Stand out
from the
crowd in the
career you
want
PG Certificate in
Researcher Professional
Development
Handbook
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
02
University of Strathclyde
|
Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
Contents
Contents2
Introduction3
An overview of the Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher 4
Professional Development
Who does it apply to?
5
How does it work?
6
How is the PG Certificate RPD organised?
7
How do I achieve credits?
8
How many credits do I need to achieve each year?
8
The PG Cert RPD Process9
Stage 1: Register
9
Stage 2: Plan
10
Stage 3: Book & Complete
12
Stage 4: Record
13
Stage 5: Assess
15
Stage 6: Role of the Viva
16
Stage 7: Post Award
16
Student roles and responsibilities18
Staff roles and responsibilities19
PG Certificate Researcher Professional Development course coordinator roles and responsibilities
20
Contacts and further resources21
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
03
Introduction
A
t Strathclyde, we’re committed to
supporting you to be the best researcher
possible, which is why we’ve enhanced our
PhD programmes to help you do just that.
The Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher
Professional Development is the first academic
award in the UK to recognise and reward the wide
array of skills and experiences that, as a PhD
student, you will achieve during your research.
These skills and experiences not only help support
your research, but also your future career. It is
specifically designed to meet the needs of the
diverse researcher community within the University
of Strathclyde, and help you stand out from the
crowd. In addition, it provides each of you with the
opportunity to design a bespoke range of personal,
professional and research skills throughout the
duration of your research, and to get you thinking
about what you need to succeed once you complete
your PhD.
The PG Certificate RPD is an essential component in
preparing you for a career in academia and beyond,
designed to help you recognise that a successful
PhD will include a broad range of skills beyond your
research. You might not recognise the skills you
acquire as part of your research, or consider them
as professional development, but engaging with
your development as a professional researcher will
not only make you a more effective researcher, it
will make you more employable.
In an increasingly competitive job market, it is
important to demonstrate that you are a wellrounded professional, capable of deploying a wide
range of skills to any situation and employers are
increasingly seeking evidence of these skills. The
PG Certificate RPD is an ideal way of demonstrating
that you have the research skills required to
complete a PhD, and that you consider yourself
a professional who has undertaken specific
professional development as part of a career
management strategy. Viewing the PG Certificate
RPD as an essential part of your research training
will help you to maximise the benefits you get
from your time as a student at the University of
Strathclyde.
As a doctoral researcher, you will be enrolled on the
PG Certificate RPD in parallel with your PhD, and you
are expected to complete the certificate over the
same period of time as your PhD. It is not intended
to be an additional workload on top of your research,
but a formalisation of the types of experiences and
learning opportunities you undertake during the
normal course of your research.
As you record your progress towards the PG
Certificate RPD you will also generate a portfolio
of evidence to support your unique pathway
to the award. By engaging in your professional
development during you PhD, and having a
portfolio of what you have achieved, you will be
able to demonstrate to employers that you are a
highly skilled researcher who has taken control of
your personal and professional development to
achieve your career goals.
The PG Certificate in Researcher Professional
Development demonstrates Strathclyde’s
commitment to producing world class researchers
who can succeed in any field of study and any
employment sector. We encourage you to make
the most of the PG Certificate RPD: use it to drive
your own professional development and fulfil your
potential.
Professor Tim Bedford
Associate Deputy Principal Knowledge Exchange
and Research Enhancement
04
University of Strathclyde
|
Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
An overview of the Postgraduate Certificate
in Researcher Professional Development
All eligible first year postgraduate (PG) research
students are automatically enrolled on the PG
Certificate in Researcher Professional Development
(PG Cert RPD) at registration, and each student
is required to accumulate 60 credits across five
classes mapped to the domains of the Researcher
Development Framework (www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf). You
can find out more about the relationship between
the PG Certificate in Researcher Professional
Development and the Researcher Development
Framework, and further information relating to the
background and development of the PG Certificate
RPD, on our website at (www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/
pgrcredits).
Credits are awarded for undertaking a wide range
of personal, professional and career development
activities that enhance the skills you will require to
effectively perform as a professional researcher.
Each activity has been assigned a notional
number of credits, with one credit equal to a
nominal 10 hours of active learning.
Active learning can cover traditional teaching
formats, but can also include blended learning
environments, peer-to-peer interactions, or
preparation and delivery of content. In fact, any
experiential learning opportunity can contribute to
the PG Certificate RPD.
These credit-bearing activities range from
workshops in academic writing and effective
communication, to residential programmes
in enterprise, to resources in research data
management, to gaining credit for presenting
a paper at a conference or engaging the public
through outreach – they will allow you to create a
bespoke programme of activities.
The PG Certificate RPD is not an additional
workload on top of your research activities,
but represents a formalisation of the
experiences and training you undertake
during the normal course of your research
degree that contribute to your research and
professional development.
All learning focuses on broad cognitive abilities,
non-subject specific skills and graduate attributes.
Each class within the PG Certificate RPD focuses
on a specific category of skills you will need as a
researcher. By ensuring that you gain credits in
each class, you are demonstrating that you have
considered your skills profile and addressed any
gaps across the full range of researcher skills and
competencies, in the context of your research and
your career aspirations. This may take you out of
you comfort zone and away from your strengths,
but this will ultimately equip you with skills that you
can apply in any situation in any career.
