Towards a Student led PDP

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Towards a Student led PDP

• Dr Nigel Richardson
• Natural, Geographical and Applied Sciences

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Personal Learning File

• Introduced in 1995
• Source of information on teaching and assessment
• Included skills audit and action planning
• Record of achievement
• Only completed at Level 1
• Completion required for progression
• Supported by a Study Skills Programme from 2000

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Personal Development Plan I (PDP)

• Introduced in 2000/2001
• Generic version based on Leeds Model
• Customised by some subjects
• Electronic delivery through Web CT Paper version
  also provided
• Level 1 only
• Assessed on pass/fail basis

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Personal Development Plan II

• Key components
• Testing and Planning
• Reflecting and Building
• Reflecting on Level 1
• - Integrated within a tutorial programme
• - Mixed student feedback
• - Level 2 PDP focusing on employability and post
  degree work (introduced 2002/2003)

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Three Year PDP

• Introduced in 2003/2004
• Includes
• self-assessment of skills on entry and action
  planning
• Periodic reflection, recording of progress,
  skills development and action planning
• Supported through personal tutor system at Levels
  1 and 2

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Student Feedback I

• Positive
• Useful archive of progress
• Makes reflection on work easier
• Gets you to think about ways of improving the
  things you are not good at
• Useful focus for personal tutor meetings
• Helps to identify strengths and weaknesses
• If I use it, I should improve
• Good for recording marks

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Student Feedback II

• Negative
• Boring
• Time consuming
• Extra work on top of other College work for
  which we gain no marks or credits
• Focused on recording rather than learning
• Less relevant for mature students
• Should be for students personal use not assessed

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Future Development Towards a Student led PDP

• Student issues
• Imposed
• Developing student ownership
• Assessment or learning focus
• Time pressures

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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Future Development Towards a Student led PDP

• Staff issues
• Imposed
• Importance of staff promoting the PDP
• Assessment of PDP criteria consistency?

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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A Student led PDP?

• Overcome motivation and engagement problems
• Develop student ownership for the PDP
• Student views on structure/content and format of
  PDP
• More sections for personal thoughts and
  reflections
• Diary format to allow week-to-week reflection
• More flexible structure why cant we decide
  what this is like individually?
• Greater opportunity to include extra-curriculum
  activities and skills developed
• Student type focus
• Presentation should be more formal

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences
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A Student led PDP?

• What does it mean?
• A flexible PDP that reflects/records both the
  personality and attributes/skills of each student
• Learning Journal PDP relationships
• How we propose to deliver it
• Assessment?

Natural, Geographical Applied Sciences