2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

As part of a broader effort to personalize graduate education, the Chemical Engineering department at the University of Pittsburgh launched a new Individual Development Plan (IDP) process designed to foster intentional, student-centered academic and professional growth. The IDP is a core component of a Personalized Learning Model (PLM) that integrates flexible coursework and professional development streams - academia, industry, and entrepreneurship - to align training with students’ career goals. This paper describes both the implementation of IDPs within this model and the graduate students' and faculty's experiences with IDPs across the first three years of implementation.

In our model, the IDP functions as both a planning tool and a living, supportive document. To scaffold meaningful goal-setting, students are introduced to the SMART goal-setting framework—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals, through structured workshops and advising sessions. Students complete their initial IDP during the first semester to communicate their goals related to coursework, skill development, research progress, and career exploration. These IDPs are then reviewed and discussed with their faculty mentors, updated annually, and used to guide ongoing mentoring conversations.

We analyzed student-submitted IDP goals for SMART alignment, examined faculty self-reflections on their mentoring practices using the IDP, and collected student perspectives through interviews and focus groups. Preliminary analyses found that graduate student IDPs included goals that were frequently relevant and achievable, but often lacked clarity around specificity, measurement, and to a lesser extent, timelines. First-year graduate students initially viewed the IDP as a requirement rather than a resource. However, over time, many began using it to structure conversations with advisors and clarify their priorities across research, skill development, and career exploration. The faculty reported a wide range of experiences in using the IDP, from seamless integration to viewing the IDP as redundant. Despite this wide range of perspectives, many faculty emphasized that the IDP was most effective when it supported ongoing conversations with their mentees. Mentors highlighted its value particularly in clarifying expectations, fostering student ownership, and encouraging student reflection on career goals.

This study contributes insights into the challenges and opportunities of successfully launching IDPs in a chemical engineering graduate program. Our findings highlight the importance of scaffolding the instruction and refinement of goal-setting skills early for graduate students, offering flexibility for IDP integration into various mentoring practices, and deliberately framing IDP documents as conversation starters rather than compliance documents. We also have found that the role of planned information sessions and reminders for both students and mentors and continuous evaluation to build a sustainable, value-added IDP process are essential.