This handbook has been designed to tell you
about the structure of the Postgraduate Certificate
in Researcher Professional Development and the
processes involved in recording, monitoring and
assessing the activities that you will undertake
towards the successful completion of the
certificate.
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
Who does it apply to?
The revised credit requirements only apply
to students registered on, or after, 1 October
2013. The requirements also only apply to those
doctoral programmes which do not already have a
prescribed curriculum indicated in the Calendar of
Regulations Part 3.
The following research degree programmes
are exempt:
•
•
•
•
•
•
EngD
EdD
DEdPsy
DBA
DPharm
MRes.
In addition, all doctoral students in the Strathclyde
Business School, and students within a Centre for
Doctoral Training, including a Doctoral Training
Centre (DTC), Industrial Doctoral Centre (IDC),
Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) or Block Grant
Partnership (BGP) are exempt. MPhil students
will be required to undertake 20 credits worth of
researcher development activities.
05
“I believe that I started
to build a professional
career from the first
day of my PhD, at
the induction day!
The PG Certificate in
Researcher Professional
Development helps
me to plan and to carry out my research in a
more effective way; at the end of your PhD,
you not only get a doctoral research degree
but also become a professional in your area
of research. You now know what to do next. If
you make most of the PG Certificate, it will not
take you long to find a job.”
Meryem Horasan
PhD student in Law
06
University of Strathclyde
|
Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
An overview of the Postgraduate Certificate
in Researcher Professional Development
How does it work?
The course does not have a prescribed
curriculum; instead it is designed to
be as flexible as possible to give every
student a tailored researcher professional
development experience. The classes
within the course are ‘container classes’
that can be achieved by undertaking
any activity that is relevant and maps
to a container class. Each class can be
achieved by selecting any combination
of relevant activities that add up to the
required number of credits. New activities
unique to each student can even be
added if they meet the class learning
outcomes.
There is no set type of activity, no
timetable and no set duration, other
than the length of your studies. The
only requirement of any activity, and
its associated assessment, is that it
aligns with one or more of the learning
outcomes of a class.
This represents a new way of working
for both students1 and staff 2, and the
staff and student document libraries
provide detailed information about
the processes of identifying training
needs, selecting appropriate activities,
recording activities, monitoring progress,
assessing classes, and the awarding of
the PG Certificate RPD. The flow chart in
figure 1 provides a key that describes the
individual stages in the process and links
to supporting documentation.
1. Register
If you are registered on
the award RD901 to
RD905 will appear on
your Pegasus record
Use the RDF planner to
identify your skill gaps
and find the PG Cert
RPD activities that fill
the gaps
2. Plan
3. Book and
complete
Record your activities
and upload your
evidence using
NEPTUNE/SPIDER
5. Assess
You can only arrange
your Viva when you
have completed the
PG Cert RPD
7. Post-award
After planning the
most appropriate
time to attend your
activities, book and
complete them
4. Record
Complete the reflective
essay after accumulating
enough credits in a
class, repeat for other
classes
6. Viva
Use the PG Cert RPD and
the portfolio of evidence
to demonstrate your
skills to employers
Figure 1: PG Cert RPD process flow chart
1 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/StaffDocs/Forms/AllItems.aspx
2 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/Forms/AllItems.aspx
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
07
How is the PG Certificate RPD organised?
Figure 2 details the name and class code for each of the five classes in the PG Certificate RPD. Class
RD901 requires 20 credits; this reflects the importance of undertaking activities that will directly benefit
your research. The other four classes require 10 credits each, and are aimed at providing opportunities to
develop your skills as a professional researcher. The learning outcomes of the elective RD905 reflect the
fact that the class can be achieved by taking any activity associated with the other four classes. The elective
class allows students to cover one of the other four classes in greater depth. The learning outcomes of all
four classes are deliberately broad, and the section on the assessment procedure3 will provide more details
of how to meet them. Assessment is based on reflective practice, and you will be required to reflect on the
activities you have undertaken, and how you can implement the knowledge you have gained.
Postgraduate
Certificate
in Researcher
Professional Development
60 CREDITS
Figure 2: How the Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development
is mapped to the Researcher Development Framework.
3 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage5_Oct2014.pdf
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University of Strathclyde
|
Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
How do I achieve credits?
Some activities that can contribute to your PG
Certificate RPD classes might be classes, courses or
workshops offered by:
•
•
•
•
your department
your faculty
the University
external partners.
In addition to these activities, an extensive list of
experiential learning opportunities has also been
defined under the following categories:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Knowledge base
Knowledge exchange
Conferences
Publication
Funding
Ethics
Public engagement
Enterprise and entrepreneurship
Citizenship
Career development and networking.
As an eligible student, you will see the classes
(RD901 to RD905, and RD906 for MPhil) which
contribute to the PG Certificate RPD on your
Pegasus record, but these classes will remain
unapproved until the qualification is awarded.
All activities contributing to these classes are
recorded in the PGR monitoring systems (NEPTUNE
or SPIDER), and the monitoring of progress is linked
to the annual review process.
You should log into your PGR monitoring
system to see the full list of available
activities, with additional information about
which class an activity contributes to and
how many credits it is worth.
The NEPTUNE (Engineering and HaSS) and
SPIDER (Science) interfaces allow you to select
learning opportunities under each class, and
read descriptions of the activities. The interface
also provides a running total of credits achieved
towards each class, and acts as a repository for
any documents uploaded as supporting evidence.
