Course Information
SemesterCourse Unit CodeCourse Unit TitleT+P+LCreditNumber of ECTS CreditsLast Updated Date
1ELT517Professional Development in ELT3+0+03706.10.2026
Course Details
Language of Instruction English
Level of Course Unit Master's Degree
Department / Program English Language Teaching
Type of Program Formal Education
Type of Course Unit Elective
Course Delivery Method Face To Face
Objectives of the Course This course aims to enable students to explain key concepts, models, and approaches to professional development in ELT; critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of major professional development practices; and compare individual, collaborative, and institutional forms of professional development while analyzing how contextual factors shape teachers’ engagement and outcomes. Students will use research-informed tools to document and interpret professional learning, conduct a small-scale practitioner inquiry or evidence-based professional development investigation ethically, and synthesize evidence from multiple tasks to construct a coherent professional development portfolio and a context-sensitive professional growth plan.
Course Content This course introduces graduate students to major concepts, models, and practices of professional development (PD) in English Language Teaching (ELT). It examines how language teachers learn across the career span through reflective practice, self-monitoring, classroom observation, mentoring and collaboration, practitioner inquiry/action research, and participation in professional communities. Drawing on research in teacher learning and language teacher education, the course emphasizes critical evaluation of different PD approaches and the contextual factors that shape their impact. Students will develop the ability to connect theory to practice by completing a portfolio of PD tasks (e.g., event participation, observation and interview, inquiry, and reflective journaling) and by synthesizing evidence to design an ongoing, context-sensitive professional growth plan.
Course Methods and Techniques Discussion and critical evaluation
Article presentations
Self-monitoring and reflective journaling
Observation and interviewing
Critical incident and case analysis
Peer coaching and team coaching
Practitioner inquiry and action research
Conference and webinar participation
Professional development portfolio and professional growth plan preparation
Research report writing and revision
Prerequisites and co-requisities None
Course Coordinator None
Name of Lecturers Asist Prof.Dr. Şeyma YILDIRIM seyma.yildirim@hku.edu.tr
Assistants None
Work Placement(s) No

Recommended or Required Reading
Resources Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. Professional Development for Language Teachers. Cambridge.
Course Notes Temel ders kaynağı: Richards, J. C., & Farrell, T. S. C. Professional Development for Language Teachers. Cambridge University Press.

Course Category
Education %60
Field %40

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities are given in detail in the section of "Assessment Methods and Criteria" and "Workload Calculation"

Assessment Methods and Criteria
In-Term Studies Quantity Percentage
Assignment 2 % 20
Attendance 2 % 20
Practice 1 % 10
Project 1 % 50
Total
6
% 100

 
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration Total Work Load
Course Duration 14 3 42
Hours for off-the-c.r.stud 14 4 56
Assignments 14 2 28
Presentation 1 16 16
Practice 3 6 18
Project 1 50 50
Total Work Load   Number of ECTS Credits 7 210

 
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
NoLearning Outcomes
1 Explain key concepts, models, and approaches to professional development (PD) in ELT and how they relate to language teacher learning across the career span.
2 Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of major PD practices (e.g., reflective practice, self-monitoring, observation, mentoring/coaching, teacher collaboration, practitioner inquiry/action research, online PD).
3 Compare and contrast individual, collaborative, and institutional forms of PD, and analyze how contextual factors (school culture, policy, workload, resources) shape teachers’ engagement and outcomes.
4 Use research-informed tools (e.g., reflective journaling protocols, observation note systems, interview guides) to document and interpret professional learning from PD experiences.
5 Conduct a small-scale practitioner inquiry (or evidence-based PD investigation) by formulating a focused question, collecting and analyzing data ethically, and reporting findings.
6 Synthesize evidence from multiple PD tasks to construct a coherent professional development portfolio and articulate a context-sensitive professional growth plan.

 
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
WeekTopicsStudy MaterialsMaterials
1 Introduction of Syllabus and Discussion of Course Policy Research discussion and revision -
2 Teacher Training and Professional Growth Research discussion and revision -
3 Self Monitoring Research discussion and revision -
4 Teacher Support Groups Revision of the research introduction -
5 Keeping a Teaching Journal Revision of the literature review -
6 Peer Observation Revision of the methodology -
7 Teaching Portfolios Data collection -
8 Midterm Week Data collection -
9 Analyzing Critical Incidents Data analysis -
10 Case Analysis Data analysis -
11 Peer Coaching Preparation of the results section -
12 Team Coaching Preparation of the discussion section -
13 Action Research Research revision -
14 Research Revision Research revision -
15 Research Revision Research submission -

 
Sustainable Development Goals
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12
C1 5 2 3 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 4 2
C2 5 4 5 3 1 1 3 2 3 4 4 3
C3 5 5 4 3 1 1 4 2 4 5 5 5
C4 4 4 4 4 1 2 3 3 5 3 4 3
C5 3 3 5 5 1 2 3 3 5 4 4 3
C6 5 4 5 4 1 3 4 5 4 4 5 5

  Contribution: 1: Very Slight 2:Slight 3:Moderate 4:Significant 5:Very Significant