Professional Development Network Research Articles

A new method of integrating project‐based and work‐integrated learning in postgraduate engineering study

This paper reflects on the introduction of project‐based learning (PBL) into a postgraduate engineering management unit, as a form of work‐integrated learning (WIL) extending the practice of students and their engagement with industry. The real life and authentic PBL was designed and implemented in extensive consultation with industry practitioners. WIL has often been conceptualized as a process of induction and introduction to workplaces and work practices. However, such models do not easily translate to postgraduate students with existing workplace experiences. The experience of this unit suggests that there is an intersection between PBL and WIL which may provide a pathway for broader student–industry engagement, scaffolding the development of professional networks and practices for students already within an engineering workplace, and allowing students to transform their practice and improve workplace capabilities. This paper presents a case study of the experience of students who have participated in an industryled and assessed project based learning experience as part of a unit in the Masters of Engineering Management course. Student satisfaction and engagement with the unit was extremely high, with students self‐reporting increased levels of confidence and ability to apply theoretical knowledge. It is concluded that through the integration of project‐based and WIL it is possible to create authentic learning experiences for postgraduate students which enable transformative practice and capability development.

A Contemporary Educational Network for Professional Development

<p class="0abstract">As seen in every aspect of life, technology has triggered revolutionary developments that shape and direct learning environments. Development of information technologies and the Internet has triggered the spread of the languages all around the world through online communication. This has made the English language one of the most popular international languages that has become the most widely taught and learnt language ever. The English language has been embedded into national curriculum either as a required course or as an instructional medium in many countries. In teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) foreign language teachers are looking for innovative ways to involve the developing technology in the language teaching process in order to support their students’ learning as well as their professional development. As a social learning network, Edmodo, with millions of users worldwide stands out as a platform used frequently by educators and researchers. In relevant literature there is limited study focusing on teacher perception of Edmodo use in terms of professional development in EFL context. This study aims to obtain in-depth data including teachers opinions based on Edmodo use for their professional development. The data gained from the study might provide ideas for educators to make Edmodo more effective by revealing its most preferred, most commonly used features. In this study, as one of the qualitative methods, phenomenological research method is used. This is because the topic is about the individuals' first hand experiences and phenomenology focuses on the interpretations of those experiences regarding a phenomenon. The interviews, conducted with five EFL teachers, revealed mostly positive perceptions regarding Edmodo. According to majority of the participants, networks like Edmodo provide opportunities for life-long learning, international collaboration, keeping up-to-date, time and space independent communication, and convenience for getting mutual help and sharing.</p>

Scoping the Chinese American Librarians Association Services with a National Survey

The Assessment and Evaluation Committee of the Chinese American Librarians Association (CALA) designed an online survey for its members in order to elicit various types of information. The primary goals of this survey were to facilitate a stronger organization by serving its members more efficiently and effectively. This survey was distributed to all members through CALA’s discussion list and website. The thirty three survey questions in six categories corresponded to the six areas of the CALA 2020 Strategic Plan. This article is a comprehensive report and analysis of the survey results. The survey data and conclusions may assist the board in gauging the level of CALA members’ awareness, perception, and usage of the association’s policies and services. It will also provide an understanding of its members’ level of satisfaction with the services provided by CALA. The findings of the survey can be used as an important reference for the association to better develop its future strategic plan and long-term goals, such as launching innovative and quality programs and services; using cutting-edge technologies to recruit and engage CALA members; creating professional development networking platforms; and promoting leadership training and services. The article will share the findings and interpretation of this survey in order to increase the awareness of issues, difficulties, and challenges with respect to organizational development.

Development of professional networks among environmental educators

ABSTRACTProfessional development programs provide an opportunity for environmental educators to develop networks to exchange ideas and practices in professional learning communities. This study investigated how diverse educators develop professional networks for exchanging information through online and face-to-face professional development activities. We conducted surveys and social network analysis of three professional learning communities including a state consortium with mostly face-to-face activities, an online-only learning community, and a fellowship program with both face-to-face activities and online interaction. We then used exponential random graph models to examine factors that influenced professional network formation in each community. The results showed that professional development activities including face-to-face meetings and Facebook interactions, and collaborative projects such as co-authoring book chapters, had positive effects on the likelihood of network formation. Results suggest that program leaders can facilitate discussions and collaborative projects to foster network formation in professional development programs, especially those conducted exclusively online.