Once the required number of credits has been
accumulated in a class, you will be required to
complete the assessment for that class.
How many credits do I need to
achieve each year?
You are expected to achieve at least 20
credits in each year, although this can be
split over any of the five classes.
Once the credits for all five classes have been
accumulated and approved by your supervisor on
completion of the assessment requirements, the
credits will be returned to your Pegasus record, and
appear on your transcript to be assessed by the
Viva Committee.
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
09
The PG Cert RPD Process
It is important that both you and your supervisor
understand the timeline associated with the award,
and how to navigate the processes involved in
planning, completing and recording activities.
This section will provide a general overview of
the course timeline; you can find a more detailed
description of each stage in the relevant guidance
document available on our website.4
Stage 1: Register
The easiest way to check if you are registered on
the PG Certificate RPD is to log in to Pegasus and
check your student record. If you can see classes
RD901 to RD905 then you are registered on the PG
Certificate RPD. MPhil students will see a single
class, RD906, on their records.
For details of how to access Pegasus, please see
the Student Information Services Guide 5 or you can
log in to Pegasus here 6. You can find your student
record by clicking on the Curriculum tab, and then
selecting Curriculum History.
You can read more about this stage of the process
in the student stage 1 guidance document.7
For more information on registration visit
the Frequently Asked Questions section of
our website at http://www.strath.ac.uk/
rdp/pgrcredits/frequentlyaskedquestions/
structureofthepgcertificateandregistration/
4
5
6
7
https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/Forms/AllItems.aspx
http://www.strath.ac.uk/media/ps/isd/comms/StudentISGuide2013-14.pdf2
https://ben.mis.strath.ac.uk/login/
https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage1_Oct2014.pdf
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University of Strathclyde
|
Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
The PG Cert RPD Process
“The PG Certificate
can reflect a student’s
transferable skills in a
beneficial way if appropriate
courses are carried out
based on the student’s aims,
essentially the certificate will
be as useful as the student
makes it.”
Chris Warnock, Wind Energy DTC Student
Stage 2: Plan
You should plan the PG Certificate RPD with your
supervisor within the first few months of your
PhD, in conjunction with planning your research.
You don’t have to pre-plan every single credit,
but it is worth setting your targets for each year
and designing your PG Certificate RPD activities
to enhance and support your research, whilst
also thinking about what skills you would like
to develop when you graduate. Your supervisor
will be able to offer you advice on what sort of
training will help you with your research, and you
should discuss together what your personal and
professional development aims are. You will have
to agree on your PG Certificate RPD plans with your
supervisor, and review your progress during your
annual review.
You can find descriptions of all the current activities
in NEPTUNE (Engineering and HaSS students)
and SPIDER (Science students). The activities are
organised by the class they contribute to, then
by who provides them, i.e., department, faculty,
university or developmental. The developmental
category covers all experiential learning activities
and has been further sub-divided into the
categories listed in the “How do I achieve credits
section?” above. You can read the NEPTUNE8 and
SPIDER9 user guides for full details of how to find
the activity descriptions.
You can access a template to try out different
combinations of activities to help balance
your workload across the duration of your
degree: you can download the template from
NEPTUNE or SPIDER.
8 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_NEPTUNE_guide_Oct2014.pdf
9 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_SPIDER_guide_Oct2014.pdf
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
You will also have access to the RDF planner
from Vitae10 to help you navigate and plan
your PG Certificate RPD activities.
The planner is designed to help you identify your
training needs in each of the four domains of the
Researcher Development Framework. Once you have
identified a subdomain or descriptor that you want to
work on, the RDF planner will provide you with links
to the activities within NEPTUNE/SPIDER that have
been mapped to that subdomain or descriptor. Using
the planner effectively can even gain you 1 credit a
year over the course of your PhD if you upload a copy
of your ‘My completed actions with evidence’ report,
approved by your supervisor, to your portfolio of
evidence at the end of each year: see the ‘Using the
RDF planner’ activity under RD902.
As a guideline you should aim to accumulate a
minimum of 20 credits each year, although you can
agree to a different model with your supervisor if it
is deemed more appropriate. This means you can
plan to undertake activities at the most appropriate
time to support your research needs and your
future career. The PG Certificate RPD course
coordinator will regularly monitor engagement
with the PG Certificate RPD to ensure that everyone
is meeting their annual targets, and contact any
individuals who have not engaged with the PG
Certificate RPD in their first year. This is to avoid
situations where students need to get to many
credits in their final year.
The RDF planner can also be used to create action
plans and record evidence for all your professional
development needs, not just for the PG Certificate
RPD, and you can keep using it after you graduate.
Accessing this is easy; you will be automatically
invited to register with the RDF planner when
you start your PhD. You will receive an email
11
invitation to set up your account. Simply follow the
instructions in the email. If you have any questions,
please contact the PG Certificate RPD course
coordinator at pgrcredits-enquiries@strath.ac.uk.
You are not restricted to formal classes
or courses.
Whilst there are many classes offered by departments
and faculties, and by the Researcher Development
Programme (RDP) that are all designed to enhance
your research and personal and professional
development skills, you are not limited in what you
can contribute towards the PG Certificate RPD.
