Edinburgh Napier University

  While annual continuing professional development is a membership requirement for all professional bodies in the built environment, it is under increased focus in recent years, alongside competence-mapping, and the requirement for further qualifications, given the catastrophic consequences of tragedies such as the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. The aim of this paper was to explore authentic and appropriate teaching, learning, and assessment practice in continuing professional development, through a multidisciplinary and international lens, to identify opportunities for learning enhancement in the built environment. A literature review on the professional development competence requirements in construction and equivalent professions was conducted. A questionnaire survey was circulated prior to hosting an online seminar. Eight established expert academics and professional body representatives from Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, Malaysia, and Canada, presented their opinions and positions, exploring authentic and appropriate built environment continuing professional development educational practice. Research findings revealed that the current professional development landscape, while complex and challenging, was rich with opportunity and diversity. Findings presented multiple opportunities for the enhancement of learning through tailored professional development practices, with many novel and innovative suggestions made. Findings suggested that the onus was on practitioners to make professional, strategic, careful, and ethical choices when planning annual personal professional development, but with a call for greater support from academia and professional bodies to work together and with each other to foment positive change to the professional development landscape.