Learning to fall forward

PurposeConnected learning is a framework of learning principles that centers on fostering educational equity through leveraging social technologies and networking practices to connect students with opportunities, people and resources in communities within and beyond their classroom walls (Ito et al., 2013). The framework has been adopted and developed in K-12 education by teachers in professional development networks and introduced to some teacher education programs through these networks. Practitioners of connected learning frequently refer to the need for “courage” to develop and introduce connected learning-based practices in their classrooms. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, the authors investigate “courage” through a sociocultural lens in the case studies of six educators in a teacher education course on connected learning. The study examines the social contexts and activities that fostered acts of courage during their 14-week course.FindingsThe authors found that personal reflection on freedom and equity, two ethical concepts raised by the connected learning framework, seeded acts of courage. The acts of courage appeared as small acts that built upon themselves toward a larger goal that related to the participants’ ethical ideals. Three types of social activity contexts helped to nurture these acts: seeking models of possibility, mediated reinvention and “wobbling.”Research limitations/implicationsThis study helps to uncover some of the questions that connected learning scholars and practitioners have about why courage is so central, and how to cultivate courageous acts of pedagogical change.Practical implicationsThe theoretical framework used in this study, courage from a sociocultural perspective, may serve to help scholars and teacher educators to shape their research and program designs.Social implicationsThis study offers insights into patterns of networked teacher-led educational change and the social contexts that support school-level impacts of out-of-school professional networking.Originality/valueUsing a sociocultural conception of courage to investigate connected learning in teacher education, this study demonstrates how equity and freedom, central values in the connected learning framework, serve as key concepts driving teachers’ risk-taking, innovation and change.

Abstract C25: Bridging the gap through a targeted research fellowship: Introduction and recruitment of under-represented minority students to the cancer research physician scientist pipeline

Abstract Introduction: The Chicago Cancer Health Equity Collaborative (ChicagoCHEC) is a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer partnership led by the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Northeastern Illinois University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago. The mission of ChicagoCHEC is to advance cancer health equity through meaningful scientific discovery, education, training, and community engagement. The current number of individuals in research and cancer health equity-related careers does not mirror the nation's demographics. While there are several gains in health status among racial and ethnic minority groups, disparities in health status have widened for certain indicators. At the culmination of the eight weeks, Research Fellows learned fundamental research practices and methodologies, pertinent research content topics (e.g., cancer inequity and recruitment of underserved minorities in clinical trials), social contexts for health inequity across the cancer continuum, and critical professional development practices and networks. Methods: Eligible participants were all undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students without graduate education from Northwestern University, Northeastern Illinois University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and City Colleges of Chicago. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and entered into RedCap via responses to module evaluations and a baseline survey with questions on self-efficacy in cancer disparity research. We applied modules around overarching core competencies envisioned by the ChicagoCHEC Research Education Core: (1) research practices, (2) research content, (3) social context/ interaction and personal development, and (4) professionalization. We recruited an intentional selected sample of underrepresented minorities to achieve representation across various definitions of “underrepresented” not limited to race/ethnicity, citizenship status, gender identification, sexual orientation, first-generation college student, and more. To achieve a high number of competitive candidates, the Research Education Core, one of four cores of the overarching U54 ChicagoCHEC, utilized existing cross-institutional inventories of student programs and groups, and corresponding recruitment strategies. This included Research Education Core staff collaborative presentations at career fairs, with student organizations, and in classes. The program leveraged the expertise of leading scholars and cancer researchers, health professionals, institutional leadership, and community leaders across Chicago taking part as guest lecturers, project mentors, and site visit hosts. The program served as an opportunity to move the needle on health by expanding opportunities to the next generation in a way that also changes the architecture of collaboration, community engagement, and the culture of research education to address health inequities. Core components of the intervention include individual and personal reflection, group exercises, didactic lecture, and classroom-based, and immersion and hands on experiences. These learning vehicles aimed to advance core values and competencies. Core values include teamwork, mentorship, critical thinking, value alignment, professionalism, intellectual curiosity, social justice, and reflective dialogue. Citation Format: Shaneah Taylor, Melinda Monge. Bridging the gap through a targeted research fellowship: Introduction and recruitment of under-represented minority students to the cancer research physician scientist pipeline [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C25.