We have tried to capture as many of the activities
that students commonly undertake as possible in
NEPTUNE and SPIDER, but the list is not definitive. The
PG Certificate RPD is designed to be flexible to your
individual needs and experiences. If you have done
something that is not on the list, you are able to add it.
If you take part in something that develops your
skills in one of the RDF domains or sub-domains11
then it will contribute towards the equivalent class
in the PG Certificate RPD. You will need to recognise
what that skill was, reflect on how it will benefit you
and how you can apply the new skill, and then map
it to the relevant PG Certificate RPD class.
Your supervisor can propose a new activity through
NEPTUNE or SPIDER, please direct your supervisor
to the staff guidance document on how to propose
a new activity.
The submitted proposal will be reviewed by the PG
Certificate RPD course coordinator, who will liaise
with your supervisor should any amendments be
required. Once the activity has been finalised, it
will be added to NEPTUNE and/or SPIDER.
10 https://rdfplanner.vitae.ac.uk/
11 https://www.vitae.ac.uk/vitae-publications/rdf-related/introducing-the-vitae-researcher-development-framework-rdf-to-employers-2011.pdf
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University of Strathclyde
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Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
The PG Cert RPD Process
If you, or your supervisor, are having any problems
with this process you can contact the PG Certificate
RPD course coordinator who will be able to assist
you: pgrcredits-enquiry@strath.ac.uk.
You can read more about the process of adding
a new activity in the stage 2 student guidance
document12, and your supervisor can also
access information in the stage 2 staff guidance
document.13
For further information on planning, visit the
Frequently Asked Questions section of our
website at www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
frequentlyaskedquestions/activityplanning
“Students felt that it could be beneficial
to have an active and engaged research
environment in the department, which, in
the last years, was not as strong and vital as
hoped. The Presentation day is a “students
led” event that can only take place if interest
by students is maintained over time: it is a
good benchmark to measure the “health”
of our PGR community in the department.
Learning from the past we took the chance
given by the new PG Certificate structure.
We figured that students feel much more
motivated to attend and, most of all, to
present, if there is something practical they
can get out of it. We were encouraged by the
information given at the Induction day to
consider the PG certificate system as a way to
see the work that we already do recognised in
the context of our research.”
Stage 3: Book & Complete
Once you have completed the initial planning
stage, you can start attending and completing
activities. The list of available activities in NEPTUNE
or SPIDER will be specific to your department and
Faculty, while all students will be able to see the
university-wide and developmental provision. As
well as a description of each activity, you will also
find which class the activity contributes to, how
many credits it is worth, how to book an activity
and what evidence you are required to upload as a
result of undertaking the activity.
Please note that NEPTUNE and SPIDER are
for recording and monitoring activities and
cannot be used to sign up for an activity.
To sign up for an activity, please follow the
instructions provided in the activity descriptions.
Courses offered by our Department, Faculty or
the University usually have a formal booking
procedure, this is the Development and Training
Gateway in the case of University courses offered
through the Researcher Development Programme.
The activity description in NEPTUNE or SPIDER
will have a direct link to the booking page for the
activity you are interested in.
Other activities might need to be arranged by
contacting someone by email. This could be the
course co-ordinator for a postgraduate taught class
offered by your department. If this information
is known, it will be contained in the activity
description.
Alessandra Feliciotti, PhD student in Architecture
who created a new PG Cert RPD activity
12 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage2_Oct2014.pdf
13 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/StaffDocs/PGCertRPD_stage2_Oct2014.pdf
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
13
Stage 4: Record
Other activities that involve external organisations
will have a wide variety of sign-up methods. It
is your responsibility to organise these types of
activities and find out the most appropriate method
of contacting organisers. Always remember that you
will need to provide evidence that you signed up
for and completed an activity so keep a hold of any
email correspondence or completion certificate you
might get at the end of an activity.
Don’t be tempted to add an activity to your record
before you complete it. You might be worried that
you haven’t reached your credit target for the year
because an activity you’ve arranged doesn’t occur
until the start of the following academic year. Let
your supervisor know that this is the case and that
you will add the credits as soon as the activity is
completed.
You can read more about how to book and attend in
the student stage 2 guidance document.14
For further information on booking activities and
uploading evidence visit the Frequently Asked
Questions section of our website at www.strath.
ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/frequentlyaskedquestions/
bookingactivities
NEPTUNE and SPIDER are the primary
interfaces for the day-to-day management
of the PG Certificate RPD.
Once you have completed an activity you can add
it to your record by finding it under the appropriate
class list and saving it. This will then record the
activity title under the class and add the credit
value of the activity to the running total for that
class. You should also upload your evidence to
the corresponding activity. Full details of how
to complete these actions using NEPTUNE or
SPIDER can be found in the student user guidance
documents.15
The evidence you submit to your portfolio might
be an assignment or your attendance record,
but it can also be anything ranging from a poster
presentation to a video to a mock grant application.
Details of the evidence required can be found in
the activity description. Both NEPTUNE and SPIDER
contain an upload mechanism to support this
process and list the evidence you have uploaded
for each activity you have completed.
“The PG Certificate allows
me to keep a record of my
training and new skills in
a useful way; I think the
additional qualification will
reflect the additional work
undertaken in professional
development to potential employers and
hopefully make me more employable.”
