Continuing Professional Development

Introduction

All new research students are expected to take part in the Continuing Professional Development process (CPD). This process mirrors the continuing professional development requirements of many UK professional associations and is underpinned by the Researcher Development Framework (RDF). Continuing professional development is a normal part of professional working life and engaging with this process as a routine part of your postgraduate work will help you to achieve your potential both academically and personally, as well of giving you experience of a professional process which you will encounter throughout your future career.

You will be supported in the CPD process by your Mentor (for PhD students, normally your second supervisor), with whom you will have regular review and planning meetings. It will give you the opportunity to reflect on your learning, achievement and skills both in your academic work and in your wider life, and plan for your future personal and professional development within this structured and supportive framework.

CPD offers you the potential to enrich your postgraduate experience by helping you to develop knowledge about yourself and how you function, both within an academic context and more generally, and also will help improve your ability to relate your learning and skills to the needs and interests of employers.

The CPD process will also help you to identify your training needs, formulate an appropriate training programme for yourself and keep track of training undertaken. Recent studies suggest that the CPD process improves academic performance and helps students to complete their degrees more rapidly.

The CPD form is provided in the Postgraduate Skills Training Programme and CPD folder given out at Induction. It is also available as a Word download at the top of this page so that you can tailor it to your own needs.

How many courses do I need to attend?

PhD students are advised to attain 30 units of training over the course of their studies. Attending a full-day course on the Postgraduate Skills Training Programme (ie. a workshop with sessions before and after lunch) would count for 2 units, and for a half-day session, 1 unit. The same would normally be the case for attending other structured training (because of the prior and/or follow-up work usually involved). The 30 units can include 20 units from structured training courses and 10 units from developmental or ‘on the job’ training.

  • Research Council funded students – all Research Councils expect that funded PhD students attain 10 units a year of transferable skills training.
  • Students from 1+3 background – students who undertake structured training during their Masters degree (such as AU’s RT programme) may count 5 units towards the overall required.
  • Masters students – AU recommends you attain the equivalent of 5 units of structured training in each year of your studies.
  • KESS students - Research students on a Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship have to undertake a Postgraduate Skills Development Award (PSDA).  This is 60 credits for those doing a PhD and 30 credits for those doing a Masters award.  These credits will be attained by attending a residential KESS GradSchool (20 credits), plus engaging in central, departmental and external skills development provision – of which the Postgraduate Skills Training Programme is a part.  The Postgraduate Skills Training Programme is made up of full-day, half-day, and shorter workshops.  A full-day (nominally 6 hour) workshop counts for 6 credits, half-day (nominally 3 hours) for 3 credits and an hour-long workshop, 1 credit.  All sessions will label the credit value accordingly.  KESS Scholars are not required to attain 30 units of training in addition to the PSDA.  KESS scholars will also undertake their scheme’s own personal development plan (PDP).

A. Structured Training

Full-time PhD students are advised to plan your training so that you work towards;

  • 10 units of structured training in year 1
  • 10 units of structured training over years 2 and 3

Whilst this is what AU recommends, in practice students should undertake these training or developmental activities at a time that is appropriate to their circumstances. So if they gain more units in their first year, for instance, the amount they need to do in their second and third years is reduced.

You should try and undertake a good breadth of different training courses within these 20 units, aiming to attend sessions from most of the Domains outlined in the RDF. Structured training can include the following:

  1. Courses from the AU central Postgraduate Skills Training Programme
  2. Courses from the AU Careers Service Central Events Programme
  3. Courses run by individual AU departments
  4. Courses from the Research Training and Development Programme
  5. Other AU courses: eg. those run by Information Services, the Centre for the Development of Staff & Academic Practice and Lifelong Learning
  6. Vitae programme courses
  7. Training events delivered by professional bodies and Research Councils
  8. Training courses and workshops run by other Higher Education Institutions
  9. Any other appropriate AU/external courses

B. Developmental or ‘On-the-Job’ training

You should try to attain at least 10 units from developmental or on-the-job training during your PhD, probably during years 2 and 3. These might include;

  1. Attendance at conference
  2. Journal publication or similar
  3. Presenting a paper
  4. Organising a university event or seminar
  5. Demonstrating or teaching
  6. Involvement in departmental project or similar
  7. Work shadowing/work experience/information interviewing in a relevant career setting
  8. Visiting a careers fair or similar
  9. Other*

You should try to undertake 4–5 different sorts of activities in this section. So for example, teaching activities should not be counted for the full 10 units, though they might warrant this for the actual amount of your time that they take up.

* You might need to check with your Mentor or with the Skills Development Officer (ina@aber.ac.uk) whether an activity can be counted as developmental training.

Masters Students

Masters students are advised to work towards the equivalent balance of structured and developmental training and breadth of courses in the space of 5 units each year.

Part-Time Students

For PT students, the same recommended figures apply, although these can be undertaken at the equivalent point in your studies.