Sustainability-oriented higher education networks: Characteristics and achievements in the context of the UN DESD

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are, as a sector, an important actor in society and their role in sustainability transition has been acknowledged. However, their commitments to sustainability expressed through the adoption of various declarations are often not effective unless combined with other ‘internal’ and ‘external’ strategies (concerned with activities within and outside the institution, respectively). Networking is an example of the latter: universities enter into coalitions in order to discuss progress in sustainability implementation, exchange experience and formulate joint policies. The presented research explores the field of sustainability-oriented higher education networks, analyses their key areas of interest, inter-network relationships, links with the policy field, and (conditions for) cooperation in joint programs and strategy development. Based on information gained through desk-top research to map the field from 14 HE networks' web pages, a survey was designed and distributed to selected university networks, with 15 responses received (30% response rate). Qualitative analysis of the data concentrated on the elements of social capital: the diversity of the networks, heterogeneity of the membership, size, regional scope and communication formats. The networks' activity areas range from those supporting sustainability initiatives within individual HEIs (education, research, campus operations, outreach) and networking initiatives directed beyond individual institutional change (contribution to policy debate at national, regional and global level, professional development and student network initiatives). The achievements of the analysed networks show a considerable contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) in all their reported outcomes. Dialogue with key actors held after the exploratory mapping and the survey stages resulted in further delineation of the benefits and goals of cooperation: achievement of academia's cumulative impact on the sustainable development of our societies. This study highlights the significance of the autonomous character of HEIs based on data from 25 HE networks in total, and how they not only follow, but also stimulate the policy environment, consciously contributing to shared (sustainability) goals. Networking thus may be an important mechanism for systemic change in higher education, and the nature and role of social capital embedded in higher education networks should be the subject of further exploration.

A Capacity Building Framework for Community-University Partnerships

With a focus on organizational capacity building, community-university (CU) partnerships have the potential to yield valuable resources for community nonprofits, which increasingly have to accomplish more with fewer resources. Although a growing body of literature documents the success of such arrangements, both community agencies and universities often face challenges in managing such partnerships. With a focus on student involvement, this paper describes a framework for conceptualizing CU partnerships around capacity building, with efforts designed to address particular program needs as related to the organization’s capacity goals. These needs can be viewed as involving five levels of capacity building: 1) monitoring and documenting program outcomes or processes, 2) enhancing staff skills, 3) modifying program processes, 4) supporting adaptation, and 5) developing infrastructure. Conceptualizing partnerships along these levels helps frame communication about the agency’s capacity building agenda, focuses efforts on addressing organizational needs, and establishes expectations for the scope of student work. Efforts to address these levels can take the form of internal or external models of partnership, varying in their degrees of student involvement and faculty supervision, and can leverage various mechanisms to compensate students for their work. Over time, opportunities for student involvement transform as the needs, goals, and resources of the agency evolve, and the potential of the university to influence the agency grows. Simultaneously, the opportunities open to students for professional development, competency building, and career networking continue to develop as they implement higher-level capacity building within an organization.

An evaluation of a professional learning network for computer science teachers

This paper describes and evaluates aspects of a professional development programme for existing CS teachers in secondary schools (PLAN C) which was designed to support teachers at a time of substantial curricular change. The paper’s particular focus is on the formation of a teacher professional development network across several hundred teachers and a wide geographical area. Evidence from a series of observations and teacher surveys over a two-year period is analysed with respect to the project’s programme theory in order to illustrate not only whether it worked as intended, by why. Results indicate that the PLAN C design has been successful in increasing teachers’ professional confidence and appears to have catalysed powerful change in attitudes to learning. Presentation of challenging pedagogical content knowledge and conceptual frameworks, high-quality teacher-led professional dialogue, along with the space for reflection and classroom trials, triggered examination of the teachers’ own current practices.

Using cultural historical activity theory to examine how teachers seek and share knowledge in a peer-to-peer professional development network

<p>Many researchers have found that the main reason teachers participate in peer-to-peer professional development networks (PDNs) is to seek and share professional knowledge. Yet, the majority of studies about PDNs focus on how and why teachers participate in these virtual spaces rather than how teachers find and distribute knowledge. Each PDN has its own unique rules, tools, community members, and culture that shape how knowledge is created, organised, curated, and shared. Without understanding the factors that shape how and why knowledge is shared in a PDN, teachers may not be able to access the knowledge they need to grow their practice. This study was designed to examine teachers’ knowledge seeking and sharing actions in the Edmodo Math Subject Community, a popular PDN. Cultural historical activity theory was used as a framework for examining the socially constructed actions of seeking and sharing knowledge in a PDN. The findings suggest that seeking and sharing knowledge is a complex, dynamically evolving process that is shaped by the technical (e.g., tools) and social (e.g., community members, rules, roles) aspects of the PDN. Implications and ideas for further research are discussed.</p>

