A case study of the space telescope science institute´s learning community

Professional development opportunities are critical in any scientific or engineering discipline. Engineers need professional development in order to apply state of the art concepts and techniques to solving company problems. Basically, there are three broad categories of professional development opportunities: individual, group, and organizational opportunities. Individual opportunities include technical sabbaticals and planned professional development. Group opportunities include engineering colloquia with guest lecturers from industry and seminar courses on specific topics. Organizational opportunities include tuition refund program and other human resources initiated opportunities. All of these techniques intertwine to foster a strong organizational learning culture. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) has implemented a successful program of sustained learning opportunities for its employees. This paper provides a case study of the STScI´s learning community. This paper explores the professional development opportunities available to employees and examines the costs and benefits associated with them based on the STScI model.