Stage 1: Review of Learning to date and preparation of research proposal
Overview of the Doctoral Award
Application and Selection
• Candidates should have a Master’s Degree or a Master’s level professional qualification, and/or extensive and substantial post-graduate level professional experience.
• Before joining a programme, all candidates attend an introductory seminar at which the programme requirements are explained. They are then invited for an extended discussion during which their prior experience and suitability for self-directed study are explored with NECP authorized teachers. If a place on the programme is offered, the formal application process is completed and candidates are registered on the Preliminary Stage of the programme.
• The Preliminary Stage of the programme is designated the M.Prof. [Master’s in Professional Development] and is designed to ensure that candidates plan their study thoroughly from the outset and are given proper support during this process. All candidates are initially registered by the university as M.Prof. students.
It is possible for candidates to stop at the end of the first stage and, in this case, they would achieve the award of M.Prof. However, the scheme of study provides an integrated programme for those who want to continue to Doctorate level.
• A key feature of the Doctorate in Professional Development is that candidates can gain credit for prior learning, whether certificated or experiential. This means that the total period of study may be substantially shorter than for a PhD. The minimum total period of the D.Prof. is 26 months.
• Note: Although the university uses the term “student” for participants in the programme, the PDF designation is “Researcher” or “Research Associate”.
Preliminary Stage [the M.Prof.]
Eligibility for credit is usually established at interview. All PDF candidates could normally expect to gain substantial credit at level 7 [Master’s level] and also gain some at level 8.
Completion of this stage requires a total of 140 credits at Level 7, made up of the following compulsory elements:
• Research and Development Capacity - 60 credits
• Professional Learning - 40 credits
• Review of Learning - 20 credits
• Programme Plan - 20 credits
Credit for Research Methodology
• Credit may be given for evidence of prior learning and learning from practical experience of work-based research. Candidates produce a written statement of their research experience, which demonstrates their capability for research and which is mapped against the Level 8 Descriptors. Note that for accreditation purposes, these descriptors will be interpreted at level 8.
• Candidates who have previously undertaken academic research will be able to produce evidence of relevant study. Practical experience is evidenced by summarising major projects undertaken by the candidate, accompanied by an explanation of the development of underpinning knowledge.
• Candidates who are active researchers, or already have Doctoral qualifications, may be able to gain the full 60 credits. Most PDF candidates can expect to gain 40 credits and would achieve the remaining 20 credits by undertaking a Research Awareness unit from which they produce a portfolio for assessment.
The Research Portfolio will include:
• a research learning diary,
• research notes, e.g. information about exploratory literature search, annotated bibliography, outline of research approach,
• research exercises,
• a 2000 word essay on methodology and epistemology of practitioner research, as applied
to their own professional field,
• the research proposal, fully explained for the main project; a subsidiary may be envisaged, but need not be included at this stage,
• 800-word reflection on learning from producing the portfolio.
The Review of Learning
This is a 8000 word assessed essay, which reviews the individual’s personal and professional development. It should include critical points, an explanation of how development of current capabilities has occurred and what areas would need to be addressed in order to meet the Level 8 descriptors.
The Programme Plan
The Programme Plan is a statement of the total proposed programme and is about 3000 words. It covers both those elements already completed and those remaining and includes:
• a Learning Agreement,
• the rationale for the D.Prof. research proposal,
• continued reflections on the issues covered by the Review of Learning,
• a proposal for a claim for credit at Level 8., if being made.
Acceptance of the plan is required for candidates to be officially registered as Doctoral students of the university. Acceptance requires both assessment and approval. Assessment covers the plan’s academic rigour in relation to Doctoral standards, while approval is concerned with its overall suitability and coherence in relation to professional development. It includes a presentation by the candidate, which accounts for 80% of the assessment grade.
Claim for Level 8 Credit
Between 80 and 160 credits may be awarded for work demonstrating Doctoral level capability. The claim for credit is developed from the material in the Review of Learning and must explain:
• The nature of the work undertaken, the outcomes and evidence for them
• Personal and professional development, in relation to issues explored in the Review of Learning
• How the learning meets the Level 8 descriptors
• A commentary justifying the claim
Final Stage [the D.Prof.]
Completion of the Doctorate requires a research project, which must be of a minimum “size” of 200 credits. In terms of word-count, 20 credits at Level 8 equate to 8000 words.
