Personal Development Planning Institutional and discipline contexts

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Personal Development PlanningInstitutional and
discipline contexts

• Dr Angela Smallwood, PADSHE project
• University of Nottingham
• angela.smallwood_at_nottingham.ac.uk

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Dearing Recommendation 20

• Progress File two elements
• A transcript recording student achievement
• a means by which students can monitor, build
  and reflect upon their personal development

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Personal Development Planning

• A structured and supported process undertaken by
  an individual to reflect upon their own learning,
  performance and/or achievement and to plan for
  their personal, educational and career
  development May 2000 CVCP, LTSN, QAA, SCoP
  policy recommendations

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Why do it?

• Reflective, independent learners
• Strategic priorities
• Underpinning student support as numbers
  expand (especially widening participation)
• Skills and employability agenda
• e-learning
• Structure support -gt Progress File provides
  a key interface between the Univ. and the
  individual student

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Incentives for staff on the ground

• 1993 Nottingham
• Responding to modularisation
• Regaining overviews
• Improving systems no casualties
• 2000 FDTL3 (Thames VU) - retention
• 2004 Related needs in your institution?

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Designing PDP

• Existing opportunities in the curriculum
  subjects, modes of study (assessment)
• Dedicated new modules, assessed ??
• Careers service-led initiatives
• Existing personal tutoring system
• Institution-wide coverage
• Potentially holistic
• Not assessed

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Benchmarks and PDP English

• Opportunities
• Reflective modes of assessment
• Project work and dissertations
• Analogies
• Objects of study texts, learning experiences
• Interpreting evidence, articulating insights
• Critical dialogue taking others viewpoints on
  board, informed self-criticism

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Implementation students

• Consultation during implementation
• Addressing students needs
• Positive staff vibes
• Creation of an entitlement culture
• Scope for personalisation
• Support from student reps

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Keys to student participation

• The right people allocation of tutors
• The right time timing of supported activities
• The right aims purposes of review and planning
  meetings specific to course, level, semester,
  even week relevant to immediate student need
  (e.g. overview of feedback)
• IT magic (ePARs) automatic draft CV etc.

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Issues for staff

• Workload a) initially (reinventing wheels?)
• Definition of support element of role students
  as adults tutor as nanny or mentor?
• Careers adviser manque? Tutor role in relation to
  employability agenda
• Paperwork organisation bureaucracy? Product
  and process tail wags dog

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CIT solutions?

• Developing pedagogy paper as leading technology?
• IT reduces paperwork conserves staff time
  supports, increases and enhances the quality of
  engagement by students
• Interfaces with Information Strategy, portal
  development IT for 16-19 Progress File IT
  for CPD in employment
• A different take on personalisation and
  standardisation