CPD Institute,{{cite web |url=https://www.cpdinstitute.org/ |title=CPD Institute |access-date=November 26, 2022}} and also the CPD Certification Service.{{cite web |url=https://cpduk.co.uk/ |title=CPD Certification Service |access-date=November 26, 2022}} For example, CPD by the Institute of Highway Engineers is approved by the CPD Standards Office,{{cite web |url=https://directory.cpdstandards.com/sectors/institute-of-highway-engineers-ihe/ |title=Institute of Highway Engineers |website=cpdstandards.com |access-date=10 December 2022}} and CPD by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation is approved by the CPD Certification Service.{{cite web |url=https://cpduk.co.uk/industries/construction |title=CPD in the Construction Sector |website=cpduk.co.uk |access-date=10 December 2022 |quote=Click on 'Professional Bodies'}}

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

References

External links

{{Cite Americana|wstitle=Education, Professional|author=Kendric C. Babcock |short=x}}

Category:Personal development

Category:Vocational education

Category:Professional ethics