The maximum credit possible for the whole M/D.Prof. is 60 credits at Level 4 [Preliminary Stage] and 160 credits at Level 8 [Final Stage].
The Final Stage requires a total of 260 credits, which may be achieved by either:
a major project for 160 credits plus a minor project for 80 credits,
or
a claim for between 80 and 120 credits plus a project for the balance,
or
a project for the whole 260 credits.
The research study should make a significant contribution to your own development and that of your organisation. The purpose is not to create academic researchers, but to develop a professionals’ ability to apply appropriate research principles to their work, thereby providing a model for evidence-based practice.
The following are the generic capabilities, which apply to the research project:
1. knowledge, research & analysis: knowledge outcomes will be specific to the focus of the project but must include critical analysis of both relevant interdisciplinary and advanced theoretical and/or research issues, and justification of methods used.
2. synthesis & evaluation: ability to design new responses to new situations and comprehensively evaluate them.
3. problem solving: ability to construct and assess problem solving strategies in a wide range of situations.
4. self appraisal and management of learning: ability to strategically plan and implement development of own professional learning and critically reflect on outcomes.
5. communication: evidence of engagement with “critical communities” through whom new or modified paradigms are being established; ability to present work orally.
6. responsibility & ethical understanding: evidence of responsibility for self and others and ethical understanding including complex, unpredictable and/or specialised work contexts.
Assessment
The standard form of research output is a written report, which is submitted for assessment. Candidates will also give a presentation and attend a viva voce. Where non-standard outputs are produced, e.g. a video, they must be accompanied by a full written critique.
Collaborative Programmes
Organisations implementing an internal change programme may use the Doctorate award as a framework for action-based research. A change team within the organisation can register for the award and will be given support to ensure that personal, professional and organisational analysis is focused on relevant issues.
Information and Facilities
University provision
Specific assessment requirements apply to team-based projects, in order to ensure that both the collaborative nature of the research and individual contributions are properly examined.
Collaboration may also take place with professional bodies. In this case, relevant competences and areas of practice will be incorporated within the programme, in order to satisfy the requirements of the professional body concerned.
Programme Structure for the Doctoral Award
A TOTAL OF 880 CREDITS IS REQUIRED FOR THE DOCTORAL AWARD. THIS IS MADE UP OF:
60 credits for Research and Development
20 credits for the Portfolio
20 credits for Programme Plan
40 credits for Professional Learning
80-160 Level 8 credits for prior or professional learning [where applicable]
200-260 credits for Research Project, depending on Level 8 credits for prior learning
Assessment Criteria for the Doctoral Award [Level 8]
Cognitive Descriptors
i. Knowledge: evidence that the student has great depth of knowledge of an inter-disciplinary nature in a complex area and is working at current limits of theoretical and/or research understanding.
ii. Analysis: can deal with complexity, lacunae and/or contradictions in the knowledge base and make confident selection of tools for the job.
iii. Synthesis: can autonomously synthesise information/ideas and create responses to problems that expand or re-define existing knowledge and develop new approaches in new situations, through adding a new dimension to existing understanding or predicting an outcome that can be verified.
iv. Evaluation: can independently evaluate/argue alternative approaches and accurately assess/report on own and others work with justification and in a way that constitutes a basis for improvement in practice.
Transferable Skills
i. Self-Appraisal/Reflection on Practice: evidence that the student has worked with “critical communities” through whom a new or modified paradigm is being established. Habitually reflects on own and others’ practice so that self-appraisal and reflexive inquiry become intertwined, thereby improving the student’s own and others’ practice.
ii. Planning/Management of Learning: is autonomous in study and use of resources; makes professional use of others in support of self-directed learning and is fully aware of political implications of the study.
iii. Problem Solving: can isolate, assess and resolve problems of all degrees of predictability in work situations in an autonomous manner and can tackle unpredictable problems in novel ways.
iv. Communication/Presentation: can engage in full professional and academic communication with others in their field and place of work and give papers/presentations to “critical communities” for developmental purposes.
v. Research Capability: can demonstrate effective selection, combination and use of research methods, with full appreciation of their limitations and possibilities in achieving objectivity, reliability and validity appropriate to the area and subject of study in the work situation. Can contribute to the development of applied research methodology.
