What has changed since first writing the Personal Academic Development Plan (PADP)?
Towards the end of the first year of PGCAP, and more than six months from originally writing the PADP, there have been a few significant changes. I have been successful in obtaining a permanent contract as a lecturer with the University of Edinburgh, after previously being seconded for two years from NHS Lothian.
In preparation for the interview, I utilised the PADP and my recently gained knowledge from PGCAP by modifying the blog to supplement an Academic Teaching Portfolio (ATP) (Little-Wienert & Mazziotti, 2017). An ATP is a document that demonstrates a;
“medical educator’s growth and development through documentation, reflection, evaluation, and change.” And “with careful advanced preparation, organized evidence collection of your educational work, proof of scholarship, and thorough documentation of self-reflection and change, you can produce a successful product that accurately represents your educational belief, accomplishments, and growth throughout your career.” (Little-Wienert & Mazziotti, 2017)
Little-Wienert & Mazziotti, outline ideas and tips on how to effectively formulate an ATP.
9.Think about educational goals and objectives
“A goal is an overarching principle that guides decision making and provides a framework for all your teaching activities.” (Little-Wienert & Mazziotti, 2017)
My educational goal, from the perspective of an academic educator, is to support students to create their own knowledge of the discipline. This will be achieved through a wide medium of teaching techniques and strategies from technology to peer assisted learning. Within my PDAP I have tried to set broad objectives such as the introduction of different teaching techniques to achieve my educational goal. Utilising my acquired knowledge and skills from block three Foundations of Academic Practice (FOAP), has led me to consider and adopt digital teaching resources which create the framework for my teaching objectives. (Little-Wienert & Mazziotti, 2017) Examples of resources I plan to employ are; online modules, the use of blogging and peer feedback on online formative submissions and video resources on media hopper. Integration of digital teaching techniques will further enhance student experience and engagement, which is difficult to achieve through traditional didactic teaching methods such as traditional lectures. In relation to my interview preparation, consideration of educational goals and objectives demonstrated my commitment to enhancing the BSc programme. The job description detailed that candidates should;
“be reflective in approach to identify areas for improvement in teaching and assessment.” And “contribute to the continued development of the curriculum as a member of the Oral Health Sciences team”. (The University of Edinburgh Vacancies, 2018)
Within my application and during the interview, objectives from my PADP and consideration of my ATP enabled me to demonstrate my abilities to support the continued development of curriculum for the BSc programme.
- Write down your educational philosophy
Since the embarking on the study of FOAP, I have begun developing my individual educational philosophy. Little-Wienert & Mazziotti, state that;
“Your educational philosophy should guide and inspire you throughout your teaching career. It should demonstrate self-reflection and self-evaluation of your teaching and learning style.” (Little-Wienert & Mazziotti, 2017)
My educational philosophy is that students must be active learners in order to grasp theoretical concepts of the subject. It is my role as an academic educator to create diverse learning environments to meet the range of students learning needs. As a lecturer and personal tutor, I will give timely feedback and endeavour to support students’ academic, learning, and personal needs. In my role as a personal tutor, I will strive to identify students who require additional support before they reach a crisis point.
Within my PADP, I have linked my philosophy of education through my teaching and research objectives and will develop this further through future enrolment on the inclusive learning PGCAP course and through my continued professional development. Again, linking the use of PADP and ATP for the interview preparation, my educational philosophy accomplishes the following skills desired for the position;
“possess skills in managing, motivating and supporting students” and “ensure that innovative teaching materials and assessment methods are developed for the current academic year and developed for future delivery of the course.” (The University of Edinburgh Vacancies, 2018)
Achieving the permanent teaching position now allows me to expand the PADP past the current five-year time frame. In turn, this will allow me to be more aspirational in my objectives for example, consideration of future qualifications and potentially achieving a Master’s in Dental Education. PADP was also a useful tool when preparing for my yearly appraisal. I gave supported responses to the achieved objectives from the previous year including beginning PGCAP for example, the continued development of the Restorative Skills Handbook. My future objectives for 2019 have continued to be inspired by the objectives detailed in the PADP, such as continuing to develop academic writing skills and embarking on collaborative research.
UKPSF Linking and the PADP
For future edits of my PADP, I will endeavour to fulfil all domains of the UKPSF. When completing the proforma, I was pleased that I was able to identify many areas that I was already achieving or had scheduled activities which would lead to the domain criteria being met. I noted that domain V4;
“acknowledge the wider context in which higher education operates recognising the implications for professional practice” (UKPSF, 2011)
In achieving a permanent position, I expect to gain knowledge of the wider framework in which HE functions. At present, I am still establishing an understanding of academic process and university policies that are at an immediately applicable to BSc Oral Health Science (BSc OHS). In order to gain the desired knowledge to fully achieve this domain, I will seek opportunities to meet and collaborate with other disciplines at UoE and the wider HE community. BSc OHS is currently establishing Erasmus linkages with a University in Oslo to share teaching strategies and I am looking forward to joining the project this forthcoming year.
UKPSF covered – A2, A5, K2, K5, V2 and V4
References
LITTLE-WIENERT, K., MAZZIOTTI, M,. (2017) Twelve tips for creating an academic teaching portfolio. Medical Teacher. 40:1, pages 26-30. [online]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2017.1364356 [Accessed: 17 Dec 2017]
THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH VACANCIES. (2018). Job description: Lecturer in Oral Health Sciences. [online] Available at: https://www.vacancies.ed.ac.uk/pls/corehrrecruit/erq_jobspec_details_form.display_form [Accessed Oct 2018].
HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMY. (2015) UKPSF Dimensions of the framework. Higher Education Academy. [online] Available at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/downloads/ukpsf_dimensions_of_the_framework.pdf [Accessed Sept 2018]