Professional Development Plan FAQ
The Professional Development Plan is an articulation of the new probationary faculty member’s professional goals, areas of interest, and accomplishments that they expect to achieve in each of the three areas of evaluation (instruction and instructionally-related activities, scholarly and creative activities, and service) in order to meet the university, college, and department expectations/requirements for reappointment, tenure, and promotion. As such, the PDP is actually three short narratives (approximately 500 words per area), one for each area of evaluation.
In no way is the Professional Development Plan meant to serve as a contract. The achievement of all stated goals does not necessarily guarantee tenure; nor does the failure to achieve these goals mean that tenure will not be granted.
Only new probationary faculty with no (0) years of service credit at time of appointment are eligible for a PDP.
All probationary faculty must be evaluated each year during the probationary period. Probationary faculty who are not being reviewed for reappointment, tenure, and/or promotion in a given year normally undergo a Mini review.
The PDP is an option for new probationary faculty in their first year of appointment that replaces the Mini review. However, some probationary faculty will be asked to do the standard Mini Evaluation instead of the PDP. That decision is made by the Department Chair and the Dean in consultation with the faculty member.
New probationary faculty with service credit at time of appointment must complete the standard Mini review.
Writing the PDP is an important first step in understanding and preparing for the process and procedures for reappointment, tenure, and promotion at CSULB. The PDP is proposed as a university requirement and its specific purpose would be to engage new CSULB faculty in a dialogue with the Dean and the Department Chair to clarify university, college, and department expectations and the goals a candidate should establish to meet those expectations. Writing a PDP also encourages candidates to become “self-assessing” in their professional development and accomplishments relevant to reappointment, tenure, and promotion.
The PDP is reviewed by the Department Chair and the Dean who will each provide feedback and recommendations. The Dean forwards signed, final PDP to the candidate, Department Chair, Department Peer Committee members, and Faculty Affairs for the Personnel Action File.
Teaching evaluation summaries for the first semester must be included with the PDP.
The Professional Development Plan must be included with the reappointment, tenure, and promotion materials submitted by the candidate for the initial reappointment review and during subsequent major reviews through tenure.
Faculty members undergoing review for reappointment, tenure, and promotion are required to submit a narrative detailing their accomplishments in the areas of instruction and instructionally-related activities, scholarly and creative activities, and university/community service. That is a retrospective narrative and focuses on work accomplished. In contrast, the PDP is a prospective narrative and should focus on current and future plans and goals.
The same obligation to meet timelines applies to both the PDP and the Mini review although the specific timelines and procedures differ. No open period is required for a faculty member completing a PDP.
Professional Development Plan Timeline
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| September/October 2024 | Candidate meets with the Department Chair to review the RTP process/policy, discuss expectations, and PDP requirements. |
| Friday, November 8, 2024 | Candidate submits draft of PDP to the Department Chair. |
| Friday, December 6, 2024 | Department Chair provides candidate with comments and/or recommendations for revisions. |
| Friday, February 7, 2025 | Candidate submits revised PDP (if necessary) to Department Chair for approval. |
| Friday, February 7 - Friday, February 28, 2025 | Candidate meets with Department Chair to discuss the PDP and progress to date, including fall semester student evaluations of teaching. |
| Monday, March 3, 2025 | Department Chair forwards PDP to the Dean. |
| Friday, March 28, 2025 | Dean provides candidate with comments and/or recommendations for revisions. |
| Friday, April 11, 2025 | Faculty member submits revised PDP (if necessary) to the Dean for signature. |
| Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | Dean forwards signed, final PDP to the candidate, Department Chair, and Academic Affairs. |
These FAQs and the Instructions for reviews (Mini review and Professional Development Plan) of probationary faculty are both available on the Faculty Affairs website.
