Personal Development Report for Academic Skills and PDP Assessment 2

Read this report on personal and professional development with short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals and the value of a personal development plan. The report defines personal and professional development, discusses the value of short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals, and provides personal examples. It also highlights the importance of a personal development plan. This report is for the Academic Skills and PDP Assessment 2 for the course BMP3001.

Business Management with Foundation
BMP3001
Academic Skills and PDP
Assessment 2
Report on Personal Development
Submitted by:
Name:
ID:
1

Contents
1. Introduction 3
2. Definition of the concept of personal and professional
development 3
3. Description and discussion of the value of short term goals
identifying at least 3 personal examples 3
4. Description and discussion of the value of medium term goals
identifying at least 3 personal examples 4
5. Description and discussion of the value of long term goals
identifying at least 3 personal examples 5
6. Description and discussion of the value of a Personal
Development Plan 6
7. Conclusion 7
Reference List 8
2

1. Introduction
It is important for students to develop their academic skills and build goals for
their academic and professional future. This is because it helps attain career
goals and succeed in academic and professional life (Farrell, 2020). The present
report defines the concept of personal and professional development. Discussion
on short-term medium-term and long term goals is provided in this report along
with suitable personal examples. The significance of personal development plan
is included in this report.
2. Definition of the concept of personal and professional
development
The concept of personal development is defined as the ongoing process of
evaluating personal skills and attributes by considering their personal life-goals.
Defining purpose of the life of an individual is an important part of personal
development as it helps individuals take proactive measures to achieve this specific
purpose. Persona; development is different for each individual as the aspirations of
each individual are different. The main aim of personal development is to create
progress opportunities for an individual in academic, personal and professional area
so through improvement in various personal aspects. This can include building better
personality, improving skill level and credibility developing mental fortitude and
resistance. The aim of personal development is to achieve life purpose which
increases personal satisfaction and contributes to making the life of an individual
more fulfilling.
Professional development is specifically aimed at improving professional life
of an individual. The concept of professional development involves specialized
training, formal education, or advanced professional knowledge, competence, skill
and effectiveness which helps in career development of individuals. Another
definition of professional development states that it is the process of identification of
career goals and learning new skills for attaining those goals. Professional
development usually refers to formal processes such as conference, seminars,
workshop, collaborative learning and other formal activities which help individuals
secure professional development. However, professional development can also
occur in informal contexts such as discussion with co-workers, independent reading,
research observing the daily work of the colleague and learning from a peer
(Holzweiss and Parrott, 2017). The important steps of professional development
include creating future vision for career, identification of professional competencies
and weaknesses, evaluating professional strengths and weaknesses in relation to
the career goals, constructing professional development plan to achieve various
career goals and finally implementation of the plan to move ahead in path of
professional development.
3. Description and discussion of the value of short term
goals identifying at least 3 personal examples
Short-term goals are defined as the goals which need to achieved soon. The
time period for achieving short-term goals is to achieve in 12 months or less. Short-
3

term goals need to be changed and improved as per the changing external
situations. Short-term goals hold high significance because they create a path
towards attainment of bigger long term goals, These goals are usually constructed
by dividing larger long-term goals as larger long-term goals can be overwhelming
and demotivate individuals. The attainment of short-term goals helps individuals
remain motivated as celebrating short-term goals tidings them closer to attainment of
long-term victory (Pariente and Tubin, 2021). It is important for developing short-
term goals for personal and professional development as they help individuals
simplify the path towards attainment of long-term goals. Some of the examples of
personals short-term goals are provided below:
 Short-term goal 1: To maintain disciplined morning routine.
This is an effective short-term goal as following disciplined morning routine
helps individual plays an important role in timely completion of various tasks and
helps individuals remain focused throughout the day. This short-term goal has
various health benefits and also contributes to systematic completion of daily
activities. The attainment of this short-term goal will play an important role in
personal as well as professional development. This is because it helps build
disciplined routine so that every minute of the day is spent wisely for improving
personal competencies and professional credentials. In this way this short-term
goals is tactical to timely personal and professional development and helps in
attainment of various medium-term and long-term goals. The time period for
achieving this goal is of 4 months.
 Short-term goal 2: To keep a daily journal
This is clear and useful short-term goal which is also easy to achieve. This is
because maintaining a daily journal helps reflect on various daily activities and
completion of daily tasks. This short-term goal will also play an important role in
setting and achieving various goals as it helps keep personal thoughts organized.
Reflective Journaling can help view past experiences and understand the positive
and negative aspects of various activities. This will contribute to personal as well
professional growth as it will help pinpoint which areas need to be improved
immediately to facilitate conterminous personal as well as professional growth. The
time period for accomplishing this short-term goal will be of 3 months.
 Short-term goal 3: To improve academic performance
This is relevant short-term goal as it will help reach required academic
performance level needed to gain employment in specific industry. Improvement in
academic performance will help in distinguishing professional resumé from others
because of better academic performance (Boyd and et. al., 2018). This goal can also
be easily attained by gaining feedback from the faculty and making improvements in
areas as advised by the faculty. This will be attained in 6 months.
4. Description and discussion of the value of medium
term goals identifying at least 3 personal examples
Medium term goals are defined as those objectives which need to be
achieved sooner than long term goals and have larger time period than long term
goal. The time period for achieving medium-term goals is from 12 months to 3 years.
Medium-term goals are important as it is long enough to make crucial progress but
also short enough so that it the individual is completely changed by the time the goal
is achieved. Medium term goal help individuals make actual progress towards
4

