Personal Development Planning Training Needs Analysis Personal Development Record

PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
PLANNING
TRAINING
NEEDS
ANALYSIS
PERSONAL
DEVELOPMENT
RECORD
London Metropolitan University
The Graduate School
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Personal Development Planning
This document is intended to explain the concept of Personal Development Planning
and Personal Development Plans (PDPs), to analyse your training needs and to give
you the opportunity to develop your own Personal Development Record, (PDR).
PDRs are not a new idea but it is only in recent years that they have become more
accepted and used in a wide variety of contexts. Indeed many professional bodies
have developed significant and sophisticated approaches to PDPs and PDRs and it
is often compulsory for their members to maintain them in order to retain particular
membership levels of such organisations. A number of professions require them to
be used in order to maintain a licence to practice. Many large companies and not for
profit organisations also expect their staff to maintain PDRs.
This document is written predominantly for use by research degree students.

However, other researchers and those involved in research in a variety of ways could
find elements of it useful to them in their personal and professional development. It
should be read in conjunction with other documents as appropriate, e.g. the
Research Degree Regulations, Handbook for Research Students and Supervisors
and Code of Practice, Code of Good Research Practice, the University’s Research
Ethics Policy, etc. You should have received copies of these publications when you
began your research. These booklets will be re-issued whenever they are updated.
They and other information are also on the Graduate School website. Those who
are also involved in supervising research may also refer to the Handbook for
Supervisors of Research Students.
What is Personal Development Planning1?

Personal Development Planning has been described as “a structured and supported
process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance
and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career
development”.1
The primary purpose of a PDP (Personal Development Plan) is to help you learn and
develop more effectively and to be able to:
• learn in a wider variety of ways and a wider range of contexts;

• recognise and be able to list evidence for your own learning and therefore the
progress you are making;
• draw upon and use your expanded personal knowledge to achieve particular
goals;
• review, plan and take responsibility for your own learning;
• recognise and define your training/learning needs.
This document will help you to produce a PDP and analyse your needs and to:
• define short and long term aims and objectives

• decide what is needed to achieve these aims and objectives
• be able to list, analyse and understand your strengths and weaknesses
1
See also section on PDP in: Guidelines for HE Progress Files, QAA, UUK, SCOP, Universities
Scotland, May 2001, www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressFiles/guidelines/progfile2001.pdf
1
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• use the analysis of aims and objectives and strengths and weaknesses to
define your need for additional study, training, and further development of all
kinds to enhance your skills, knowledge and competencies. Such a process
is often described as producing a Training Needs Analysis (TNA)
• reflect on and take active part in planning and development of your own
personal skills
• be more effective in carrying out tasks (e.g. your research)
What is a Personal Development Record?

There are many different kinds of PDR (Personal Development Records) built around
a variety of frameworks. However, all are intended in different ways to maintain a
clear record of learning and personal development.
By reflecting on your skill needs over time and recording the training that is
successfully completed a comprehensive set of information can be built up that can
help you, inter alia to:
• initially be a more effective researcher

• be a more independent, autonomous and effective learner
• plan and manage your career
• decide on future career paths
• create appropriate CVs
• have evidence with which to apply for (or retain) membership of a
Professional or Statutory Body related to your profession
• apply for promotion
Thus, although this document is written around the concept of the needs of research
degree it can also be used to look further ahead into your career or life after you have
successfully completed your research, written and submitted your thesis, negotiated
your viva and been awarded your PhD (or MPhil).
Who should use this PDP framework?

We are acutely aware that research degree students in the University are a very
heterogeneous group. Some will be what some other universities would see as
“traditional” research students – studying full-time for an MPhil/PhD, each perhaps
closely following completion of a Bachelors degree. However, many of London
Metropolitan’s research students are following quite different career and development
trajectories – studying for a research degree in part-time or full-time mode:
• in mid or late career,

• after a career,
• for career advancement or
• purely out of interest in the subject
You may work in a large organisation and/or be a member of a Professional or

