I have just completed my dissertation as part of my MSc with the OU and had to learn how to use LATEX. Once I got started I found it was relatively straight forward to use.

I have engaged in the past two years with a cybersecurity research group that interfaces with industry.  Through this engagement, I have been exposed to many current issues in security that businesses face today as they try to ensure that their software is secure: at the policy and regulatory levels, assurance and insurance, within their own board and management, and among their developers.

Other than that, the primary way I keep up on what is going on in computing and communications technically is through my field studies, in which I engage with developers on the job.  

In my research, I stepped away from my professional role as a developer toward the social sciences, and as a result, as a part of my professional development, I have been advised to "tech up" my CV.  I tend to bristle at the thought of taking yet another python course, or Angular, or any of the other current trends in computing because as David notes, that technology changes quickly, but revolves around core computing concepts. 

However, if I were in industry, I would (and did) take any course I could to remain employable.  So I would advise students not to take a page from my book, but instead remind them that, for better or worse, this a key part of this discipline and profession, and to embrace it!

I don't think I've had any formal training in the last 12 months. All my learning has been self-led. Most recently I've learnt about containers and Docker. This has been quite a revelation. I had heard of containers and thought of them as maybe being similar to virtual machines (which in a way they are as both are methods of virtualization). But the ability to create a portable and consistent environment that is running in seconds and to be able to share it via a Docker Hub repository is fantastic. I've now created a Docker image to support a technical book that I'm currently writing. This requires quite a few open source tools to be used. Rather than worry about giving installation instructions for different operating systems and explain how to install tools that are not always straightforward to install, I will provide the docker image. Readers of the book will be able to use the tools in seconds (I just need to give instructions for installing Docker) and I know the examples will work on all systems that the reader might be using. As I also have control of the image I can update it to take account of any breaking changes in software, after the book is published. I don't have to worry about the installation instructions becoming out of date etc. As well as now being able to talk to students about containers, I can illustrate this with my particular use case, and perhaps use of Docker could even be incorporated into a tutorial.

In the past year I haven't been on any specific training, but going back a bit I've been on a number of courses for different industrial software and hardware. What I'd take away from these courses is that there is a big focus on giving students the basics what they need to know and then letting them attempt a task, only stepping in if they get really stuck. Often the mistakes we make when trying something new for the first time teach much more valuable lessons than anything that could be presented in a lecture.

Here are some of the CPD activities I have done in the last year

Line Managing a service desk remotely during the lockdown has made me learn about remote working as a team e.g. using technology such as MS Teams, WhatsApp and Discord messaging and what works remotely and what does not.

Researching and then implementing key performance indicators (KPI) on a telecommunications Service Delivery Desk using a combination of the internet, books and practice including collecting data, analysing and reporting regularly to management.

Researching then implementing a Major Incident Model; The process itself and standard communications to customers and internal stakeholders.  

Researching and then implementing processes on how to handle the most common customer queries (in the form of flow charts) onto the first line service desk.

Creating an online document control process for the first line service desk.

Learning bespoke telecoms systems and existing custom practices such as the complaints process/procedure used at a telecommunication firm through a combination of management handover, shadowing my staff and self-study using websites such as ISPreview.

On reflection, in the past year I have gained deeper technical knowledge into the broadband and telecoms industry. However, I would explain to the  students in terms of a long term career in IT  the  learning done on processes, communication and having management information  is as important as technical knowledge as this knowledge can be applied to many different IT industry sectors.

In a project management or system design tutorial I could show how  a process could be turned into an easy to follow flow chart diagram which can be posted online as is or made smart so that the screen changes depending on the answer.   

I already knew a bit of java as well as the theory of OOP but I had to teach a java programming unit last term so I completed the tutorials before the students went through them. I was worried that they would ask me loads of difficult questions but I stayed calm and made good use of Stack Overflow to search for answers. My advice to students would be to work through the tutorials methodically, write notes as they go along, and write comments in their code so that they can refer back to it next time they have to use the same skill.

I recently read a book titled “Weapons of Math Destruction” by Cathy O’Neil. The book is about how Data Scientists use biased algorithms to build models which have serious negative impact on the lives of people in the society. The book is a wake-up call to evaluate how these models affect our lives with a view to optimizing them by removing the biases inherent in them.

I would like students to be aware that their works may have serious impact on the society. While technology can be a powerful tool in solving problems, it may also be doing some harm. Hence, the need to embed fairness and ethics into the development of IT systems.

Recently have attended training for a software package (MS technology) that is needed in my work.  I have been on two virtual conferences. I have just finished my first year on EdD course.

