CHAPTER 2 :THE MEANING

AND CONCEPT OF
CONTINUING
PROFESSIONAL
EDUCATION
 “the process of engaging in education pursuits with the
goal of becoming up-to-date in the knowledge and
skills of one’s profession”
(Weingand, 1999)

 “the education of professional practitioners,

regardless of their practice setting, that follows their
preparatory curriculum and extends their learning…
throughout their careers”

(Queeney,2000, p. 375).
 Sources of Continuing Professional
Education

 Continuing professional education programs are

offered by a variety of organizations, each with a
particular set of purposes, some shared and some
discreet.
 Universities, as the homes of most professional
training programs, are a major provider of CPE.
 The challenges to be discussed are the lifecycle
of a profession, the meaning of continuing
professional education, and defining terms by
providers and across professions.
 The issues explored are professional learning:
How is it measured, facilitated, and defined and
 The development of CPE-providers: how do
CPE-providers acquire the skills and knowledge
they need?
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL
EDUCATION
 Education is a systematic process that seeks to
alter knowledge and skill

 engaging learners interactively with teachers or

other knowledge resources

 using a considered strategy to achieve an effect

in the altered knowledge, skill, or attitudes of the
learner.
 Professional refers to people who engage in
work based on a large, complex body of
knowledge usually gained in professional
schools.

 Professions include law, medicine, architecture,

engineering, education, and other disciplines
that codify practice.
 continuing refers to the post-preparatory
phase of professional development.

 the professional is engaged in practice on a

regular basis and is learning in ways that
adjust practice to:
- correct errors
- expand or adjust performance,
- introduce new or reformed practices
and perspectives on practices.
 Continuing professional education takes a
variety of forms, some more common than
others and some that are used often in one
profession but almost never in another.
 One of the most common forms of CPE is in-
service or on-the-job training.
The role of CPE in Human Resource
Development
CPE is a field of practice and study that is
directed to the ongoing learning needs of
professionals (Cervero, 2001).

the purpose of CPE “is to help professionals

provide higher quality service to clients by
improving their knowledge, competence, or
performance” (Cervero, 1989, p. 518).
 HRD improvements can be directed to the
individual, the larger system, and also the
meso area
 between the individual and the larger system
where components and subsystems
 interact in complex ways
 CPE focuses on contributing to individual
professionals, the professions, and society,
whereas
 HRD focuses on the needs of professionals,
non professionals, and collective
 entities (e.g., work groups, organizations,
communities, nations, and humanity).
Summary of Comparison between CPE & HRD
Purpose
To certify and improve professional knowledge and practice
Improvement process
Learning
Focus
Individual professionals, professions, and society
HRD Programs
Purpose
To improve satisfaction, learning and performance
Improvement process
Learning and performance
Focus
Individuals, work groups, organizations, communities, nations,
and humanity
 CPE programs aim to improve the
individual professional’s expertise

 HRD programs aim to improve the larger

organization or collective entity.
 CPE programs produce more highly
skilled, reflective practitioners who, in turn, benefit
the profession and society.

 HRD programs produce learning and

performance at various levels within complex
productive systems to affect learning and
performance at other levels
TREND 1.

 The amount of continuing education offered at

the workplace dwarfs that offered by any other
type of provider, and surpasses that of all other
providers combined.
TREND 2.

 Universities and professional associations are

active and important
 providers, with an increasing number of
programs being offered in distance education
formats.
 TREND 3.

 There are an increasing number of collaborative

arrangements among providers, especially
between universities and workplaces.
-- INDUSTRIAL TRAINING
 TREND 4.

 Continuing education is being used more

frequently to regulate professionals’
practice.
 CPE Approaches & Practices

 Professionals must learn throughout their

working lives

 The concept of lifelong education is a must in

every profession
 The main purpose of
professional development should
be to improve practice.
 (Cervero, 1998)
 a) update professionals with new information
related to their field,
 (b) assist professionals in developing a critical and
analytical way of considering knowledge,
 (c) enable professionals to practice using
judgement skills, and
 (d) assist them in developing new knowledge
based on practice

 (Cervero, 1988; Schon, 1987).

 They learn through books,
discussions with colleagues,
formal and informal programs and
the rigors of everyday practice
 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) a
form of formal learning has increased.

 The majority of associated activities take the

form of courses, workshops, seminars, online
provision and so forth
 Many professions have a system of accreditation
for providers of CPE
 Participation in CPE as basis for relicensing
members of certain professions
 In Malaysia CPE is not well established
 CPE should be more organized; proper
planning and evaluation, conducted by
qualified personnel
 (Balan, 2006)
CPE FOR THE PROFESSIONS
 A new field of educational practice has
come into existence
 In the USA journals in specific professions
 CPE educators also form their own
associations
 Traditional view: CPE must be directed by
its own members
 By WHOM?

 Professional bodies as stakeholders

 Professional bodies have a clear
commitment to enhance the expertise of
their members.
Organisations as stakeholders
Organisations have a substantial
interest in ensuring that their
employees continue to learn.
Professionals as stakeholders
The most important stake that professionals
have in ongoing mandatory CPE is that of
ensuring their good standing with their
profession so that they continue to be registered
and hold professional status.
 Higher education as
stakeholders
 Higher education providers have
a stake in CPE in preparing
novices for future careers and in
ongoing post-graduate
education.
 It is important to identify the elements of effective
practice in CPE

 To improve practice:
 to understand the assumptions and principles
that guide the work
 Examine whether they are the most useful ones
 Change when necessary
Benefits of CPE

 Build confidence and credibility

 Earn more
 Achieve your career goals
 Cope positively with change
 Be more productive and efficient