Title: PDP4Life the project and its outcomes www'bournemouth'ac'ukpdp4life
1PDP4Lifethe project and its outcomeswww.bournemo
uth.ac.uk/pdp4life
ABC
- Project Team
- Janet Hanson, Barbara Newland, Ken Bissell,
- Dave Croot, Sue Timmis, Chris Mullings
- Dartington, 20-21 March 2006
2Project Activities
- Developing a specification for an extended
Learner Record (LR) that includes formal
qualifications and learner-generated records of
informal learning from local PDP systems - Testing the secure transfer of learner records
between institutions using ioNode technology - Identifying user views on PDP records, in
particular from the Creative Industries, using
focus groups of students, academic staff and
employers to inform the LR - Sharing PDP practice between 11 HEI/FEI partners
in the South West - Contributing PDP processes to ioPortal suite.
3Testing the ioNode building on the SHELL legacy
University of Plymouth currently
ioHUB
Student record database
ioDatabase holding formal records
ioAgent
Bournemouth University
ioAgent
ioAgent
Portal presenting an interface with the data for
learner and administration
Student record database
Student record database
Weymouth College
UCY
4Specification for an Extended Lifelong Learner
Record
5Voices of Staff and Students in the South West
Report on Focus Groups with PDP4Life partners
6Focus Group Objectives
- Identify existing PDP practice amongst students
- Use student ideas and experiences to help develop
extended learner record - Identify positive and negative issues and
priorities for extended learner record - Contribute to understanding of issues and
challenges of a lifelong e-portfolio.
7Staff views
- Potential to be a really useful tool but how to
get students to see the value? Students want a
quick and easy fix - Must be a resource for students-has to be
meaningful to them - Students need encouragement with course work
learning process, without adding completing PDP - Role of personal or subject tutor crucial
- But extra role/work for tutors.
8Staff views (continued)
- Value of institutional stamp/link on
publicly-available work, an employer concern
also? - Students only see grades- not aware of key skills
needed (organiser, people skills) or transferable
skills - Professional development support varies
- PDP probably especially useful for disabled and
mature students
9Student Results
- Difficult to see far ahead-very focused on CV for
first job-often know what want to do. OU
different - Only want to present best work, do not need to
keep past work, especially from school - Hard copy/physical portfolio very important to
CI - Vary as to wanting to include non-academic
skills, voluntary work some say Yes, some No - More self-evaluation and reflective practice for
CI and mature students, often built in course - Not clear learner record was in their control, to
choose to share.
10Views common to all
- Record could accumulate too much material
- Difficult to know what to keep, what to edit
- Difficult to look ahead, say 20 years-which
version to retain? - Not many students using blogs/personal websites,
depends on course, e.g. B Ed, graphics,
journalism - Many CI students do group work and assessment,
others less so.
11Points for Employers
- Employers wont be interested in the detail in
the record-wont have time to read - Employers need proof of management, or people
skills as much as academic work - Change industry ideas-many employers have very
old-fashioned approach to selection - Evidence depends on job references, character
refs. application form, personal statement,
creative work - SW Region- a special case-low pay, scarcity of
jobs-many students do not realise.
12Extended Learner Record
- Staff-majority of students would not be
interested and would need help to complete - Many students not interested, thought it all a
bit big-brother - Creative Arts are different and need a different
structure- creativity to get away from
records - Useful for recording achievements all in one
place - For list of interesting websites/contacts
- Would value a CV-Wizard
- Security raised-especially personal qualities
- Learning styles less useful data field.
13Final points
- More a snapshot, not (as yet) a representative
sample - Structure (record) must be flexible and suit
different disciplines - More data needed on subject differences
- Best introduced in first year so becomes embedded
and supported in learning experience.
14Contributing PDP processes to the ioPortal suite
University of Plymouth currently but could be
anywhere
ioHUB
Local PDP system and repository
ioAgent
Extended ioDatabase holding formal and informal
records
Repository
Bournemouth University
ioAgent
ioAgent
ioPortal presenting multiple user interfaces with
the data (learner, employer, F/HEI
Local PDP system and repository
Local PDP system and repository
Open University
Weymouth College
15Issues raised Technical
- Interoperability and lack of consensus on
standards - PDP-related records potentially unlimited
- Categorising the record information- by data
structure or purpose - Accessibility
- Key role for the portal offering unsupported PDP
processes, but needs clear rationale - System-level requirements, eg Web Services
interfaces to institutional PDP systems - Security and authentication.
16Issues raised Pedagogic
- Variety of approaches to PDP and
E-portfolio use among PDP4Life Partners - Learner motivation generally
- Learners in the Creative Industries sector
- Motivation to access lifelong learning records
- Purpose of PDP records not clear.
17Issues raised Political, Legal, Organisational
- Location and management of independent storage
- Security and privacy, allowing third party
access - Is there a role for a regional approach?
18PDP4Life Where Next?
- Three month extension from April to June
- Working with Phosphorix to contribute PDP
processes to ioPortal suite - Further analysis of user views gathered through
the focus groups - Possibility of further JISC funding for embedding
and piloting for one more year - Follow-up SW PDP conference in 2007.