Five (5) Key points that I have identified about staff development in higher education institutions: 

1. Purposeful and Intentional Assessment of staff needs.

2. Multifaceted and ever changing 
3.  Staff development must be cognizant of the variations in the maturity and growth of individuals and the organization. 

Purposeful and Intentional Assessment of staff needs 

Staff development should purposefully determine staff development activities based on careful assessment of staff members needs. This should be so in an effort to ensure that effectiveness occur and that the specific development that the employees are being trained for are in line with their job specs.  

Close relationship between staff development and performance appraisals 

Both aspects should work hand in hand to produce the desired objective. As a spin off from the purposeful and intentional assessment this step helps to evaluate the employees level of reception for development training that would have been done. Performance appraisal processes are necessary to establish and maintain the conditions required for effective performance management. When properly facilitated, performance assessment confirms employee understanding of roles, evaluates the extent to which performance goals are being met, identifies problems and barriers in the work environment, provides positive and constructive feedback, encourages regular job-related conversations between supervisors and staff members, and provides the information needed for the performance reward process. 

Development must be intentional, active and potent 

Staff development must be intentional, active, and potent. A plan for individual growth should reflect current personal and professional status regarding attributes needed to perform assigned duties, short- and long-term goals, and alternative methods for achieving those goals. There should also be a plan for organization improvement. Both individual and organizational needs can be included in this plan. 

DualPurposes: Staff and Organization Development 

Staff development practices should have a dual focus in that they must attend to individual staff and to organization development. For staff development to be successful both goals must be achieved, that is, they must be mutually supportive. This commitment requires creativity and flexibility in plans for staff development. 

Recognizes Maturation and Growth 

Staff development must be cognizant of the variations in the maturity and growth of individuals and the organization. While some staff members may have served the profession for many years, others may be only beginning their professional careers. 

The functional roles of staff members may also change and may require retooling for the new responsibilities. Such circumstances may require tailoring staff development opportunities if they are to be effective. These development opportunities must reflect multiple individual and organizational conditions. Holmes (1998) developed a human performance systems model for student affairs, which has the following components: 

A, Recruitment, Selection, and Retention - All activities, which are associated with identifying potential professional staff candidates, identifying the candidates who are the best fit for both the job and the institution, and providing systems, and activities geared toward ensuring that staff members stay in the organization.                                                                                                                                                                 

B. Performance Coaching - Student affairs administrators and staff members (in the case of like USC) should develop performance plans and engage in a continuous process of leading and motivating staff members. Effective coaching allows supervisors and staff members to build stronger relationships and to work collaboratively to attain performance goals. In this way the institution would not be shooting in the dark as it were as it relates to developing their employees. 

C. Performance Reward - It is important that compensation by aligned with organizational goals, and facilitates staff development. The performance reward process should consist of the allocation of employee salary and benefits. When effectively implemented, the reward system provides specific consequences for actual performance and feedback concerning the merit of accomplishments. 

D. Employee Development - Employee development includes all activities that directly or indirectly influence the ability of the professional to do her or his current or future job. This requires identifying the competencies needed by staff members to perform one's job and ensuring that development activities are geared toward enhancing those competencies. This can take the form of professional conferences, on-the-job training, new employee orientation, on-site workshops and programs. 

E. Career Planning and Development - Career planning consists of the systematic approaches used to ensure that each staff membe's interests, values, and skills find confluence with the department's workforce requirements and needs. Career development can consist of tuition reimbursement, career-planning workshops, staff orientation programs, career coaching, job enrichment, and release time to take graduate classes. 

F. Career Transition - Without fail, some staff members will leave the organization, either voluntarily or involuntarily. In either case, it is important that supervisors make this transition as smooth as possible. Staff members who leave an institution should have the skills and knowledge necessary to make a seamless transition into her or his next position. 

G. Organizational Development - The primary focus of organizational development is on a planned implementation of organizational changes that benefit students, staff members, and the institution as a whole. These changes are geared toward improving relationships and processes among individuals and groups so that work processes can be facilitated more effectively and efficiently. 

                                                    

1. The Performance Evaluation  (P.E) system can motivate staff to do their best for themselves and practice by promoting staff recognition and improving communication. Once do well evaluations have the capacity to create a meaningful and healthy work environment thus increasing productivity on a day to day basis.                                                                                                                                                        2. P. E allow for employees to see their strengths and weaknesses. Many times when the term evaluation is used it sends a message of concern, worry and panic for many. Am i doing what I should? Is there a possibility that I can be terminated for not performing my assigned tasks and responsibilities? These are some questions that from time to time may bombard the minds of an employee, however, have consistent evaluations can clear a lot of these misconceptions that people may have. P.E then is a tool whether by an employee at any point in time may know where he/she stands as it relates to their performance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               3. There is usually a process to be followed as it relates to  P.E. At each level persons must be evaluated; teacher evaluation, principal evaluation etc. It was also noted highlighted that evaluations be done in a specific or set time. For example at the ending of each term or school year. It therefore suggest that ample notification be given to the person to be evaluated so that they are well aware in advance the P.E appointment.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      4. It is the teacher's responsibility that the students learn. The teacher is required to develop and create interesting means to cater for the diverse population of his/her class. According to the ITASC standards the teacher is a reflective practitioner who constantly evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others in the learning community, in this case being the student.                                                                                                                                                                                                              5. There is process to be followed should a teacher be threatened to be terminated. Based on the list to which a teacher can be terminated the procedure has to be followed. A formal notice of the charges must be given to the tenured teacher. Followed by a hearing, once the teacher is not satisfied he/she can appeal the board’s decision. This particular point stood out to me since it’s the first time that I a realizing that there is so much more back end information that i must possess; knowing both the rights of a teacher  and knowing how to handle situations as an administrator.