Shona Pennock, Wind Energy DTC student
(opted in to PG Cert RPD)
14 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage2_Oct2014.pdf
15 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/StaffDocs/Forms/AllItems.aspx
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Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
The PG Cert RPD Process
You should only add an activity to your
record once you have completed it.
You can add activities and upload evidence at any
time throughout the year, and your supervisor will
be able to check your progress at any time.
Students will spend different amounts of time on
some activities. For these types of activities you
can select a range of credits. It is up to you to justify
how many credits you are applying to your record,
based on the amount of time you spent on the
activity. Remember that 1 credit equals 10 hours of
active engagement.
How you select the correct number of credits
will depend on which Faculty you are in. Science
students using SPIDER will be able to select the
number of credits from a drop-down box when
adding the activity. Please see the guide to
SPIDER16 for details of how to do this.
Having the required number of credits in a
class should not stop you from undertaking
more activities from that class, if you think
you would benefit from them.
The whole purpose of the PG Certificate RPD
is to get you thinking about your professional
development, and identifying activities and training
that will be of most benefit to you.
The PG Certificate RPD course coordinator and PGR
systems developers are developing functionality to
record any additional activities that you would like
to demonstrate to potential employers.
For further information about recording evidence
please read the stage 4 guidance document18 or
visit the Frequently Asked Questions section of
our website at www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
frequentlyaskedquestions/recordingactivities
HaSS and Engineering students using NEPTUNE will
be able to select the number of credits by clicking
on the Select multiple credits link at the top of the
main page. Any activities that have variable credits
associated with them will be listed and you can
then select the correct number of credits from a
drop-down list. Please see the guide to NEPTUNE17
for details of how to do this.
If you already have the required number of credits,
or the new activity would take you significantly over
the required number of credits, you could consider
adding the activity to your elective class. All of the
activities from RD901 to RD904 can be added to
the elective class RD905.
16 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/research/resportal/rdp/PGRcredits/Student documents/PGCertificate_RPD_student_Spider_guidance_Oct2014.pdf
17 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/research/resportal/rdp/PGRcredits/Student documents/PGCertificate_RPD_student_Neptune_guidance_Oct2014.pdf
18 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage4_Oct2014.pdf
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
15
Stage 5: Assess
You will only be able to access the
assessment exercise once you have
accumulated the required number of credits.
Full details of how to access the assessment exercise
can be found in the NEPTUNE and SPIDER user
guides19 and the stage 5 guidance document.20
The first section of the assessment form will list
all the activities you have recorded towards the
class, and the evidence you have uploaded to your
portfolio. The second section lists the learning
outcomes for the class, and the third section gives
details of the marking criteria for the assessment.
You should follow the instructions and enter your
reflective essay in the text entry box at the end of
the form. Once you have completed the reflective
essay you will submit it to your supervisor. Your
supervisor can either approve the assessment, or
return it to you for further work. You can read more
about the learning outcomes and the assessment
procedure in the stage 5 guidance document.21
The word count for the assessment will depend on
which PG Certificate RPD class you are completing.
You will have to complete a reflective essay of
no more than 2000 words for RD901, describing
how the activities you took part in helped you to
meet one or more of the learning outcomes for this
class. As well as describing the activities, you will
have to reflect on how you felt about the activities,
what went well, what you would change, and how
you will use what you learned in future. There is a
700 word limit on the description of activities. The
remaining 1300 should be reflective.
You will be required to write a reflective essay of
no more than 1000 words for each of RD902 to
RD905, describing how the activities you took part
in helped you to meet one or more of the learning
outcomes for this class. There is a 300 word limit
on the description of activities. The remaining 700
should be reflective.
The expected word count of the reflective essay
will be reduced to 500 words if one or more of the
activities involved a formal assessment, or if you
are applying recognised prior learning (RPL). In
these circumstances you should provide details
of the assessment procedure and any output, and
attempt to succinctly answer the marking criteria.
Please see the stage 5 student guidance document
for more details on RPL.
If your supervisor has returned your assessment
for further work, they will also provide you with
details of what you need to work on. The main
purpose of the assessment is to reflect on your
experiences and think about how you can apply
those experiences in future. If you want further
clarification on what your supervisor wants you to
do, ask for more detailed feedback. If you require
more support with the reflective writing process,
there are some links provided at the end of the
stage 5 student guidance document.
You can find full details of the learning outcomes
and assessment criteria in the stage 5 student
guidance document22, while supervisors can find
relevant assessment guidance in the stage 5 staff
information document.23
Your annual review is an opportunity to discuss the
PG Certificate RPD in the context of your research
progress. You should aim to report on how many
credits you accumulated in the previous review
period, and what you are planning to achieve in
the coming period. You can update your supervisor
on how the activities you have undertaken, or plan
to undertake, will support your research and your
career goals. You can also use the annual review to
discuss any assessments you have submitted for
any of the classes.
For further information on assessments visit
the Frequently Asked Questions section of our
website at www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
frequentlyaskedquestions/assessment
19 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/StaffDocs/Forms/AllItems.aspx
20 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage5_Oct2014.pdf
21 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage5_Oct2014.pdf
22 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage5_Oct2014.pdf
23 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/StaffDocs/PGCertRPD_stage5_Oct2014.pdf
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Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
The PG Cert RPD Process
Stage 6: Role of the Viva
Once you have accumulated enough credits for a
class, and your assessment has been satisfactorily
completed, a pass for the class will then be returned
to Pegasus, where you will be able to see which
classes you have completed on your student record.