Statutory Body that requires you to maintain a PDR following a framework produced
by such organisations. You may be completing a doctorate which has no intended
job-related outcomes. For these and other reasons the Research Degrees
Committee, acting on behalf of the Academic Board, has decided that use of a PDP
by all research students and postdoctoral researchers will not be compulsory at this
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time. This may change at a later stage and there may be individuals who are
required to use this PDP scheme following consultation with their supervisory team
and/or decisions at registration by the Research Students Progress Groups acting on
behalf of the Research Degrees Committee. However, the Graduate School
strongly recommends that all research students and other researchers use
appropriate parts of this framework unless they have a PDP from their
employer or professional body which is adaptable to their needs in relation to
their research at the University.
The research degree programme

Administrative Stages
The most obvious formal administrative fixed points in an MPhil/PhD research

programme are:2
The initial administrative stage
• application, interview, acceptance and enrolment, which may involve

most, if not all, of the following: preliminary project ideas, scoping,
considering possible sources of funding, firming up on topic/consideration
of supervisory team leading to completion of proposal, submission of
application to register project and project approval.
Transfer MPhil to PhD
• unless you have been registered directly for a PhD
Submission of the thesis
• viva examination and award of degree.
The Annual Monitoring
• operating alongside the other stages.
The Academic Stages
The research degree programme itself can be broadly considered in three main
sections which may overlap to a lesser or greater extent.2
First Stage
• Identifying the topic
• Confirming originality of topic
• Considering ethical issues: starting approval process if necessary
• Undertaking appropriate preliminary training programme
• Surveying and analysing the relevant literature and other sources
• Defining the objectives in clear and specific terms
• Formulating testable hypothesis
• Defining basic concepts and variables
• Stating underlying assumptions
• Constructing a plan to maximise internal and external validity
2
Handbook for Research Students and Supervisors and Code of Practice, London Metropolitan
University, 2002 (revised 2005)
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Second stage
• Specifying data collection procedures, development of artifacts and/or
data analysis systems (where appropriate)
• Executing the research plan and gathering data following appropriate
ethical guidelines
Third stage
• Evaluating results and drawing conclusions
• Writing up thesis
What skills and knowledge should I be developing?

This scheme is intended to encourage you to think in terms of a wide range of
knowledge and skills. The University and its predecessor institutions have long taken
the view that research students should engage in a significant programme of
personal development.
When contemplating your position as a researcher there is a natural tendency to

consider training needs purely in terms of those that relate directly and specifically to
your research – knowledge directly connected with the specific discipline area and
the subject/title of your research project, the specific research skills you will need to
complete the project, perhaps a recognition that you may need to enhance your
writing skills to cope with the production of a dissertation and/or writing a paper for
publication in a book or specialist journal. However, these are only a few of the
broader skills that the University expects of a researcher.
Thus your consideration of your knowledge and skills needs should cover your need
to develop
• project specific knowledge and research skills

• an understanding of the research methodology and the research skills and tools
used in the wider research community
• information handling
• planning and organisation skills
• the more generic skills of communication (in a variety of contexts), team working
and networking, increasing personal effectiveness, etc.
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To help you further to consider the type of skills there are further ideas later in this
document and you may wish to refer to some publications 1,2,3,4,5,6, which contain some
national descriptions of skills expectations. When the University’s Research Degree
Committee revisited the issue of skills development in 2004 it recognised the
considerable national debate that was taking place. The University agreed that it
wished to treat the main national positions of the Research Council and the then Arts
and Humanities Research Board (now AHRC, Arts and Humanities Research Council)
and the Quality Assurance Agency as appropriate “good practice”. The most relevant
parts of the statements made by both these bodies3,7 are included as Appendices 1
and 2.
How will I develop skills?

This will depend on the particular skill. Generally support will primarily come from
the members of your supervisory team, others in the academic department,
Research Institute, Research Centre or research group in which you work and
from fellow students. However, some skills may also be accessed in the following
ways:
• subject specific knowledge and skills:can be found within taught

