A model for integrating professional development in graduate education

College Student Journal, Sept, 2001 by Michael C. Poock

Participation in this study varied greatly among the constituent groups. A total of 47 directors of graduate studies and department chairs were contacted using structured and open-ended electronic questionnaires. Ten members of this group responded, resulting in a 21% response rate.

Questionnaires were sent to 100 junior faculty (those at the assistant professor rank joining the university no earlier than 1996) and to 50 employers who frequently recruit at the university. Completed questionnaires were received from 18 of the faculty and 9 employers. Focus groups were used with recent alumni (those graduating from the university no earlier than 1996) and current graduate students from various disciplines, utilizing 40 and 20 participants, respectively.

Results

The five constituent groups in this study viewed the professional development needs of graduate students from varied perspectives. However, there was a virtually unanimous agreement that graduate students should be well rounded and develop skills---or "competencies"-- that transcend individual academic disciplines. Toward that end, five clear competencies emerged that cut across academic disciplines and degree programs.

Competency #1: Communication

This competency entails the ability to use written and oral communication effectively. In addition to the preparation of scholarly publications, this includes a range of skills related to communication in professional settings such as proposal writing, small group and meeting facilitation, negotiating, questioning, and interviewing. It also includes skills highly specific to certain fields. In health care settings, for example, this entails skills in empathy and responsiveness.

Competency #2: Leadership

Leadership, as used here, is the ability to direct and manage human and other resources. This includes a variety of skills related to developing and articulating an organizational vision, planning, managing staff and fiscal resources, delegating, monitoring, understanding and upholding the ethics of one's profession.

Competency #3: Teaching and Instruction

This competency is the ability to facilitate the learning of others in a variety of settings, including academic classrooms, workshops, seminars, staff development activities, and clinical settings. In addition to mastery of subject matter, this includes a variety of skills related to the planning and delivery of instruction, along with the evaluation and improvement of teaching itself.

Competency #4: Professional Adaptability

The capability of utilizing theory and technical skills in actual practice is the hallmark of professional adaptability. This also includes the ability to anticipate and accommodate changes (e.g., technological, competitive) important to one's profession and the capacity to modify elements of professional practice accordingly.

It also includes a range of capabilities related to functioning effectively in "real world" settings such as working well with others, managing multiple tasks and demands simultaneously, setting work priorities, and developing a sensitivity to organizational culture and politics.