You are expected to achieve at least 20 credits in
each year, although this can be split over any of
the five classes. Once the credits for all five classes
have been accumulated and approved by your
supervisor, the credits will appear on your transcript
and be assessed by your Viva Committee, which will
constitute a formal examination board to approve
the credits and award the PG Certificate RPD.
Your supervisor will not be allowed to organise
your Viva if you cannot demonstrated that you
have completed, or are on course to complete,
the PG Certificate RPD.
This means that you will not be able to graduate if
you have not completed the PG Certificate RPD. It
is therefore important that you engage with the PG
Certificate RPD as soon as possible and plan how
to achieve the 60 credits over the course of your
research.
If you complete a formal postgraduate taught class
or a Researcher Development Programme course
that has a formal class code, the mark for that
class will be returned to Pegasus. This means that
you will see the five RD90x classes and the class
code for any formal classes you have completed.
However, when your transcript is prepared for your
Viva, the formal class marks will be supressed from
your record so that it only shows RD901 to RD905.
You can find information about the student record
and awarding of the PG Certificate RPD in the
stage 6 student guidance document24, while staff
can find out more in the stage 6 staff guidance
document.25
For further information on the role of VIVA in
relation to your PG Certificate RPD visit our
Frequently Asked Questions section of the
website at www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
frequentlyaskedquestions/roleoftheviva
Stage 7: Post Award
The PG Certificate RPD has been designed to
help you think about your transferrable skills
and professional development, and provide
you with the evidence to illustrate your new
found talents.
You will be able to describe your skills in language
familiar to employers, and be able to provide
concrete examples of using your skills in cover
letters and job applications. No other UK student
will have a PG Certificate in Researcher Professional
Development, so it will help differentiate you from
other PhD graduates competing for the same job.
By the time you graduate, you will already have
spent at least three years thinking about your
personal and professional development; this
insight will give you a head start over your peers
from other universities.
24 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage6_Oct2014.pdf
25 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/StaffDocs/PGCertRPD_stage6_Oct2014.pdf
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
The assessment exercises you have completed for
each class will list all the activities you undertook
as part of the PG Certificate RPD, this can then
be used to demonstrate your acquired skills to
potential employers. You can also use the RDF
planner to generate reports of any evidence you
have recorded, if you have also used the RDF
planner to record your professional development
activities. After graduation, you will have the
option to transfer to a personal RDF planner
subscription; the current cost is £18 a year. If you
do not want to take up a personal subscription, you
will have the opportunity to download any data you
have entered into the RDF planner.
The PG Certificate RPD course coordinator is
working with the PGR administrators to generate
a properly formatted portfolio of evidence within
NEPTUNE and SPIDER that students can annotate
and download; this will assist you in presenting a
complete portfolio of personal and professional
development activities you have completed as part
of your PhD. 17
“As an industrial Partnership Manager within
the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced
Forming Research Centre and a regular
interviewer on graduate employment panels
within Rolls-Royce, I can see real value
in the approach the University is taking
in establishing the new PG Certificate in
Researcher Professional Development. As
an employer of a large number of graduates
from UK universities, including many with
higher degrees, Rolls-Royce see it becoming
increasingly important for PhD qualified
graduates to be able to demonstrate
knowledge and skills gained through their
academic experiences that would be of benefit
to roles within an industrial context. The
flexibility that the PG certificate RPD offers
in terms of accessing both training and
experiential based learning I think is key in
enabling a balanced set of skills, without
necessarily being constrained to defined
curricula. I would see the PG Certificate RPD
as a very relevant certificate to employers
such as Rolls-Royce.”
Dr Steven Halliday, Rolls-Royce Partnership
Manager, Advanced Forming Research Centre,
University of Strathclyde
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Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
Student roles and responsibilities
As a postgraduate research student at the
University of Strathclyde, you are bound by the
Research Code of Practice.26 Similarly, you are
also required to abide by the University’s policies
regarding conduct which includes Equality &
Diversity, Dignity and Respect, and Plagiarism
and Academic Dishonesty. You can find further
guidelines regarding general University policies27
and student specific policies28 on the University
website. It is your responsibility to read,
understand and adhere to these policies.
As a student enrolled on the PG Certificate RPD, you
also have the following responsibilities:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
26
27
28
29
Confirming that you should be enrolled on the
PG Certificate RPD and that this is correctly
displayed in your Pegasus record (see the
stage 1 student information document29
for details of how to do this).
Taking ownership of your development,
identifying appropriate activities using the
RDF planner, and scheduling your activities
at regular intervals throughout your period of
study.
Following the correct procedure for booking a
place on an activity. This will vary according to
the activity so you must ensure that you have
checked NEPTUNE or SPIDER for the most up
to date information about booking an activity.
Regularly updating the PGR monitoring system
with activities you have completed, and
uploading your supporting evidence.
Cancelling your place on any activities you
cannot attend so that other students are not
deprived of a place.
You should report any problems with these
responsibilities immediately to your supervisor,
departmental/postgraduate administrator or to the
PG Cert RDP course coordinator at
pgrcredits-enquiry@strath.ac.uk (see the contacts
section of this document below).