postgraduate modules in the many Masters courses available in the university (to be
found on Postgradline). You might need to take a whole module or only a part of it.
• research methodology: in research methods modules available within almost
all postgraduate courses and part or all of the specific modules within the MRes
Scheme
• health and safety : in the University Health and Safety Policy plus any local
policy practice
• ethics and good research practice: from the University Handbook for
Research Students and Supervisors and Code of Practice and the Research Ethics
Policy plus any local supplementation.
Various training courses and drop in facilities are also available which may help your
skills development in areas such as:
3
Skill training requirements for research students: joint statement by the Research Councils/AHRB.
http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/funding/training/skill_train_req.pdf
4
SET for Success. The supply of people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills,
Sir Gareth Roberts, April 2002
http://www.hm-
treasury.gov.uk/documents/enterprise_and_productivity/research_and_enterprise/ent_res_roberts.cfm
5
Postgraduate Training Guidelines, 4th Edition, Economic and Social Research Council, 2005. This
contains much consideration of subject-specific and research methods needs in the full range of
subjects covered by ESRC
http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/opportunities/postgraduate/pgtrainingpolicy/
6
Investing in Innovation. A strategy for science, engineering and technology, dti/HM Treasury/DfES,
July 2002.
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./Spending_Review/spend_sr02/report/spend_sr02_repindex.cfm
7
QAA Code of Practice for Postgraduate research programmes (Sept 2004)
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeOfPractice/section1/default.asp
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project and resource management, information sources and archives, use of IT,
writing and oral skills for a range of audiences, personal development such as
creativeness, flexibility, self awareness, self discipline, networking and
interaction with others.
Information on learning and training opportunities will be made available from

time to time by the Graduate School, your supervisory team and within your
research area.
When do I use this scheme?

We have already shown a number of ways in which the route to a PhD may be split
into stages. You may have felt that one of these is the right one for you – or you may
want to define your own set of stages. However, whatever approach you decide to
take please bear in mind that what is expected is that you should plan to develop
the range of personal transferable skills alongside those that you specifically need
to carry out your research project and write an appropriate thesis.
You can revisit the sections as often as you like but we suggest that it should done at
least on an annual basis to tie in with the annual monitoring of your progress. Since
you may well not have started at the beginning of an academic year, try to ensure
that your assessment of your needs and of the skills you have developed fits an
appropriate pattern for your particular circumstances.
Remember you do not have to use this scheme if you have one from your
Professional or Statutory Body or an employer. However, please make sure if you
are using one of these that you integrate appropriate entries to ensure coverage of
the skills you will need for your research degree including transferable skills.
Some final hints:

be reflective
be analytical
be honest about your strengths and weaknesses
remember you can learn from failures as well as successes
Think of the skills you need in the context of:

research related skills
subject-specific knowledge and skills
personal and professional development (“transferable skills”)
the questions employers ask (see Appendix 3 for some ideas about this)
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Getting Started
In order for you to be able to analyse and define your training needs it is helpful to
have a plan with some fixed points.
As a guide, if you do not want to make up your own set of stages you may wish to
consider the following framework as one that could be used.
Stage in
course …to accomplish Part-time students Full-time students
…
• Scoping broad and specific
training needs to produce
Training Needs Analysis and
define specific training to be 6 months
undertaken
• Appreciation of basic
STAGE 1(A) requirements of research degree
programme
• Registration should occur

sometime in this initial stage
• Subject-specific knowledge/skills
possibly from taught modules
• Understanding and managing 12 months 6 months

STAGE 1(B) research
• Other personal transferable skills
STAGE 2 • Further understanding and 2 years 12 months

managing research
STAGE 3
• Research reporting/writing 3 years
• Other personal transferable skills
• MPhil/PhD transfer
STAGE 4 • Preparing for post-research 4 years 2 years

activities/careers
• Other transferable skills
STAGE 5 • Networking and other 5 years

transferable skills
STAGE 6 • Complete thesis

• Examination 6 years 3 years
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Your ideas?
We have now given you a number of ways of considering stages of a research degree
programme. Do you agree with any or all of them? Do you find one more helpful than
another? Do you have your own views/ideas? If so map them out. It is important at
this stage that you try to develop your own ideas as to how the fixed (e.g. annual
monitoring) and variable points will map out into your own research degree
programme, planning at least a year ahead. The template which follows is intended to
help you do this.
Your personal mapping of your research degree programme

Before attempting to draw up a “road map” through your studies indicate briefly:
What are the aims of your research programme?