I like learn and I take any opportunity to improve my skills and knowledge.

I have attended a variety of training across software packages and I am proficient in using Microsoft office products that will help manage student interactions using remote working technologies, ensuring the group maximises learning from each other.

This broad palette has recently been enhanced with TES Subject Knowledge Enhancement for computer science, covering topics required to teach BTEC and 'A' level. 

This is useful because I can relate my real world experience, up to date knowledge of the computer science curriculum with the applied experience from the students own experiences using Webinars

I have undertaken a range of CPD in the past year including:

- Cloud computing Amazon Web services associate (AWS)

- Full stack development HTML, CSS, Javascript, SQL

- Agile coaching: Useful psychology on how to coach agile teams to work collaboratively

- A range of SAP courses

CPD takes several different forms, for RIBA CPD is monitored through on-line system. CPD can be self-govern, attainting for example UoA and Government events on setting design policy and during cover increasingly less event can be attended remotely.

Over the last three year, I started and completed my BSC Mathematics with the OU. Interleaved with the study, I looked into Machine Learning through a Coursera course and set up an international study group, in order to study the dynamics of online remote learning. I also volunteered with Action Tutoring working with the local secondary school, for several years. In the same period, I have produced well over 1000 pages of Latex based documents.

On and off, I have looked into MatLab, Haskell, and Python, but in no way can I call myself a professional and consider myself, as yet, more of a student than teacher. On my bookshelf I have the three relatively recent volumes of Dines Bjorner on Software Engineering, since he is a proponent of formal development and techniques; a subject I am rather keen on.

I would surely highlight and distinguish the principals used for designing well-constructed programs from the expert and opportune use of tools used for implementing the design. I believe that it is necessary to advise the student of the importance of the personal skills needed to quickly find solutions practical problems, to build a repository of resources to keep on hand, and also the necessity to continually assess the market demand for the tools he has become acquainted with.

The school I work at uses Google Classroom suite which obviously became even more useful when we went into lockdown.  Therefore teachers were given the opportunity to study for Level 1 and Level 2 Google Certified Educator.  The training was really useful and I was able to put lots of it into practise straightaway.  The tools are very similar to Adobe Connect providing facilities to present individual windows or whole screens as well as being able to create quizzes, polls etc.  I also learnt a lot of useful skills on using YouTube!

CPD:  Through-Life continual learning... these activities have included:

• Reading professional journals & reports online.
• Attending industry conferences.
• Undertaking professional qualifications.
• Posting articles on socio-professional media forums.
• Participating in Professional Membership meetings.
• Writing articles submitted to Professional Journals and/or Conferences.
• Interactive learning modules.
  

Immediately prior to the C19 lockdown I was on a training course related to Asset Management. Unfortunately I could not complete the course, however I have since downloaded and have read through the ISO 55000 standards. I have also read through the Book of Knowledge from the Institute of Asset Management - which the course I was attending was based around.

One of the things I could integrate into a tutorial is what I do with my team. I have regular discussions with my team around CPD (probably every 6-9 months) and I try to emphasise the cyclical nature of the process. Where are you now > where do you want to be > what do you need to do to get there? > reflect on your progress since the last session > where are you now...

In the last 12 months and since I have become a freelance consultant and trainer I have gained the following qualifications with a view to improving my own training skills or including the course into my own offering:

• ITIL v3 Practitioner Certificate
• ITIL 4 Managing Professional Certificate
• Registered PeopleCert Trainer and Invigilator
• TAP Certificate in Training Delivery
• Certificate in Software Asset Management Essentials
• Foundation Certificate in ITIL 4

These qualifications have benefited me since not only have I become familiar with the different course's content but my teaching style has improved through class observation and subsequent deliver of many short training courses.

As a professional engineer in a fast moving field it is important to me to be on top of the trends and develoments in the industry's tools and techniques. As a freelancer, I have found that almost as soon as I get comfortable with one toolset there is a new kid on the block that clients are demanding experience of. So I am in a continual state of CPD, or renewal of existing skills. Recently, as I have a relatively quiet period due to the Covid experience, I have been doing quite a lot of accelerated CPD, taking on accreditations in a number of technologies I've been using over recent years, as well as updating some existing accreditations. In particular I have been picking up the professional architect accreditations for the Google and Amazon cloud platforms. It has been interesting to compare and contrast both the parallel technologies themselves and the approaches to training and testing that their vendors take. In many ways I think the contrasts I found reflect the differences between these organisations' worldviews.

