Every semester you will create a personal development plan (PDP). The PDP is a tool to support your development. It is a written document for planning and directing your competency development on a continuous level, by formulating goals based on your reflection on learning experiences. A PDP is not a fixed document; you change it along with your development. You discuss the PDP with your (graduation) mentor at the start of the semester.
Learning goals
Formulating goals provides direction to your learning and makes it possible to evaluate and monitor your progress. In general, goals need to be meaningful and relevant for your competency development. Also, goals need to be formulated as concrete as possible. A tool to formulate goals effectively is to formulate them SMART. You can find more information about SMART goals in the PDP guide (see Forms and files page).
The professional identity and vision that you develop and refer to in your PDP becomes your point of reference and gives you a specific focus when you are performing learning activities during the semester. You will use your PDP as a tool to direct your long-term (professional identity, vision, expertise areas) and short-term development (learning objectives in a course or project). Based on your long- and short-term goals, you select various learning activities and make concrete what you want to achieve in that particular activity.
It is important to discuss the content of your PDP with your (graduation) mentor. Also, it can be an examiner's point of reference when they assess your overall development and growth as a designer by the end of your master’s program.