attainment of long-term goals and are supported by various short term goals.
Medium-term goals are useful as they help deal with larger long-term goals by
simplifying the goal into smaller components which are easy to tackle. Individuals
slowly move towards attainment of long term goals by completing medium-term
goals one by one (Schlein, 2017). In addition to this completion of medium-term
goal also acts as evaluation point at which individuals can assess their current
progress and future gals which need to be completed in order to achieve various
long-term goals. The creation of medium-term goals helps in professional and
personal development as tackling the medium term goals is easy enough to prepare
individuals to face various long-term goals. The three personal examples of medium-
term goals are provided below:
 Medium-term goal 1: To develop interpersonal skill
This is easy to complete and essential medium-term goal as interpersonal
skills are beneficial for both personal and professional development. Interpersonal
skills are a part of social skills and are defined as skills which help in effectively
interacting with others. This medium term goal is easy to achieve as different classes
and seminars help in developing interpersonal skills under specific time period which
comes under medium-term goals. This goal will be achieved under the time period of
1.5 years.
 Medium-term goal 2: To complete internship at reputed firm
This medium-term goal involves completing internship at reputed firm for 1-2
years. Completing an internship successful is an effective medium-term goal which
will help in professional and personal development as it will create employment
opportunities and enhance professional resumé. This is because experienced
employees are more valued than candidates with no prior professional experience.
Securing internship at reputed firm will nor only open learning opportunities but also
help provide required experience to attain career aspirations.
 Medium-term goal 3: To enhance public speaking skills
This goal of developing public speaking skills is aimed at improving
confidence and building leadership abilities. Good leaders are most often effective
public speakers and have the ability to influence large groups through their
impeccable oratory. This medium term goal can be easily attained by participating in
public speaking events and taking classes for improving oratory. The time period for
accomplishing this goal is of 2 years.
5. Description and discussion of the value of long term
goals identifying at least 3 personal examples
A long term goal refers to an objective which needs to be achieved in more
than 3 years. Long term goals relate to the defined life purpose of an individual and
help the individual accomplish their life purpose. Long term goals include achieving
career aspirations and attaining personal development (Senyshyn and Smith, 2019).
The personal examples of long term goals are given below:
 Long-term goal 1: To build effective leadership skills
This long-term goal focuses on building effective leadership skills by
undertaken leadership roles throughout professional career and participating in
leadership tasks during academic life. In addition to this, the long term goal of
building leadership skills can also be achieved by reading theories and books
on ;leadership styles and becoming aware of the leadership practices in the current
5

corporate world. Building leadership skills is essential for rising professionally and
starting own enterprise. The time period for achieving this long term goal is 6 years.
 Long-term goal 2: To build a successful enterprise
This long-term goal focuses on personal entrepreneurial aspirations.
Attainment of this long-term goal first requires gaining experience at leadership
position in a firm to understand the various duties of a business leader. In addition to
this starting a successful enterprise is tough task which will be very tie consuming
and require use of academic knowledge, personal strengths and expertise gained
from professional experience. The time requires for attaining this goal is 10 years.
 Long-term goal 3: To learn new language
This is personal development long-term goal as learning an new language
introduces an individual to a new culture and helps build emotional intelligence, In
addition to this gaining fluency in new language also helps deal with diverse working
environment of the current world which will only rise in the future. Learning new
language to fluency requires years of practice (Guberman and Mcdossi, 2019). So
the time period of attaining this long-term goal is of 4 years.
6. Description and discussion of the value of a Personal
Development Plan
Personal development plan is highly valuable because it helps individuals
take action immediately towards attainment of various long-term, short-term and
medium term goals for achieving personal, professional and academic growth. A
personal development plan provides information about skills which need to be
developed, the development plan involving activities which need to be undertaken for
personal development and target time period set for achieving the specific goals.
This document motivates individuals to take proactive action for achieving various
personal goals which help make academic personal and professional progress. As
personal development plan includes target time period for achieving this goal,
individuals are encouraged to take daily steps in order to achieve specific goal in
timely manner (Shagrir, 2017). In this way personal development plan is highly
important as it guides and motivates employees towards attaining their short-term,
medium-term and long-term goals. In addition to this significance of personal
development plan is also depicted by the fact that it provides individual clarity about
the future and steps they need to take to crate better future for themselves. The
activities and time period set in personal development plan is highly helpful for
individuals as it creates a path which can be followed easily to attain progress in
personal, acadmic and professional aspects of life.
6

