Doctoral Development Programme
The Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) is a programme of personalised training and development for all PGR students. Engaging with the DDP is a mandatory requirement for all PhD and MPhil students - including part-time and remote location students - but it is designed to be flexible and tailored to your own needs to support the diversity of academic and professional experiences, research projects and career aspirations present of PGR students Sheffield.
The DDP will support you to gain and enhance the skills needed to:
Successfully complete your research project
Become a world-class researcher
Reflect on your personal and professional development
Increase your future employability
Get the most out of your PGR study and experience at Sheffield
The DDP is made up of several key components:
Your supervisor will help you decide what research training is most appropriate, both at the start of your degree and as you progress, using tools such as the Training Needs Analysis Form (TNA) and Development Plan.
Training Needs Analysis (TNA) - based on 8 core competencies, this live form is a tool to help you - in discussion with your supervisor - identify your individual development needs.
Development Plan - built into the TNA form, you'll use this section of the document to plan your development activities in more detail
Research Ethics & Integrity Training - compulsory training designed to support the conduct of ethical research
Training and development opportunities - activities that you'll engage with based on your TNA and development planning
DDP summary - a summary of development completed throughout your degree
Successful completion of the DDP - official approval of your DDP summary by the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Students starting from September 2020 - to embed the eight core competencies, a new Training Needs Analysis form (TNA) & Development Plan and Evidencing Development summary were introduced for new students from September 2020 onwards.
Students starting before September 2020 - may choose to opt in to the new system or continue with the existing TNA summary and ePortfolio summary.
Find out more:
What the DDP is and isn't
Getting the most out of the DDP
New students: what do I need to do first?
Review the DDP webpages and consider available training and development opportunities including modules, seminars and language training
Complete a draft of the TNA form to bring to your first supervisory meeting
Discuss your training needs and suitable training/modules with your supervisor at your first supervisor meeting
Finalise your TNA form at your second supervisor meeting, including the Development Plan section which lists the actions you will take over the course of your first year
Submit your TNA form using the Personal and Academic Tutoring System (PATS) available through MUSE. Create a meeting with your supervisor, select Research Supervision and Training Needs Analysis and follow the instructions. This should be done by 5pm, Friday 13 October 2023
Register for any relevant modules and/or training via the DDP training hub (for History MA modules see additional information below)*. There is one compulsory module you will need to take as part of the DDP - this is called FCA6100 Research Ethics and Integrity and you should complete this before the confirmation review deadline.
After three months meet with your supervisor to discuss your DDP progress so far and make any necessary adjustments.
* You don't have to register for all relevant modules and training straight away - you will discuss your development plan regularly with your supervisor and adjust as you go - but you will need to sign up to any relevant Autumn semester modules as soon as possible as these will usually start w/c 25 September.
Additional information on modules:
You will take one compulsory module called Research Ethics and Integrity Training
History MA modules
Subject to availability, you are able to take history MA modules appropriate to your area of research and development needs. You should contact the Postgraduate Student Experience Manager to discuss availability. Teaching for semester one MA modules will begin in the week commencing 25 September.
Language modules
The Languages for All programme gives students access to studying a wide range of languages.
Language modules offered by the Modern Languages Teaching Centre (Arabic, French, German, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Catalan, Czech, Dutch and Russian) and the School of East Asian Studies (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) are usually taught in combined classes with undergraduate students, masters students and members of the public and are 10 credits.
To take a language as part of the DDP it must be directly relevant to your research. You will find information about languages as part of DDP here.
To apply, you will need to complete the MLTC or SEAS application form so that they can consider your existing language skills and which level of language learning would be appropriate. These forms will open on 4 September 2023. In the meantime you can complete the MTLC register an interest form and you will be contacted when applications open.
If successful, places on Language modules are allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis, so we would recommend completing the application form quickly once it opens. If you are interested in taking Beginners or Post-Beginners Latin please also let the Postgraduate Student Experience Manager know via email so that we can update them on potential numbers.
Other modules not listed on the DDP webpages
If you would like to register for a non-history module that is not listed on the DDP webpages you should first get agreement from the module provider and then contact the DDP admin to register.
What do I do next?
Students starting from September 2020 and students starting before September 2020 who have chosen to move onto the new TNA system:
Your TNA is a living document - you should use it to keep a record of your training and development activities
You will formally reflect on your TNA and Development Plan as part of your bi-annual review and annual review each year so that, as your skill level changes and your research develops, you can further tailor your training and development. We recommend using Google Doc's version history function to create a named version of your TNA at each formal review point. You will be asked to confirm that your TNA has been reviewed as part of the bi-annual or annual review form. You should also informally discuss your training and development at more regular intervals as part of your supervisory meetings.
Each year, you will register for any relevant modules and/or training via the DDP training hub (for History MA modules see additional information above)*.
You should complete the compulsory ethics module FCA6100 Research Ethics and Integrity ahead of the confirmation review deadline.
You will submit a pdf copy of your TNA, as well as a summary of your engagement with the DDP so far, as part of your confirmation review.
About 2-3 months (4-6 months for part-time students) before the end of your registration period, you will complete your Evidencing Development Summary using your completed TNA to reflect on your training and development and identify one example of development for each of the eight core competencies.
Once your summary has been reviewed and approved by your supervisor, you will submit this to Research Services.
* You don't have to register for all relevant modules and training in October - you will discuss your development plan regularly with your supervisor and adjust as you go - but you will need to sign up to any relevant Autumn semester modules as soon as possible as these will usually start w/c 25 September 2022.
Students starting before September 2020:
If you prefer to move to the new TNA system please refer to the guidance above.
Keep an ePortfolio of your training and development throughout your degree. You can use Pebblepad or any alternative system of your choice.
You should complete the compulsory ethics module FCA6100 Research Ethics and Integrity ahead of the confirmation review deadline.
You will submit a copy of your TNA, as well as a summary of your engagement with the DDP so far as part of your confirmation review.
Undertake an review of your training needs with your supervisor each year as part of your annual review (October) so that, as your skill level changes and your research develops, you can further tailor your training. You should complete a new TNA form and have it signed by your supervisors. You will be asked to confirm that your TNA has been reviewed as part of the bi-annual or annual review form.
Register for any relevant modules and/or training planned for the coming year via the DDP training hub (for History MA modules see additional information above)*.
In your final year submit a summary of your engagement with the DDP.
* You don't have to register for all relevant modules and training in October but you will need to sign up to any relevant Autumn semester modules as soon as possible as these will usually start w/c 25 September 2022.