(Note: if using a hard copy of this PDP scheme rather than an electronic version you
will need to use additional sheets for this and other sections)
What are the objectives of your research programme?
Now attempt to complete your plan using the template that follows. If you are just
beginning your research degree accept that you may not be able to describe fully
beyond the earliest stage(s) the fixed or intellectual points or your skills needs. Use
this first plan as a general sketch of your expectations – not a detailed analysis as this
will come later. You can have as many or as few stages as you wish but we would
advise not too few (e.g. 1 or 2) or too many (e.g. 8 or more). Include where relevant
an indication of the fixed points of registration, transfer where relevant (MPhil/PhD),
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first thesis draft, submission, examination, etc). As you progress through your project
you will want to return to this to add to and alter what you have written. You might find
it helpful to consider the skills you need under the general headings of the sections in
Appendix 1:
• Research Skills and Training

• Research Environment
• Research Management
• Personal Effectiveness
• Communication Skills
• Networking and Team-working
• Career Management
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Stage Period covered Skills I may Skills I Likely training
Number (date: Month/Year) need possess Needs*
* You can summarise these for each Annual Monitoring exercise on the form supplied
for this purpose.
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Analysing your training needs at each stage
In the following sections you will find an opportunity to consider your skills and assess
your training needs. Some sections indicate specific skill areas which all research
students need to develop but the intention is also for you to consider what may be
important so there are blank spaces for you to list as many skills as you feel you need
or want to develop.
It is suggested that you score yourself each time as between 1 and 5 – 1 very poor, 2
poor, 3 adequate, 4 good, 5 very good. However, if you wish you can use a different
scale (but ensure that you continue with it once you have started using it!). Note also
that we are not attempting to dictate a single, definitive set of criteria by which the
judgments are made. They are your judgments of yourself. If you are concerned as to
whether you are being too hard or easy on yourself, you could ask members of your
supervisory team whether they think your analysis of yourself is about right.
Remember too that your expectations of yourself may rise as you work through your
research degree programme, for example, your ability to talk about your research
project will be different in the first few months to what is required when you have your
viva or give a seminar presentation in your final year.
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RESEARCH SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES
Scores: 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = adequate 4 = good 5 = very good

Stage Number
Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Subject specific skills
Knowledge of the published research

in research area or project
Research methodology
Computing skills
Use of literature
Health and safety
Ethics
Understanding IPR (Intellectual

Property Rights)
Problem solving, critical analysis
Other:
Other:
Other:
Overall rating for research skills and

techniques
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RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT

Stage Number
Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Understanding the
national/international context of your
work
Recognition of factors such as ethics,

data protection, copyright, IPR
Confidentiality, as appropriate
Understanding of relevant health and

safety issues
Demonstrating good research

practice
Use of appropriate research

techniques
Other:
Other:
Other:
Overall rating for research

environment
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RESEARCH MANAGEMENT

Stage Number
Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Project management skills
Use of bibliographic tools
Use of appropriate IT packages and

other research facilities
Awareness of relevant University

systems and procedures
Other:
Other:
Overall rating for research

management
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PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS

Stage Number
Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Willingness to learn, acquire
knowledge
Creativity, innovativeness
Flexibility
Self-awareness, initiative, self-

reliance, self-motivation
Initiative
Other:
Other:
Overall rating for personal

effectiveness
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COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Stage Number
Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Writing clearly for a variety of
purposes and audiences (including
the general public)
Speaking clearly for a variety of

audiences
Engaging in debate about

outcomes of own research and that
of others (to include viva
examination)
Teaching skills
Other:
Other:
Other:
Overall rating for communication

skills
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NETWORKING AND TEAMWORKING

Stage Number
Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Networking with peer group,
supervisor, other researchers and
non-researchers inside and outside
university
Recognising impact of own behaviour

on others
Listening, discussing, negotiating as

appropriate
Other:
Other:
Other:
Overall rating networking and

teamworking
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CAREER MANAGEMENT

Stage Number
Skill 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Taking initiative for realistic and
achievable career aspirations
Recognising and being able to

describe transferable skills gained
from research degree
Presenting skills and abilities in

appropriate CVs, including academic
achievements and personal attributes
Showing commitment to training

needs and to professional
development/ lifelong learning
Other:
Other:
Other:
Overall rating for career management
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RESEARCH SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES
Note: if using a paper copy of this PDP scheme you will need to use additional sheets of paper.
Stage 1
Comments on evidence for scores:
Training needs identified:
Courses and other activities to be undertaken

(Note: these courses and activities will be transferred to the relevant part of your
Annual Monitoring Form)
Stage 2

