CDC Professional Development Practices

■ Identify a person to provide leadership for PD efforts.

■ Establish procedures and policies that promote timely, research‐based, and responsive PD.

■ Secure financial and human resources to support PD and collaboration.

■ Establish and implement a PD plan that incorporates the PD‐related components found in the cooperative agreement work plan.

■ Ensure continuous learning among program staff.

■ Develop a process for recruitment, development, and assessment of qualified PD providers (may be in‐house). Ensure that PD providers are skilled to:

• Apply the fundamentals of effective training design and delivery.
• Are familiar with the specified content.
• Apply adult learning principles.
• Use a variety of strategies to meet needs of diverse learners.
• Create a safe and functional learning environment for constituents.
• Manage conflict and controversy.

■ Provide ongoing technical support for PD providers.

Group Setting

For each training or presentation offered:

■ Identify the target audience.

■ Conduct a pre‐assessment and review available data to guide the development of SMART (Specific Measureable Achievable Realistic Time‐related) objectives.

■ Develop a comprehensive training design (agenda).

■ Develop and select an action planning template.

■ Develop an evaluation plan.

■ Develop a plan for follow‐up support.

■ Develop, design, and organize materials.

■ Manage, or hire someone to manage, logistics (e.g., registration, site selection, transportation needs, AV/technology).

One-On-One Technical Assistance (TA)

Develop a TA protocol that includes:

■ Response time.

■ Site data review (when available).

■ Topics to be covered.

■ Follow‐up support.

■ Materials to be sent.

■ Data entry process.

■ Determine the PD services that will match target audience needs.

■ Develop a comprehensive promotional plan. As part of the plan

• Develop SMART objectives that describe the promotional results to be achieved.
• Develop and pretest messages and materials that will resonate with target audiences.
• Create a promotional time line.
• Identify measures of success.
• Recruit partners who can support and assist in achieving promotional objectives.

■ Implement the promotional plan.

■ Collect evaluation data.

■ Record data in data management system.

■ Monitor and adjust the promotional plan, materials, and messages as appropriate.

■ Provide an environment conducive to learning.

■ Use qualified providers.

■ Execute the training design and technical assistance protocol.

■ Collect participant data.

■ Provide and manage materials.

■ Manage AV and technology when applicable.

■ Collect evaluation data.

■ Record data in data management system.

■ Plan for follow‐up support prior to each event.

■ Choose appropriate follow‐up support strategies.

■ Share follow‐up support expectations prior to and during the event.

■ Schedule follow‐up support, if applicable.

■ Conduct follow‐up support at appropriate intervals.

■ Collect participant data.

■ Collect evaluation data.

■ Record data in data management system.

One-On-One Technical Assistance (TA) to:

■ Plan for follow‐up support, if needed, during the initial provision of technical assistance.

■ Choose appropriate follow‐up strategy.

■ Schedule follow‐up support.

■ Conduct follow‐up support.

■ Record data in data management system.

■ Develop a plan to measure the SMART objectives stated in the cooperative agreement work plan.

■ Identify or develop instruments to collect evaluation data from multiple sources.

■ Assess needs of the target audience, as applicable.

■ Collect process data.

■ Collect outcome data.

■ Maintain evaluation data in an organized data management system.

■ Identify or develop a data entry protocol.

■ Use Evaluation Data to:

• Revise PD plans.
• Revise and refine training designs.
• Revise and refine technical assistance protocol.
• Inform the design of follow‐up support.
• Report indicators of success.
• Inform decision makers and stakeholders.