I've also taken the opportunity to read ahead on some of the OU courses I plan to take in the future, which has been interesting and ended up bringing me to this course.

In the last year I have done quite a lot of CPD activities but none of them related to C&C subjects. Examples of CPD activities I undertook are a course about counselling, a leadership programme, training on monitoring, workshops about writing applications for research funding, a workshop on assertiveness, workshops on inclusivity and unconscious bias.

eSTeM sounds very exciting, not that long ago I completed a diddertation centered around developing algorithmic thinking, this was most interesting but despite all the work I was still left with lots of things I wanted to research in this area. More postgraduate study or something like eSTeM sound ideal for this.

I haven't done any specific formal CPD courses as such, but I have been learning new programming languages - specifically Python - through the 'Brilliant' app, alongside additional reading, and applying it to my current skills in embedded programming.

I did like the sound of the pair programming in this section of the course. I have run group projects in HE which were heavy on programming and required students to divide the project into different parts, each tacking a different element and then putting it all together. I think this pair programming approach might actually be a more productive, enjoyable and beneficial approach rather than students working individually and then integrating the parts. Food for thought! 

I completed a database module as part of my MSc.  I share how the big data is changing society and business practices.  As part of my interests I am starting to learn C++  I have skills in other languages, but I think it is much easier to learn another programming language when you have the fundamental concepts of programming.  I am also working through Immersive Labs developing my own cyber security skills, which I also run with my A Level computer science group as a bit of light hearted competition.

In the last year I've completed Fundamentals of Digital Marketing with Google Digital Garage and I've been working through several courses on FutureLearn with Raspberry Pi Foundation and NCCE (Scratch programming, Scratch to Python, Python intro and supporting SEND in Computing). I've also completed training to become a Barefoot Programming Ambassador and I've joined the BCS Quality Review Panel. I have delivered 3 online workshops this term with primary school teachers on Scratch programming and computational thinking. 

I have just completed a Maths module and an Education module at OU. These two modules are part of my BSc in Maths & Statistics. I have learned a lot about the process of learning and how to reflect on our learning. This has interested me since learning more efficiently is part of being a live learner. 

I have worked on projects small to enterprise level. I've worked as a resource and as a planner or designer. I could give practical real-life examples  (names withheld in places) of different scenarios on project work.

I have to do Azure certifications as part of my role. 

Along side that though I do as much accessibility training as i can such as a course on edx recently on fundamentals by WAI as well as doing a microcredential through OU / Future learn on accessibility and online learning. 

CPD recently has included training with AdvanceHE around moderation and calibration of assessment in the sport science area and looking to align other HEI institutes and issues with grade discrepancy's. This was really useful and allowed sharing with other colleagues and support current practices in assessment to reassure they might national standards. additionally internal training events have focused extensively this academic year on remote learning and apps available to support student attainment through Microsoft Teams 

As well as studying for my masters in software engineering I have been working on some embedded systems. This is to improve my knowledge of the Yocto project which is used for building custom Linux distros for embedded systems and edge computing devices. I am in the process of starting my own business with which I am to offer bespoke Linux ditros and consultancy work for tech start ups.

In terms of CPD:

I've done a number of things.

A) developed internal materials (blocks or units), covering IP networks, computing, cloud, and security related topics such as Deep web, malware, attack vectors and types of attack.

B) I have briefed this out to over 2400 internal Sales and Sales Engineering teams, to advance their own understanding of the IT security landscape.

C) I was involved in the creation of "business" scenarios to enable people to take this learning and translate into customer and technical requirements

D) I re-learned some of the techniques I had been taught in the MBA, regarding innovation and change, strategy and making a difference.

E) The overall team won an award for best "gamified" learning production that year with two companies named Centrical and STR. 

I generally follow webinars from various sources: ACM, Linux Fundation, BSI and others.

I follows MOOCs and participate to various tech-based meetups (PHP or DevOps)

I read real books, because I do not like read monitors. :-) 

I have recently been reading various papers on post-quantum cryptography which could be relevant to topics on cyber security. If Moore's Law holds for quantum computers, then we can expect them to break 2048-bit RSA within ten years. It is therefore very important that we migrate our public key encryption standards away from RSA to systems that are resistant to quantum attacks. This is something students should be aware of, and it is also intrinsically very interesting, so maybe referencing the issue in a tutorial and briefly chatting about RSA and the various post-quantum NIST candidates would pique students' interest in this exciting field.

