Professional development as a cornerstone of a new University: the contribution of the MA in Professional Development to the UH story

This paper gives a brief outline of the development of the first Masters programme at the University of the Highlands and Islands, the Masters in Professional Development (MAPD) and the new addition to the portfolio, the Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education (PGCert THE). It briefly examines the evolution of the MAPD award since its inception in 1999 and the political backdrop that, to some degree, facilitated it and the ideology underpinning it. It then looks at the requirement of lecturers to engage in continued professional development (CPD) and suggests conditions that may facilitate this. Keywords: Professional development; pedagogy; Masters; communities of practice; situated learning; online learning; collaboration