Operational Context
i. Context: complex, unpredictable, specialised work contexts requiring innovative study, which will involve exploring current limits of knowledge and particularly interdisciplinary approaches and understanding.
ii. Responsibility: autonomy within bounds of professional practice with high level of responsibility for self and others.
iii. Ethical Understanding: awareness of ethical dilemmas likely to arise in research, professional practice and work situations. Ability to form solutions in dialogue with superiors, peers, clients, mentors and others.
PDF Research Associates are registered in the student faculty of Middlesex University and are therefore able to benefit from its library and learning facilities. This also applies where they are registered with a professional body. Where necessary, the PDF will try to make individual arrangements for access to other University libraries.
Learning Facilities
The PDF, NECP and the University has developed the following services, which are available to students:
• On-line interactive modules.
• Networked support via virtual learning sets.
• Networked access to subscription databases for business and social science abstracts.
• On-line tutor support, learning sets and peer discussion groups.
We maintains regular contacts with leading professional and research groups and and students can benefit from access to these. In addition to university research support we have leading edge practitioners researchers and models which support students.
The PDF has a number projects in various areas of professional practice and develops links with similar centres in other institutions. These are a valuable resource, especially for current literature and for contact with leading specialists. All Research Associates have access to the projects relevant to their field and may choose to work through association with these.
Meeting rooms are available at both the University and PDF affiliates, where learning sets can meet or tutorials be arranged. We also provide high level on-line support tutorials and networking.
We provide on-site facilities for our candidates. We maintain regular contact and supervision by leading professionals scientist/practitioners in the subjects of coaching psychology and existential/humanistic approaches by regular meetings students’ forums and video conferences.
The Centres of Excellence
Series of projects are grouped within centres of excellence, which will operate in a number of important professional areas. These centres cooperate with others groups and individuals who can bring relevant expertise to the programmes. They will play a key role in both generating Research Associates for the Doctoral programme and providing expert guidance to them. They include Centres such as the International Centre for the Study of Coaching, and Vet Learning Network.
Review of Work-based Learning and Strategic Professional Development
The concept of the Reflective Practitioner draws upon the idea that professional practice is most effective when we are able to understand the factors that affect our capability at work, the context in which we work, the people we work with and the results we are trying to achieve.
By critically examining and reflecting on each of these areas and locating that analysis within the framework of sets of values, codes of conduct and changing scientific, social and political influences, we are able to develop more effective policies and practice.
An approach to self-development that combines reflective practice and action research contributes to both personal and organisational capability.
Strategic Professional Development
In the pressure of day-to-day work, practitioners often have to focus on a single issue and “fire-fight” the symptoms of change. Management of this type is reactive and aimed at trying to solve immediate problems. In such circumstances finding time to think, let alone plan for the future, is very difficult. A further consequence is that training is often undertaken on an opportunistic basis, rather than forming part of a strategic plan for the future. The impact of such training on everyday practice may, as a result, be impaired.
An alternative approach to this situation is to ensure that professional development activity is part of the strategic plan for the organisation. The Doctoral Award in Professional Development provides a framework enabling real organisational issues to be tackled, while also enhancing strategic capacity.
Being strategic implies:
Continuously expanding the capacity to create your own future through:
• not trying to solve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions,
• looking at whole situations, not just parts of problems,
• examining causes and structures, not just symptoms.
Surfacing and challenging mental models and exploring;
• the underlying perceptions which drive practice but are rarely stated,
• your own views,
• those of your colleagues,
• the organisation’s views.
The Doctoral programme is designed to create and develop these capabilities. It ensures that in the management of professional practice you are able to be:
Reactive - dealing with issues as they arise,
Emergent - developing policy from current practice,
Proactive - identifying issues before they arise and planning the response,
Strategic - expanding capacity to create the future.
Our belief, based on twenty-five years of experience in the Foundation’s professional network, is that the most effective driver for professional development comes from motivated self-development, based on self-insight. Organisation-dominated schemes, in which the individual is the passive recipient of their own development, stifle many of the qualities needed to cope with the changing world of professional practice.
Key elements of the programme
i. Use of a series of analytic tools to examine personal learning followed by a module to place that learning in the context of a research programme.
ii. Use of a series of analytic tools to explore organisational context and undertake a job analysis in preparation for a module to create a project for work based studies.
iii. Participation in a learning set of colleagues exploring similar types of organisational and development issues.
iv. Establishment of a personal development plan.
v. Creation of a work based project focusing on exploring a significant area of activity.
vi. A framework for generating co-operative activity within the organisation to ensure that the programme contributes to the organisation’s strategic capability.