Stage 3

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Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

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Stage 8

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Record of Attendance at courses, seminars research colloquia
symposia, conferences, training sessions, etc
Date(s) Event Brief Comment
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Research Environment
Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

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Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

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Stage 8

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Research Management
Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

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Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

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Personal Effectiveness
Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

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Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

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Communication Skills
Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

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Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

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Networking and Teamworking
Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

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Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

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Stage 8

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Career Management
Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

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Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

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Stage 8

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Appendix 1
Skills training requirements for research students : joint

statement of the Research Councils’ AHRB
INTRODUCTION
The Research Councils and the Arts and Humanities Research Board play an
important role in setting standards and identifying best practice in research training.
This document sets out a joint statement of the skills that doctoral research students
funded by the Research Councils/AHRB would be expected to develop during their
research training.
These skills may be present on commencement, explicitly taught, or developed

during the course of the research. It is expected that different mechanisms will be
used to support learning as appropriate, including self-direction, supervisor support
and mentoring, departmental support, workshops, conferences, elective training
courses, formally assessed courses and informal opportunities.
The Research Councils and the AHRB would also want to re-emphasise their belief
that training in research skills and techniques is the key element in the development
of a research student, and that PhD students are expected to make a substantial,
original contribution to knowledge in their area, normally leading to published work.
The development of wider employment-related skills should not detract from that core
objective. The purpose of this statement is to give a common view of the skills and
experience of a typical research student thereby providing universities with a clear
and consistent message aimed at helping them to ensure that all research training
was of the highest standard, across all disciplines. It is not the intention of this
document to provide assessment criteria for research training.
It is expected that each Council/Board will have additional requirements specific to

their field of interest and will continue to have their own measures for the evaluation
of research training within institutions.
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(A) Research Skills and Techniques - to be able to demonstrate:
1. the ability to recognise and validate problems
2. original, independent and critical thinking, and the ability to develop
theoretical concepts
3. a knowledge of recent advances within one’s field and in related areas
4. an understanding of relevant research methodologies and techniques and
their appropriate application within one’s research field
5. the ability to critically analyse and evaluate one’s findings and those of others
6. an ability to summarise, document, report and reflect on progress
(B) Research Environment - to be able to:

1. show a broad understanding of the context in which research takes place
2. demonstrate awareness of issues relating to the rights of other researchers,
of research subjects, and of others who may be affected by the research, e.g.
confidentiality, ethical issues, attribution, copyright, malpractice, ownership of
data and the requirements of the Data Protection Act
3. demonstrate appreciation of standards of good research practice in their
institution and/or discipline
4. understand relevant health and safety issues and demonstrate responsible
working practices
5. justify one’s own research and contribute to promoting the public
understanding of one’s research field
6. understand the process of academic or commercial exploitation of research
results
(C) Research Management - to be able to:

1. apply effective project management through the setting of research goals,
intermediate milestones and prioritisation of activities
2. design and execute systems for the acquisition and collation of information
through the effective use of appropriate resources and equipment
3. identify and access appropriate bibliographical resources, archives, and other
sources of relevant information
4. use information technology appropriately for database management,
recording and presenting information
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(D) Personal Effectiveness - to be able to:
1. demonstrate a willingness and ability to learn and acquire knowledge
2. be creative, innovative and original in one’s approach to research
3. demonstrate flexibility and open-mindedness
4. demonstrate self-awareness and the ability to identify own training needs
5. demonstrate self-discipline, motivation, and thoroughness
6. recognise boundaries and draw upon/use sources of support as appropriate
7. show initiative, work independently and be self-reliant
(E) Communication Skills - to be able to:
1. write clearly and in a style appropriate to purpose, e.g. progress reports,

published documents, thesis
2. construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly to a range of

audiences, formally and informally through a variety of techniques
3. constructively defend research outcomes at seminars and viva examination
4. effectively support the learning of others when involved in teaching, mentoring

or demonstrating activities
(F) Networking and Teamworking - to be able to:

1. develop and maintain co-operative networks and working relationships with
supervisors, colleagues and peers, within the institution and the wider
research community
2. understand one’s behaviours and impact on others when working in and
contributing to the success of formal and informal teams
3. listen, give and receive feedback and respond perceptively to others
(G) Career Management - to be able to:

1. appreciate the need for and show commitment to continued professional
development
2. take ownership for and manage one’s career progression, set realistic and
achievable career goals, and identify and develop ways to improve
employability
3. demonstrate an insight into the transferable nature of research skills to other
work environments and the range of career opportunities within and outside
academia
4. present one’s skills, personal attributes and experiences through effective
CVs, applications and interviews
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Appendix 2
The QAA Code of Practice

The QAA Code of Practice for the assurance of academic quality and standards in
higher education Section 1: Postgraduate research programmes – September 2004
should be read in detail by all research degree students. However, for the purpose of
understanding further the areas of training and development that you might consider
while using this PDR the following Precepts are considered to be the most useful.
Precept 18 Institutions will provide research students with appropriate opportunities for
personal and professional development.
Research students need support to develop the research, subject specific, communication, and
other skills they require to become effective researchers, to enhance their employability and
assist their career progress after completion of their degree. These skills may be present on
commencement (for example in the case of some mature students), explicitly taught, or
developed during the research programme.
In providing research students with opportunities for developing personal and research skills,
institutions will wish to pay particular attention to the differing needs of individual
postgraduates, arising from their diversity. It is expected that a range of mechanisms will be
used to support learning and that they will be sufficiently flexible to address those individual
needs. For example, the development needs of research students already employed to
undertake research may be different from those of other students. The emphasis in formal
training should be on quality, relevance and timeliness.
Institutions will wish to consider embedding opportunities for skills development in research
degree programmes. Depending on the needs of the subject and the student, personal and
professional development opportunities for research students will either be spread across the
duration of the research degree or will be provided at the beginning of the programme, the
aim being to maximise the effectiveness of training in developing skills, both research and
generic.
In deciding which elements of research and skills development to make mandatory,

institutions will wish to take into account advice from research councils and other sources. It
will not necessarily be appropriate for all students to undertake such development; for
example, mature students who may be studying for their own interest in the subject may not
need to acquire skills for employment.
To ensure students' needs are being met, institutions will find it helpful to review on a regular
basis the training in research and generic skills provided for their students, as part of the
quality assurance mechanisms for research programmes.
Opportunities for skills development can be provided either by the institution offering the
student's research programme, or by other institutions, perhaps through regional or other
collaboration.
Precept 19 Each student's development needs will be identified and agreed jointly by
the student and appropriate academic staff, initially during the student's induction
period; they will be regularly reviewed during the research programme and amended
as appropriate.
The research councils and the AHRB play an important role in setting standards and
identifying best practice in research training. In their joint statement Skills training
requirements for research students (attached at Appendix 3), they have set out the skills that
doctoral research students they funded are expected to have on completion of their
programmes.
Institutions will wish to use their experience of structured training and education to establish
personal and professional development opportunities for the benefit of students. The extent to
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which research students are required to take advantage of these opportunities will normally
be negotiated through the supervision process, taking account of subject and individual
needs.
Where postgraduate students are provided with opportunities for teaching (for example, acting
as demonstrators in laboratories, or teaching small groups), appropriate guidance and support
will be provided. If the student's teaching activity also extends to assessing students, training
will reflect this. It is helpful for postgraduates to be part of a larger teaching team, so they can
benefit from the support and mentoring provided by experienced teachers.
Precept 20 Institutions will provide opportunities for research students to maintain a

record of personal progress, which includes reference to the development of research
and other skills.
It is accepted as good practice for students to reflect on their learning, supported by

frameworks developed by institutions for recording personal development. National guidelines
(currently Guidelines for Higher Education Progress Files), suggest that PDP for students
should operate across the whole higher education system. Research students may find it
useful to use the PDP tools provided by their institutions to record their personal progress and
development, including reference to research and other skills. Planning for skills development
and checking that necessary guidance and support has been provided should form part of the
process of personal development planning.
Students who, on entry to the research programme, are unfamiliar with keeping records of
their progress and development are likely to need additional guidance and support.
Institutions may also wish to implement some form of recognition of the acquisition of
transferable skills in parallel with, or as part of, the academic assessment of the student's
progress.
Feedback mechanisms
Collecting and acting upon feedback from students, staff, examiners and others involved in
research programmes is a fundamental part of the quality assurance process, at institutional
and subject levels. Precept 21 and accompanying text outline how institutions may wish to
approach this activity.
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Appendix 3
Typical questions from job application forms and interviews

What have you gained from your time at university? Skills, knowledge, attributes?
Why did you study X at university?

