Researcher development is more than attending workshops: it relates to all the ways in you develop your professional, academic, intellectual and personal skills and effectiveness to enable you to succeed as a researcher, and in any future career. We have developed different tools to support you in taking a holistic, reflective approach to your development as a researcher: the Development Needs Analysis (DNA) and Researcher Development Recognition Scheme.
These are separate, but complementary activities. We encourage you to complete a DNA at the start of your studies to help plan your development activities (and annually after that if you wish), and the Recognition Scheme at the end of the year, to serve as a record of your development and a prompt for your next steps. However, you can also complete just the DNA, or just the Recognition Scheme.
Step 1: Development Needs Analysis (DNA)
How do I complete the DNA?
- Download the DNA template from Canvas
- Read the full instructions and work through each section of the DNA
- Discuss your draft with your supervisor(s)
- Submit a copy on Canvas.
Step 2: PGR Researcher Development Recognition Scheme
This new scheme is designed to highlight the value of engaging in a wide range of researcher development opportunities, to help you track your development, and to support reflections on the value and impact of your development activities. We hope that this will help you to focus more clearly on your own development needs, future goals, and routes to achieve this, while also developing your own reflective practice, which will help you when applying for future jobs, grants or qualifications. While engaging in development activities is valuable in itself, it’s also important to be able to articulate how you have developed as an individual, and your goals for the future. Completion of this scheme is an opportunity to demonstrate and record these reflections.
You must complete at least 40 hours of researcher development within one year to be eligible for the researcher development recognition scheme. This can include any activities that have contributed to your development as a researcher, and is not limited to taught workshops. More guidance on eligible activities is available on the Recognition Form, accessed via Canvas.
You may want to draw upon your DNA in planning your researcher development activities, or use your reflections from this recognition scheme to inform future DNA plans. However, you do not have to have completed a DNA in order to complete the recognition scheme.
How do I complete the Recognition Form?
- Keep a record of your researcher development activities across the year (minimum of 40 hours)
- Download the Recognition Form from Canvas here. You can use the form to log your development activities in draft, or track this elsewhere if preferred.
- Complete the Recognition Form and submit to pgrtraining@swansea.ac.uk at the end of the year. The ‘year’ aligns to your enrolment period, (October-October, January-January, etc.)
- The PGR Researcher Development Team will review your form and issue a certificate. We may give some feedback or suggest some small revisions before doing so.