“The PG Certificate provides
a wide range of training,
opportunities to meet
with students from other
disciplines, and a choice
of training. It puts less
pressure on supervisors
to identify opportunities
for training elsewhere; and will also create
better trained students. Students will gain
a better range of skills that are useful long
term, exposure to issues they might come
across post-degree, and be better prepared
for conducting their own research. The PG
Certificate will enhance student employability
in a competitive market, where a better/wider
range of skills is key.”
Dr Daniela Sime, Senior Lecturer, School of Social
Work and Social Policy
http://www.strath.ac.uk/media/ps/cs/gmap/academicaffairs/policies/Research_Code_of_Practice_Final_Version_ (May_2010).pdf
http://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/policies/academic/
http://www.strath.ac.uk/sees/studentpolicies/
https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/PGRdocs/PGCertRPD_stage1_Oct2014.pdf
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
19
Staff roles and responsibilities
As the supervisor of a student enrolled on the PG
Certificate RPD you should support the student in
the following ways:
1.
Be familiar with the processes and resources
involved in the PG Certificate RPD.
2.
Help your student to identify appropriate
activities for their development plan through
the RDF planner, particularly at interim and
annual reviews, and encourage them to take
part in the full range of activities on offer to
them.
3.
Regularly monitor activity in the PGR
monitoring system to ensure the student
is undertaking activities and is on course
to meet the target of 20 credits per year, or
alternative target agreed between you.
4.
Review PG Certificate RPD activity with the
student at the annual review, and help the
student plan for the coming year, especially if
the student has not completed 20 credits in
the preceding year.
5.
Assess the assignments and portfolio of
evidence that the student has submitted and
discuss the outcome at the annual review.
6.
Create proposals for/identify new activities
that your student might want to undertake.
This will require you to be familiar with how
to assign notional credits to an activity
and which class the new activity should be
mapped to. Full details of how to achieve
this are given in the stage 2 staff guidance30
document.
“The PG Certificate gives
greater access to a variety
of classes and courses
from across the university
and beyond, in addition
to those which are
discipline specific within a
department. The students
should gain a greater appreciation of the
skills that are required not only for a scientific
career, but for any career in any discipline
or area they choose to follow. It is important
that students enhance their transferable skills
and personal and professional development
in addition to their research skills as these
are relevant to all types of work life, not
just research. Given the statistics on how
graduates use their PG degrees, the majority
now do not undertake work in a discipline
related to their postgraduate degree,
so having clear evidence that they have
recognised the importance of transferable
skills and shown they have achieved certain
levels of training will hold them in good stead
in the job market alongside the skills they will
attain via doing a research degree.”
Dr Trevor Bushell, Director of the Strathclyde
Institute of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences
Graduate School
30 https://moss.strath.ac.uk/rkesportal/Research/rdp/StaffDocs/PGCertRPD_stage2_Oct2014.pdf
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Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
PG Certificate Researcher Professional Development
course coordinator roles and responsibilities
The course coordinator will support
students by:
The course coordinator will support
supervisors and staff by:
1.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Responding to any emails sent to pgrcreditsenquiry@strath.ac.uk
Organising monthly drop-in clinics for
students to come and ask questions without
making an appointment. The time and
location of clinics will be advertised on the PG
Certificate RPD website and by email.
Advising students on how to map a new
activity to the PG Certificate RPD framework
and establish credit values.
Accumulating, analysing and responding to
feedback from PG Certificate RPD students,
primarily through (but not limited to) the PG
Certificate RPD tracking project.
Monitoring and maintaining the PGR
monitoring systems, please report any bugs or
issues to pgrcredits-enquiry@strath.ac.uk.
Monitoring and maintaining the PG Certificate
RPD website and all PG Certificate RPD
documentation and resources.
Administering and supporting the RDF planner
subscription on behalf of all students, please
report any bugs or issues to pgrcreditsenquiry@strath.ac.uk.
Facilitating workshops to support the PG
Certificate RPD, such as (but not limited to)
Planning Your Professional Development.
These will be advertised as part of the
Researcher Development Programme.
Liaising with employers and professional
organisations to ensure that the PG Certificate
is recognised and valued by employers
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Responding to any emails sent to pgrcreditsenquiry@strath.ac.uk
Organising monthly drop-in clinics for staff to
come and ask questions without making an
appointment. The time and location of clinics
will be advertised on the PG Certificate RPD
website and by email.
Advising supervisors and staff on newly
proposed activities and adding approved
activities to the databases in the PGR
monitoring systems.
Returning marks to Pegasus for any classes
that have been approved by supervisors.
Administering and supporting the RDF planner
subscription on behalf of all students, please
report any bugs or issues to pgrcreditsenquiry@strath.ac.uk.
Providing training and support to departments
regarding all aspects of the PG Certificate RPD.
As well as these defined responsibilities, the
course coordinator will provide overall quality
assurance of the PG Certificate RPD and ensure
that students and staff are complying with the
regulations of the award.
If you cannot make it to the credits clinics,
and would like to discuss any aspect of the
PG Certificate RPD, you can make a formal
appointment with the PG Certificate RPD course
coordinator by email at pgrcredits-enquiry@strath.
ac.uk. Only students with appointments will be
seen outside of the drop in clinics.
The information presented in this handbook was correct at the time of going to print. Any changes to the handbook will be published on the RDP
website at www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits, and the online copy will be considered the most up-to-date version.
