Professional Development—An Educator's Viewpoint

Proposals for continuing professional development as a requirement for renewal of registration are appearing in many places, notably in California where the Senate passed SR 218 in October, 1971, calling for all registration boards to submit plans in 1972 for possible mandated programs. While California engineers and engineering societies have strongly supported continuing education—or, more broadly, professional development—as desirable, they have generally resisted a mandatory program. The Los Angeles Section of ASCE, however, has endorsed a mandated program of professional development, involving developing proficiencies by the practice of engineering, formal schooling, attendance at meetings and seminars, and active membership in professional organizations. The Section agrees to monitor such a program on a trial basis. A simpler plan, proposed by the writer, would require each applicant for license renewal to demonstrate 30 contact hours of continuing education in each 2-yr period, and in any 4-yr period he would have 30 hr minimum in technical updating, the remainder in management or related fields.