The role of social networks in enhancing the library profession and promoting academic library services: A comparative study of the University of Jordan and Al-Balqaa’ Applied University

This paper investigates how academic librarians perceive the role of social networks in enhancing the professional skills of library staff, and how they can be used to promote library services. It is based on case study design in real organizational settings, which are two academic libraries in Jordan, namely the University of Jordan library and Al-Balqaa’ Applied University library. The authors used questionnaires to collect the required data in order to investigate the perceptions of library staff in relation to social networks and how they used social networks to promote library services. The results indicate high awareness and extensive use of social networks for professional development. However, it appears that social networks were not fully exploited to promote library services. It was noted that “job title” (staff position) was the only factor that affected the results, while other factors such as gender, experience, frequency of use and age had no effect on the results. It is concluded that academic libraries in Jordan should make better use of social networks to promote library services.

Use of social media by new library professionals: Outcomes from a UK survey

This research explores the connection between social media and independent continuing professional development, focusing on new professionals within the UK and Ireland who graduated between 2010 and 2015, based on Ruddock’s definition (see Appendix 1). Two online surveys were conducted to ascertain why continuing professional development networks have been created and why new professionals use them. The first survey was completed by 100 new professionals; the second was completed by four continuing professional development network founders. This paper explores the relationship between the uptake of continuing professional development and social media usage by new professionals and highlights the reasons social media are used by new professionals for continuing professional development which include cost, variety of continuing professional development options, and removal of boundaries, e.g. geographical, hierarchical. The survey also found that network founders used social media to promote continuing professional development and engage with users.

Emotional Intelligence as a Tool for Developing Entrepreneurial Professional Networks

This paper seeks to investigate how Emotional Intelligence (EI) impacts on the relationship between entrepreneurial competence and the development of professional networks. A qualitative methodology was adopted in this survey using structured face-to-face interviews which were administered to a sample of 10 entrepreneurs who own manufacturing Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) based in Gaborone, Botswana. Thematic analysis was used as data analysis strategy. The key findings of the research are that firstly, EI plays an important role in developing professional networks. Secondly, the main benefits of networking are advice; friendship; information sharing and training opportunities. Thirdly, entrepreneurs develop entrepreneurial professional networks through networking with individuals of their own nationality; engaging with other members of the local business community and international networks. This study has provided important insights of interest, to entrepreneurs, scholars and policy makers. However the research was based on a qualitative methodology, future research can be undertaken using a mixed methodology. Furthermore additional research can be undertaken using a comparative analysis of different African countries in order to come up with a multifaceted approach to the role of EI in the development of entrepreneurial professional networks. This paper motivated a debate on the link between EI and the development of professional networks and how these variables determine Entrepreneurial success. While there appears to be a clear relationship between EI and the development of entrepreneurial networks measurement instruments that can show the contributions of each variable to entrepreneurial success need to be contextualised.

Supporting Teacher Noticing of Students' Mathematical Strengths

Video cases and video clubs have become popular tools for supporting teacher learning. One concern is that many of the video projects discussed in the research literature may unintentionally continue to perpetuate deficit perspectives about students by focusing more on their gaps in understanding than on the strengths they bring to their learning. This article describes a video club that is part of a multidimensional professional development network that aims to re-culture mathematics classrooms so that all students have challenging and empowering learning experiences. I discuss shifts in teachers' ways of seeing and talking about students' mathematical activity that the video club has made possible, as well as features of the video club that have supported these shifts.

Beyond Survival: Educational Development and the Maturing of the POD Network

Scholarship about the growth of educational development has charted major shifts in developers' focuses and roles through time and, especially in recent years, has explored the professionalization of the field around the globe. This essay uses a lifecycle analogy to consider the development of one organization, the POD Network (The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education). After a brief and heady “start-up phase,” and a long organizational “adolescence,” characterized by growth and by increasing formalization of processes, governance, and strategy, the POD Network is on the brink of entering a phase of greater maturity.