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
Contacts and further resources
CONTACTS, RESOURCES AND LINKS
This section provides links to the Research Code of Practice and the
Policy and Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research Programmes,
Calendar of Regulations and important contact information for the PG
Certificate in Researcher Professional Development.
CODES OF PRACTICE
http://www.strath.ac.uk/staff/policies/academic/
CALENDAR OF REGULATIONS PART 3
http://www.strath.ac.uk/educationstrategy/gmpt/
qualityenhancement/universityregulations/
KEY CONTACTS
RDP Team, Research and Knowledge
Exchange Services
Researcher Development Manager - Claire Nimmo
PG Cert RPD Course Coordinator - Campbell Reid
RDP Administrator - Laura Sweeney
PG Certificate enquiries (pgrcredits-enquiry@strath.ac.uk)
General RDP enquiries (researcher.development@strath.ac.uk)
21
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University of Strathclyde
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Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development Handbook
Contacts and further resources
Engineering
Architecture
Research Director - Andrew Agapiou
(andrew.agapiou@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Catriona Mirren
(catriona.mirren@strath.ac.uk)
Biomedical Engineering
Research Director - Helen Grant
(m.h.grant@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Maureen Leonard
(m.b.leonard@strath.ac.uk)
Chemical & Process Engineering
Research Director - Leo Lue
(leo.lue@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Geetanjali Patwardhan
(geetanjali.patwardhan@strath.ac.uk)
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Research Director - Zoe Shipton
(zoe.shipton@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Lisa Lyons
(lisa.lyons@strath.ac.uk)
Design, Manufacture & Engineering Management
Research Director - Bill Ion
(w.j.ion@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Caroline McGuire
(caroline.mcguire@strath.ac.uk)
Electronic & Electrical Engineering
Research Director - Anthony Gachagan
(a.gachagan@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Elaine Black
(elaine.black@strath.ac.uk)
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Research Director - Richard Brown
(richard.brown@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Diane McArthur
(d.mcarthur@strath.ac.uk)
Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
Research Director - Osman Turan
(o.turan@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Thelma Will
(thelma.will@strath.ac.uk)
Faculty
Walter Johnstone, Vice Dean Research
(w.johnstone@strath.ac.uk)
Carol Brady, Faculty Officer
(c.brady@strath.ac.uk)
Science
Pure & Applied Chemistry
Research Director - Duncan Graham
(duncan.graham@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Christine Davidson
(c.m.davidson@strath.ac.uk)
Computer & Information Sciences
Research Director - Sergey Kitaev
(sergey.kitaev@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Julie Sobocinski
(julie.sobocinski@strath.ac.uk)
Mathematics & Statistics
Research Director - Michael Grinfeld
(m.grinfeld@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Irene Spencer
(irene.spencer@strath.ac.uk)
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp/pgrcredits/
Physics
Research Director - Neil Hunt
(neil.hunt@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Kirsten Munro
(kirsten.munro@strath.ac.uk)
School of Humanities: English
Research Director - Phil Cooke
(phil.cooke@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Co-ordinator - Sarah Edwards
(sarah.m.edwards@strath.ac.uk)
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical
Sciences
Research Director - Paul Hoskisson
(paul.hoskisson@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Administrator - Allison Reid
(allison.reid@strath.ac.uk)
School of Humanities: History
Research Director - Phil Cooke
(phil.cooke@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Co-ordinator - Ali Cathcart
(a.cathcart@strath.ac.uk)
Faculty
Robert Martin, Vice Dean Research
(r.w.martin@strath.ac.uk)
Bronagh Dallat, Faculty Manager
(b.dallat@strath.ac.uk)
HaSS
School of Social Work and Social Policy
Research Director - Kirsten Stalker
(Kirsten.stalker@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Co-ordinator - Gavin Herron
(gavin.heron@strath.ac.uk)
School of Education
Research Director - Geri Smyth
(g.smyth@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Co-ordinator - Helen Marwick
(helen.marwick@strath.ac.uk)
School of Government & Public Policy
Research Director - Anthony McGhann
(anthony.mcghann@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Co-ordinator - Heinz Brandenburg
(heinz.brandenburg@strath.ac.uk)
School of Law
Research Director - Barry Rodger
(barry.j.rodger@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Co-ordinator - Jane Scoular
(jane.scoular@strath.ac.uk)
School of Psychological Sciences & Health
Research Director - Madeleine Grealy
(m.grealy@strath.ac.uk)
PGR Co-ordinator - Marc Obonsawin
(m.c.obonsawin@strath.ac.uk)
Faculty
Anja Lowit, Vice Dean Research
(a.lowit@strath.ac.uk)
Lorna Dougall, Faculty Manager
(l.dougall@strath.ac.uk)
Claire McDiarmid, Head of Graduate School
(claire.mcdiarmid@strath.ac.uk)
Patricia Bunce, Graduate School Manager
(patricia.bunce@strath.ac.uk)
23
Researcher Development Programme (RDP)
Research and Knowledge Exchange Services
University of Strathclyde
3rd Floor, Graham Hills Building
50 George Street
Glasgow G1 1QE
t: +44 (0)141 548 5911
f: +44 (0)141 552 4409
e: researcher.development@strath.ac.uk
facebook.com/strathRDP
twitter.com/strathRDP
www.strath.ac.uk/rdp