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CENTER FOR INNOVATIONS
IN TEACHING AND LEARNING
Sample Individual Development Plan
An Individual Development Plan is a planning tool that can help you assess your current skills and strengths,
identify your short-term and long-term goals as a scholar, teacher, and professional in your field, and create a plan
for developing your skills and meeting your goals. Remember that goals should be Specific, Measurable,
Achievable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART). Work with your mentor to discuss these goals, your strategies and
timeframes for meeting them, and the ways your mentor can support you. Think of this plan as a live document
that can be edited and adjusted to suit your needs and your progress. Continual check-ins with your mentor that
make use of this document can keep you on track towards your degree and towards your career development.
Begin by thinking through the following questions:
ACADEMIC PREPARATION
What are your program responsibilities/requirements?
What are the requirements and responsibilities you must meet during the upcoming academic year? In
the next two years?
What practical skills or discipline-specific knowledge do you need to develop to meet these
responsibilities?
What scholarly activities would you like to accomplish or work toward during the next year? (for example:
applying for a grant or fellowship, presenting at a disciplinary conference, joining a professional
organization, completing a specific research project, co-authoring a paper, etc.)
CAREER REFLECTION
What are your current career goals? What work would you like to do in the future?
What skills/competencies are necessary for your chosen career?
Do those skills and competencies align with your current skills/competencies?
What are some next steps you can take to develop your career exploration?
If you are not a first-year student, review your progress during the past year:
Provide a brief overview of your research project and major scholarly accomplishments over the last year:
What were your main goals for the past year? Which did you meet and which did you not meet? If you did
not meet a goal, why not?
What new technical expertise/skills did you acquire in the last year?
Publications:
Fellowships/grants applied for (including results):
Conference presentations:
Teaching experiences:
Other professional development:
Other activities or service work (on campus or in the community):
Now, fill out your goal chart for the upcoming year.
Scholarly Goals
Objectives or Skills to
be developed
Approaches and
strategies
Timeframe or
benchmarks
Outcomes
Role of Mentor
Example: Learn to
analyze lab data
Develop familiarity
with lab equipment;
seek out more
advanced peers with
proficiency in this
skill
This academic
term
Proficiency in
data analysis
Oversee data
analysis; connect
student with
more advanced
students
Teaching Goals
Objectives or Skills to
be developed
Approaches and
strategies
Timeframe or
benchmarks
Outcomes
Role of Mentor
Example: Increase use
of active learning
techniques in
discussion section
Participate in CITL
Active Learning
workshop
Attend workshop
in Spring quarter;
incorporate
practices into
lesson planning for
the upcoming
Summer term
Incorporate active
learning activities
into Summer class
Mentor conducts
teaching
observation and
assesses the
incorporation of
active learning
techniques; refer
me to appropriate
programs and
resources
Communication Goals
Objectives or Skills to
be developed
Approaches and
strategies
Timeframe or
benchmarks
Outcomes
Role of Mentor
Example: Write
professional emails to
scholars in my field
Attend professional
development
workshop; practice
email etiquette with
peers and trusted
mentors
This academic
term
Proficiency in
professional email
etiquette
Model
professional email
etiquette
Professional Development Goals
Objectives or Skills to
be developed
Approaches and
strategies
Timeframe or
benchmarks
Outcomes
Role of Mentor
Example: Initiate
networking outside
my academic program
Identify scholars
doing work of
interest to my
project, read their
work, seek them out
at a conference or via
email
Make contact with
one scholar per
month during this
academic year
Establish a
network of
scholars pursuing
research work
similar to mine
Consider the
research topic
and suggest
readings /
scholars to reach
out to
Career Development Goals
Objectives or Skills to
be developed
Approaches and
strategies
Timeframe or
benchmarks
Outcomes
Role of Mentor
Example: Write a
Curriculum Vitae
Attend a CV
workshop and seek
out samples from
faculty or peers
This academic year
Create a working
draft of a CV for
grants/fellowships
Provide sample
CV
Date last discussed with mentor: ___________________________________________