Experiencing information use for early career academics’ learning: a knowledge ecosystem model

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the informed learning experiences of early career academics (ECAs) while building their networks for professional and personal development. The notion that information and learning are inextricably linked via the concept of “informed learning” is used as a conceptual framework to gain a clearer picture of what informs ECAs while they learn and how they experience using that which informs their learning within this complex practice: to build, maintain and utilise their developmental networks. Design/methodology/approach – This research employs a qualitative framework using a constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2006). Through semi-structured interviews with a sample of 14 ECAs from across two Australian universities, data were generated to investigate the research questions. The study used the methods of constant comparison to create codes and categories towards theme development. Further examination considered the relationship between thematic categories to construct an original theoretical model. Findings – The model presented is a “knowledge ecosystem”, which represents the core informed learning experience. The model consists of informal learning interactions such as relating to information to create knowledge and engaging in mutually supportive relationships with a variety of knowledge resources found in people who assist in early career development. Originality/value – Findings from this study present an alternative interpretation of informed learning that is focused on processes manifesting as human interactions with informing entities revolving around the contexts of reciprocal human relationships.

An Innovative, Strengths-Based, Peer Mentoring Approach to Professional Development for Registered Dietitians.

The Professional Development Network (PDN) program was implemented to enhance mentoring and learning opportunities for dietitians at a multisite health care organization. Program development, implementation, and evaluation were carried out by a Professional Practice Council composed of dietitians in the organization. An exploratory evaluation was conducted after the first year of PDN implementation. Evaluation data were collected from an online survey containing open- and closed-ended questions and PDN documents submitted by dietitians. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. Survey results indicate the PDN provided a mechanism for dietitians to learn from each other, apply learning to their career development, reflect on their strengths, and connect with others in the department. Analysis of PDN documents showed that dietitians pursued learning related to clinical practice, technology, private practice, and research. Mentoring interactions were also described by participants within PDN documents. Findings from this study demonstrate how multiple frameworks from academic literature can be integrated to create a professional development program in a dietetics practice environment. Evaluation results from this study may provide useful insights for others interested in implementing professional development programming.

A facilitated peer mentoring program for junior faculty to promote professional development and peer networking.

To explore the design, implementation, and efficacy of a faculty development program in a cohort of early career junior faculty. Interested junior faculty members were divided into interdisciplinary small groups led by senior faculty facilitators. The groups met monthly for 1.5 hours to review a modular curriculum from 2011 to 2013. Using a survey at two time points (September 2011 and 2013) and an interim program evaluation, the authors collected data on participants' demographics, faculty interconnectedness, and self-reported knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) in the domains of professional development and scholarship, including the ability to write career goals and align activities with those goals. A total of 104 junior faculty participated in the program. They demonstrated changes in self-reported KSA in the domains of professional development (P = .013, P = .001) and scholarship (P = .038, P = .015) with an increase in ability to write career goals (P < .001), ability to align activities with those goals (P < .001), and number of and amount of time spent pursuing activities related to those goals (P = .022). These changes were more significant among female faculty and were not affected by academic rank or time since last training. Interconnectedness among faculty increased during the period of study-the number of nodes and ties between nodes within the network increased. This facilitated peer mentoring program for junior faculty was effective in improving the KSA necessary to promote early career advancement and peer networking, especially for women.

Using Mobile Technology and Online Support to Improve Language Teacher Professionalism

Global Literacy Professional Development Network (GLPDN) project is a teacher's training program aiming at improving the quality of language teachers performance at elementary level. The purpose of the study is to elaborate the use of mobile technology and online support during the training and mentoring sessions; to explain the unique collaboration in the training and mentoring that combine global expert, local program leadership and hybrid mobile delivery of teacher training content and best practice; and to show the result of 2 year implementation of the program in one selected area. The sources of evidence were collected from the observation conducted before, after the first year and after the second year of the implementation of the program. The data demonstrated the improvement of classroom instructions across multiple instructional classroom criteria.

Interactive learning in an urban environmental education online course

Online courses play an increasing role in professional development of environmental educators, yet little information is available on the interactive processes involved in online learning. We examined the relationship of three types of interactions in an urban environmental education online course – participant–participant, participant–instructor, and participant–content – to four course outcomes: participants’ motivation to learn, intent to adapt ideas and information learned through the course in their practice, actual adaptation of ideas in their practice, and development of professional networks. Content analysis was used to characterize participants’ and instructors’ weekly online posts and comments, and generalized estimation equation modeling was used to explore the relationships between interactions and outcomes. The results showed that participant–content interaction had significant positive relationships with participants’ motivation to learn, intent to adapt ideas, and adaptation of ideas. Participant–participant interaction had significant positive relationships with participants’ motivation to learn, and development of professional networks with each other. Finally, participant–instructor interaction had a significant positive relationship with participants’ development of professional networks. The results of this study can be used to improve professional development online courses for environmental educators.