7.0 Conclusion
From the above report it is concluded that short-term medium-term and long-
term goals facilitate personal and professional growth and help in attainment of
individual purpose of life. Both personal and professional development plan are
needed to imitate growth in academic, career and personal life. Apart from this
personal development plan is highly important document for growth as it involves all
the information needed to attain professional growth.
7

Reference List:
Books and Journals
Farrell, T. S., 2020. Professional development through reflective practice for English-
medium instruction (EMI) teachers. International Journal of Bilingual
Education and Bilingualism, 23(3). pp.277-286.
Holzweiss, P. C. and Parrott, K. P., 2017. Careers in Student Affairs: A Holistic
Guide to Professional Development in Higher Education. NASPA-Student
Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. 1875 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 418. Washington, DC 20009.
Pariente, N. and Tubin, D., 2021. Novice principal mentoring and professional
development. International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education.
Boyd and et. al., 2018. Use of online media for professional development amongst
medical radiation practitioners in Australia and Canada. Journal of medical
imaging and radiation sciences, 49(2). pp.187-193.
Schlein, C., 2017. (Un) learning to teach through intercultural professional
development. IAP.
Senyshyn, R. M. and Smith, P., 2019. Global awareness dialogue project: Exploring
potential for faculty transformation through a professional development
series. Journal of Transformative Education, 17(4). pp.318-336.
Guberman, A. and Mcdossi, O., 2019. Israeli teacher educators’ perceptions of their
professional development paths in teaching, research and institutional
leadership. European Journal of Teacher Education, 42(4). pp.507-522.
Shagrir, L., 2017. Collaborating with colleagues for the sake of academic and
professional development in higher education. International Journal for
Academic Development, 22(4). pp.331-342.
Anderson, T., 2021. Keeping the workforce healthy and safe during COVID-19 at
Woodside. The APPEA Journal, 61(2). pp.357-361.
Schwoegl, E. N., Rodgers, M. E. and Kumar, S. S., 2020. Reflective journaling by
second‐year dental students during a clinical rotation. Journal of dental
education, 84(2). pp.157-165.Connolly, A., 2018. Public speaking skills for
dummies. John Wiley & Sons.
Mohammedain, D. and Omar, M. M., 2021. Employing Simultaneous Interpretation in
the Development of Public Speaking Skills, Cognitive Achievement and
Attitudes toward Speaking in English among Non-specialist Undergraduate
Students. Journal of Research in Curriculum Instruction and Educational
Technology, 7(4). pp.73-124.
Chen, M. W. and Rybak, C., 2017. Group leadership skills: Interpersonal process in
group counseling and therapy. SAGE Publications.
Schad, J. and Smith, W. K., 2019. Addressing grand challenges’ paradoxes:
Leadership skills to manage inconsistencies. Journal of Leadership
Studies, 12(4). pp.55-59.
8

Appendix 1: Personal Development Plan
Skills to
be
Developed
Development Plan Resources Target Date
Journal
keeping
skills
The level of competency I have in journal
keeping is medium level. I will be able to
improve this skill by adopting daily time
schedule for completing entry in my
reflective journal and devote specific part of
my day towards improvement of this skill .
Secondly I will also lean from online videos
about ways of writing an effective reflective
journal.
Anderson, T., 2021. Keeping
the workforce healthy and safe
during COVID-19 at
Woodside. The APPEA
Journal, 61(2). pp.357-361.
Schwoegl, E. N., Rodgers,
M.E. and Kumar, S. S., 2020.
Reflective journaling by
second‐year dental students
during a clinical
rotation. Journal of dental
education, 84(2). pp.157-165.
3 months
Public
speaking
skills
The proficiency of my public speaking skill
is low. In order to improve this firstly I will
participate in communication improvement
classes. Secondly will take up public
speaking activities at University level.
Finally I will also attend public speaking
seminars
Connolly, A., 2018. Public
speaking skills for dummies.
John Wiley & Sons.
Mohammedain, D. and Omar,
M. M., 2021. Employing
Simultaneous Interpretation in
the Development of Public
Speaking Skills, Cognitive
Achievement and Attitudes
toward Speaking in English
among Non-specialist
Undergraduate
Students. Journal of Research
in Curriculum Instruction and
2 years
9

Educational Technology, 7(4).
pp.73-124.
Leadership
skills
I have medium level leadership skills. In
order to develop this firstly I will participate
in team based tasks at my University and
learn team building theory. Secondly I will
lea about leadership theories and styles.
Finally I will perform effectively in my
professional career to gain leadership
experience at reputed firm.
Chen, M. W. and Rybak, C.,
2017. Group leadership skills:
Interpersonal process in group
counseling and therapy. SAGE
Publications.
Schad, J. and Smith, W.K.,
2019. Addressing grand
challenges’ paradoxes:
Leadership skills to manage
inconsistencies. Journal of
Leadership Studies, 12(4).
pp.55-59.
6 years
10