Was it what you expected? Which was..? How did it differ from your expectations?
Which aspects of your course were the most enjoyable? Why?
How did you choose your university?
How could your experience have been improved?
Which clubs/societies did you join? What are your interests? What do you put in and
what do you get out of them? What’s your role in them?
Why do you want the job?

Why do you think you are suitable for this position?
What attracts you to the company/organisation?
What are the key issues facing our organisation at present?
What work experience do you have? What did you do and what did you get out of it?
In terms of skills, abilities, knowledge?
What did you learn from previous work? What did you learn about yourself? What
work have you enjoyed/do you enjoy and why?
What don’t you enjoy … and why?
What are your strengths? How do you know? How have you developed them?
What’s the evidence?
What is your major fault? What are you doing to remedy it?
Why shouldn’t we employ you? (this is sometimes asked at interview!)
What experience do you have of working in groups?

What role do you take in a group? Supporter/encourager, finisher/completer, enabler,
leader, organiser?
How do you ensure everyone participates?
Are you a ‘team player’? What’s the evidence?
Describe a major non-academic achievement (apart from passing your driving test!).
What did you do? Why do you consider it important? What did you learn about
yourself?
Describe a time when you failed at something? What happened? What did you
learn? about yourself?
How would you go about solving a problem? What are the stages involved?
Describe a problem you have solved involving people - give the context, action taken,
outcome, and what you learnt from the experience.
How would you set up a project? What’s the process – the project stages?
Describe a difficult situation which you had to overcome? What did you do? What
happened? What did you learn about yourself?
Describe a situation in which you had to persuade others to your point of view. How
did you do it?
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The X company prides itself on offering high quality products/service. What do you
understand by `quality`? Give an example from your own experience which shows
your commitment to quality.
Where do you want to be in 5 years time? And how are you going to get there?
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PERSONAL

The Graduate School

This document is written predominantly for use by research degree students.

What is Personal Development Planning1?

• learn in a wider variety of ways and a wider range of contexts;

• define short and long term aims and objectives

What is a Personal Development Record?

• initially be a more effective researcher

Who should use this PDP framework?

• in mid or late career,

You may work in a large organisation and/or be a member of a Professional or

The research degree programme

The most obvious formal administrative fixed points in an MPhil/PhD research

The initial administrative stage

• application, interview, acceptance and enrolment, which may involve

Transfer MPhil to PhD

• unless you have been registered directly for a PhD

Submission of the thesis

• viva examination and award of degree.

The Annual Monitoring

• operating alongside the other stages.

The Academic Stages

What skills and knowledge should I be developing?

When contemplating your position as a researcher there is a natural tendency to

• project specific knowledge and research skills

How will I develop skills?

• subject specific knowledge and skills:can be found within taught

Information on learning and training opportunities will be made available from

When do I use this scheme?

Some final hints:

Think of the skills you need in the context of:

• Registration should occur

• Understanding and managing 12 months 6 months

STAGE 2 • Further understanding and 2 years 12 months

STAGE 4 • Preparing for post-research 4 years 2 years

STAGE 5 • Networking and other 5 years

STAGE 6 • Complete thesis

Your personal mapping of your research degree programme

What are the aims of your research programme?

What are the objectives of your research programme?

• Research Skills and Training

Scores: 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = adequate 4 = good 5 = very good

Knowledge of the published research

Health and safety

Understanding IPR (Intellectual

Problem solving, critical analysis

Overall rating for research skills and

Scores: 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = adequate 4 = good 5 = very good

Recognition of factors such as ethics,

Understanding of relevant health and

Demonstrating good research

Use of appropriate research

Overall rating for research

Scores: 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = adequate 4 = good 5 = very good

Use of bibliographic tools

Use of appropriate IT packages and

Awareness of relevant University

Overall rating for research

Scores: 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = adequate 4 = good 5 = very good

Self-awareness, initiative, self-

Overall rating for personal

Scores: 1 = very poor 2 = poor 3 = adequate 4 = good 5 = very good

Speaking clearly for a variety of