Keeping Track

The skills self assessment within the CPD process should help you to begin to identify your individual training needs and to plan an appropriate training programme for yourself each year with support from your Mentor. It is essential that you keep an individual training record of all training activities you undertake. You can use the Training Record form at the top of this page for this purpose (it is also enclosed in the folder given out at Induction) . Attendance certificates, records of conferences, details of fieldwork etc. can also be kept for your portfolio in the folder given out at Induction (if you require a copy, please see the Skills Development Officer). Most non-academic departments of the University which offer training sessions, register students using an online booking system. You can keep track of all the Postgraduate Skills Training Programme, Information Services, and Centre for the Development of Staff & Academic Practice sessions you have attended by using the My Courses link on the online booking pages on the Postgraduate Skills Training Programme page. You can also request a Certificate of Attendance for any of the courses you have attended from the My Courses link.

Wider Aberystwyth University Training Opportunities

  1. Courses from the Aberystwyth University Careers Service Employability Events Programme
    These include talks from external speakers, a wide range of workshops and practice assessment centres.
  2. Courses run by individual Aberystwyth departments
    Many departments may run courses specifically targeted at postgraduates. To find out what is on offer, you will need to check departmental websites and literature. Remember, you may be able to attend courses run by departments other than your own.  A compilation of departmental training provision is also provided on the Office of Postgraduate Studies website.
  3. Courses from the Research Training and Development Programme
    Courses last for a term or are intensive residential sessions over a couple of days, and range from principles of research design, academic reading and interpretation and analysis of texts through to transferable skills and personal development.  These courses are part of the designated programme for full-time research students, but other students can opt in.
  4. Lifelong Learning
    Courses normally last for a term and are heavily subsidised for registered students. They include language courses such as French, Welsh and Spanish.
  5. Continuing Professional Development Programme run by the Centre for the Development of Staff and Academic Practice
    Over 100 Staff Development courses run each year, many of which will be of interest to postgraduate researchers, ranging from IT sessions, and teaching through to management skills.  These are all open to research students.
  6. Research Staff Professional Development Programme
    This offers a range of one-day and half-day skills sessions designed for Postdocs.  Again postgraduate researchers are free to attend any of these sessions.
  7. Information Services
    IS provides free sessions to Aberystwyth students making the most of the facilities and services they offer including sessions on EndNote, Word and Excel.
  8. Research Office events
    The Research Office organises a range of research related training and events including the monthly Research Cafés.  The Cafés are targeted at early career researchers, and aim to provide an informal environment for networking and for discussion around research, including writing and submitting grant applications, they are usually open to research students in their final years
  9. Study Practices & Academic Skills, Student Support Office
    A range of programmes are offered, many designed for international students, and also include courses and workshops in English for academic purposes.
  10. Research Writing Programme
    The research writing programme is designed to bring together 2nd and 3rd year PhD students to discuss aspects of writing and research towards the finalisation of their theses. It includes discussion based workshops, presentations and tutorials. It is held twice a year: a springtime residential course at Gregynog Hall near Newtown; and a campus based writing school in the summer.
  11. Advanced Research Methods (ARMs)
    These advanced methodologies are taught by those who have had direct experience of using them, and of having encountered the issues that they raise, in the course of their own research. Previous packages have included: ‘LaTeX'; ‘French Academic Reading'; and ‘Self-reflective Writing & Analysis'.  These packages of workshops are bookable through the online booking system alongside the Postgraduate Skills Training Programme sessions.
  12. Royal Literary Fund Writers in Residence
    The Writing Fellowship aims to help students at AU improve their writing skills. The Fellows based in Aberystwyth offer one-to-one tutorials of up to an hour. These are free and completely confidential.
  13. Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PGCTHE)
    For those wishing to develop their teaching skills and deepen their understanding of reflective practice, the University is developing accredited training for postgraduate research students (20 credits at Masters level).  For further details please contact the Learning & Teaching Development Co-ordinator Dr Jo Maddern (oam@aber.ac.uk) in the School of Education & Lifelong Learning.

External Training Opportunities

  1. Vitae programme courses
    You would be well advised to consider doing a Vitae course.  These vary from one hour to up to 5 days, and take place all over the UK (including a GRADSchool through the medium of Welsh).  Many of the one-day events are free and the 3-5 day GRADSchools are free to Research Council funded students. Bangor University offers places on its 3 day local GRADSchool each year to Aber students.  All Vitae training opportunities will be advertised to postgraduate research students.
  2. Training events delivered by professional bodies
    Regularly check the website of the professional body or learned society to which you belong for upcoming courses
  3. Research Council training
    The Research Councils offer a number of courses, workshops, conferences and events, mainly focussed on research methods. Check the website of the Research Council under which your discipline or research falls:
  4. Courses run by other Welsh & South West Higher Education institutions
    Aberystwyth works in close collaboration with other Universities in the Wales & South West Hub of Vitae and there are developing agreements with other Universities, particularly in Wales, which will allow AU students access to workshops delivered outside of Aberystwyth.  Further details of any opportunities will be advertised on the Office of Postgraduate Studies website and in regular e-mails from the Office.
  5. Any other appropriate external courses