I have recently completed an OU microdential course on Agile leadership and management. I found this course to be extremely helpful in terms of giving me structure in my workplace and understanding a lot of the motivational aspects of managing people. Many of the concepts we were already using but there was a lot that we were able to pick up and implement so the course was excellent. It also got me back into an academic mindset, producing a final assessment to specified word limits and meeting the brief in a short timescale was really scary but exciting.

I have recently completed three training courses organised by my employer. 

One of these was project based and the content of this could by useful for project students.

I started following this module some months ago.  Initially at one point I reached the conclusion that I was not really happy about my ability to teach the featured modules.  So much so that I temporarily abandoned this module.  Whilst looking round for a solution I discovered openlearn.  I completed  the SoTL module which I found surprisingly interesting and relavent to pre as well as post 18 education.  I then went on to complete 

• Becoming an ethical researcher  

• Discovering computer networks: hands on in the Open Networking Lab

I am currently finishing off a tutorial about Git concepts which I am about to publish on Medium.

As I am writing this, I am reminded that one of the best ways of learning some topic is to try to explain it to someone else. This really highlights what you don't quite know about it. If you also write notes in this format it might also help the "future you" when you come back and try to remember it. 

After explaining something or writing something it is very useful to get feedback from the consumers. Did they understand it? Did you use too much jargon. Did you explain things in a sensible order?

I've just completed probably the biggest CPD task I'll ever do: I've just completed a doctorate. At a natural break in my career, I recognised that I did not know enough about HCi and human centred design, so I first did a masters in user experience design, and then followed on with a research degree looking  at current practice and how designers anticipate problems.

In the past, I've done a part-time masters in software engineering, and an OU Certificate in maths (when they still existed). I did the CertMath partly because I never had a chance to do Further Maths at school but also because I had looked at some AI related books and could not follow them. I haven't tried again with those books yet, and maybe never will, but it gave me a chance to refresh what I knew and extend it as far as I was comfortable with at the time.

As an engineer, I've supported CEng applications for colleagues and been an accredited mentor on both the BCS and IET initial professional development schemes. What I seen work most often is persistence, rather  than heroic spikes in activity or occasional bursts of inspiration.

I have attended training on using a software package that I use for my research and this can be valuable for teaching project students. I can teach them how to use the software particularly for data analysis.

I also did some training on writing papers for publications. I can use the experience to guide students on how to paln and write thier project reports. 

Given the nature of my role as a postgraduate research associate, it's crucial to stay updated with technological advancements and industry trends. Over the past year, I have actively engaged in continuous learning to keep my expertise current. This involves conducting research within my field, keeping abreast of recent developments, exploring new methodologies, and staying informed about novel materials.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to attend a conference where I interacted with like-minded individuals and broadened my perspective by learning from researchers in adjacent fields. This exposure allowed me to gain insights into how my niche research intersects with other disciplines.

Furthermore, I obtained a PVG check and became an official STEM ambassador. This designation has proven valuable as it enables me to volunteer with organizations like Primary Engineer and engage as a STEM ambassador.

In conclusion, these ongoing professional development activities have been instrumental in keeping me updated in my field and have allowed me to expand my horizons. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experiences as a STEM ambassador to inspire and support others in their educational journeys.

I just completed several continuing professional development courses: one on "outcome-based teaching and assessment," another on how to manage a department or faculty within a university, and the third on mentoring undergraduate students. The emphasis in these courses is on how to teach the courses so that students are aware of current market trends and technology, student psychology, and how to create assignments. 

I also took a course on how to design lecture slides, videos, and assessment material for remote learning and open book exams. The talk was extremely educational and entertaining. The lecturer demonstrated not only how to prepare content and video lectures for online and distant learning, but also how to use Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and other multimedia tools, as well as video compression and editing techniques.

As a Member of the BCS (and the IET and the ACM) CPD is an important activity. Any employer should be interested in this an allow their employees time to complete such activities. This may be as simple as downloading and experimenting with a new technology, as new techniques are coming along all the time. Some of the notes on the collaboration tools page (4.4?) list tools which would be useful to learn.

As a freelance software engineer, my own CPD is based around developing my PhD research - my own pet project(!) - which is developing an arbitrary transformation technique into a machine understanding tool. For this I have been publishing academic papers to support the ideas developed along this route. I have also completed MOOCs, particularly one in Linguistics. I am now developing a book.

My philosophy is that computing is about change (i.e. data processing) an the processes we use to model that change, themselves, are changing. The development of programming languages had their zenith in the 1960s, but as computing becomes more mainstream the techniques becoming available are much more numerous. 

It is worth noting that it is not simply new techniques that need to be monitored, older techniques - falling out of favour - are also worth noting ;-)