Human Resource Development

“Human resource development is any process or activity that, either initially or over the long term, has the potential to develop adults’ work-based knowledge, expertise, productivity, and satisfaction, whether for personal or group/team gain, or for the benefit of an organization, community, nation or, ultimately, the whole of humanity (McLean and McLean, 2001, p. 322).

HRD is most commonly associated with training and development efforts in the for-profit sector, but HRD skills can also be applied in community organizations, government agencies, social services, the military, religious organizations, vocational education, or any setting where adults are engaging with workplace related learning. The traditional knowledge bases of this interdisciplinary field include adult learning and teaching, adult development, program planning and evaluation, organizational development, and diversity equity and inclusion.

The HRD program aims to prepare graduate students to teach and lead effectively in a way that provides graduates with tools to:

• Assess educational and related needs
• Design, implement, manage, and evaluate programs and services to effectively address those needs
• Structure participatory programs involving collaboration, development, and ownership of educational ends and means by the learners themselves
• Understand, analyze, and relate pertinent theories to practice.
• Design and conduct practical research aimed at enhancing effectiveness of educational programs
• Model excellence in learning and leadership