Program Design Case Study: Adaptive Professional Training

Program Highlights

School or College: UM School of Medicine

Launch Date: Winter 2023

Pilot Course: All School of Medicine Post-Doctoral Fellows

Competencies: 3 (as pilot)

Dimensions per Competency: 3

Levels per Competency: 5

Prioritization Exercises: 2

Custom Onboarding Survey: Yes

Participants Set Their Initial Level: Yes

 

About the APT Team

Dr. Mary O'Riordan, Frederick C. Neidhardt Collegiate Professor, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Associate Dean of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies

Dr. Kaylee Steen, Associate Director of Professional Development and Trainee Support, U-M Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Karin Tice, Owner of Formative Evaluative Researcher Associates

Amy McNulty, Senior Associate at Formative Evaluative Researcher Associates

 

Competencies

Adaptive Professional Training features 3 competencies, each broken down into 3-7 dimensions. Within each dimension, students progress through 5 levels:

  1. Early Learner
  2. Intermediate Learner
  3. Advanced Learner
  4. Practitioner/Proficient
  5. Teacher/Expert

 

Written scientific communication

  • Communicating science to non-experts

  • Professional correspondence (e.g., w/ editors)

  • Writing as a team, editing, constructive feedback

  • Primary research manuscripts/articles

  • Abstracts

  • Grant proposals

  • Critiquing proposals and manuscripts

 

Oral scientific communication

  • Poster presentations

  • Informal conversations (e.g., an elevator pitch, networking)

  • Seminars & conference talks

  • Communicating science to non-experts (e.g., Science cafĂ©/museum patrons/ government/ press)

 

Visual scientific communication

  • Presenting data with integrity (e.g. not enhancing images)

  • Data visualization techniques (e.g., graphs/plots/graphical models)

  • Effective visual use of data to tell a story (slides & posters)

 

Prioritization Exercises

Competency Builder presents students with the following questions during onboarding to help them narrow down which competencies they would like to focus on:

  1. What areas might be most important for your career?
  2. What are your most important areas for growth?
Print Article