Personal development plan and scientific writing

Objectifs

Personal development planning (PDP) is a tool which is used by many institutions, both industrial and academic, to help individuals achieve their potential within a given setting. We use this tool to help the student to identify areas within their skill set that may benefit from improvement, including critical thinking, presentation and management skills.

Every student will be allocated a personal tutor (one of the lecturers in the Department), usually the project supervisor. Personal Tutors are a critical element of our support system for students.  In addition to pastoral matters, personal tutors will often be asked about their tutees by companies/institutions wishing to take up references. Students will meet their tutor to discuss topics such as career, orientation, research project preparation, plagiarism, and, time management and study skills. The meeting times should be agreed between the tutor and the tutee.

Compétences visées

The PDP program will focus on the career management and students should be able to

Appreciate the need for and show commitment to continued professional development.

Take ownership for and manage one's career progression, set realistic and achievable career goals, and identify and develop ways to improve employability.

Demonstrate an insight into the transferable nature of research skills to other work environments and the range of career opportunities within and outside academia.

Present one's skills, personal attributes and experiences through effective CVs, applications and interviews.

Descriptif

The PDP program will focus on the career management and students should 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.

This will be done through the preparation of a portfolio based on the following activity program which will be assessed formatively

1. Visit to a career center.
2. Preparation of a career plan for the next 5 years.
3. Looking for job advert/PhD thesis offers.
4. Preparation of cv and cover letters.
5. Real applications (minimum 3 before the end of the MSc).
6. Mock interviews.

Bibliographie

Cottrell, S. (2003) Skills for Success: The personal development planning handbook, Palgrave