As the Koç University Researcher Development Office, we also urge the use of the RDF Planner by our researchers, which is the web based application that organizations and individuals can use to map professional development using the RDF.

RDF Planner is open to all master, PhD and postdoctoral researchers at Koç University.

In 2009, Vitae developed the RDF for researchers, in collaboration with the higher education sector and other stakeholders in the United Kingdom. Vitae is a non-profit program (part of The Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC) in the UK) with decades of experience in supporting the professional development of researchers. The Framework is grounded in research through in-depth interviews and focus groups with over 100 researchers, and additional expertise from specialists and stakeholders.

The RDF is made up of characteristics, expressed in the framework as descriptors, encompassing the knowledgeintellectual abilitiestechniques and professional standards needed to do research, as well as the personal qualities, knowledge and skills to work with others and ensure the wider impact of research. This is a professional development framework for planning and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers. And RDF Planner becomes the web based application that organizations and individuals can use to map professional development using the RDF. 

Whatever stage of researchers are at their career and whether they are thinking of employment outside or inside academia, it is important to note that their research will be enhanced by knowledge and skills development. This will in turn provide insight into the unique blend of their skills and potential benefits to the employers both within and outside academia. Academic accomplishments do not ensure the students’ ability to become effective researchers. This holistic and aspirational tool allows researchers to bring together their past, present and future as a researcher. It makes their lives easier as a researcher since it keeps them focused and oriented, something that many researchers struggle with the heavy work load.

The way researchers use RDF Planner is personalized and totally up to them. The tool offers researchers the flexibility and autonomy to develop at your own pace in their research experience. Our research students can benefit from RDF Planner to identify their strengths, make action plans, review achievements, and create a portfolio of evidence. The researchers can also use among 12 different RDF lenses to consider their personal goals in different contexts.

Please find below some of the testimonials from those Koç University PhD researchers who volunteered to take part in the RDF Planner Pilot Study for a month in 2017: 

“RDF Planner makes you feel in control, which I think is very important in
any academic endeavor as it is a career that demands researchers to take
various responsibilities whether it is teaching or producing publications.” 

“RDF Planner allowed me to visualize myself as a whole in terms of my
professional life and academic development. By just a few clicks, I could see my initial stages and how much progress I have achieved after I started
using RDF Planner.” 

“The RDF planner gave me a better vocabulary for describing my
accomplishments and also led me to think about them and categorize them in different ways based on what employers are looking for.” 

“Attaching evidence of your completed work has been one of the most
useful tool of RDF provides. Whereby, we can keep a track of our
accomplishment and forward that evidence to our advisors if needed.”  

Alongside access to the tool, you will also be offered RDF Planner User Support, which could take the form of 1-to-1 or group support sessions

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A BOOKING ABOUT
RDF PLANNER USER SUPPORT!

An introductory workshop about the use of RDF Planner is also included in KU-RDP.

It is appreciated that, due to its size, the RDF Planner can initially appear overwhelming. We therefore suggest our researchers either to attend a workshop or get a support session, or both.

Koç University researchers can send an email to the office in order to activate their memberships.