d's'gilll

1
Introducing studentprofile

• Deshinder Singh Gill
• School of Engineering

2
Menu

• What is studentprofile?
• Background in School of Engineering
• Implementation of Studentprofile
• Student feedback
• Future Garrett model
• Conclusion
• Discussion with audience

3
What is studentprofile? 1

• Much of the Information from the next few slides
  were borrowed (nicked!) from the report that was
  circulated yesterday via email (very timely.!).
  Thanks Sam!
• Personal Development Planning (PDP) and the
  planned introduction of Progress Files across the
  HE sector by 2005-6
• Much was introduced last year by Pauline and Sam
  in this very conference.
• My focus really is on how it was implemented in
  engineering.
• But I guess you really want to know a bit more
  about it first

4
What is studentprofile? 2

• Progress Files are expected to incorporate two
  elements
• a transcript "a comprehensive and verifiable
  institutional record of the individual students
  learning and achievement"
• a personal record of the students learning and
  achievements, progress reviews and plans. HEIs
  are expected to provide structured and supported
  processes to develop the capacity of individuals
  to reflect upon their own learning and
  achievement, and to plan for their own personal
  educational and career development. The term
  Personal Development Planning (PDP) is used to
  denote this process.

5
What is studentprofile? 3

• The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
  (QAA) recommends that
• The application of Personal Development Planning
  should be based on institutionally determined
  policies within a national guidance framework.
  Policy should be underpinned by the following
  designation of responsibilities.

6
What is studentprofile? 4 (QAA)

• HEIs should be responsible for providing
  opportunities for PDP and for guidance to support
  the process.
• The nature, scope and extent of opportunities and
  support for PDP should be determined by each
  institution (influenced by professional and
  statutory regulatory bodies where appropriate).
• The ultimate responsibility for deriving benefit
  from PDP should rest with each student although
  institutions will influence this.
• QAA should, through its development and review
  activities, support the introduction of policy
  and, when practice is established, be responsible
  for providing public assurance that institutional
  policies are being implemented effectively.

7
What is studentprofile? 5 (QAA)

• Source (from Sams report)
• (Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education
  Policy Statement on a Progress File for Higher
  Education http//www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastruct
  ure/progressFiles/archive/policystatement/default.
  asp accessed 8/7/05)

8
What is studentprofile? 6

• studentprofile University of Brighton flavour
• Initial Review
• Action Planning
• Reviewing Progress
• Presenting Yourself
• Professional Development
• Sources of Support and Advice

9
Initial Review

• At the start of any new stage in your life, its
  a good idea to take stock and review your current
  abilities and experience. This will help you to
  identify the strengths you bring to the new
  situation, and to prioritise any areas for
  further development.
• Starting Points where am I now? Documents to
  help you record your current situation in
  relation to qualifications, work experience and
  outside activities.
• Key Skills Audit. Key skills are those which are
  not specific to a particular course or subject
  but can be developed and used in a wide range of
  situations. Completing the downloadable Skills
  Audit at the beginning of your course will help
  you identify areas where you can build on your
  current strengths, as well as areas that need
  improving. Advice in other sections will help you
  to translate these into goals and then plan how
  to achieve them. At the end of each year you can
  complete a new skills audit, based on your
  experiences.
• Any other materials that your course tutors have
  identified for you to include here.

10
Action Planning

• Once you have identified your current strengths
  and areas for improvement, you need to actually
  do something about these. This section will help
  you turn vague ideas into clear and achievable
  plans.
• Setting your goals This section includes
  resources to help you focus your aspirations in
  terms of your career, your academic ambitions and
  your personal goals. Read the section on SMART
  goals first to give yourself the best chance of
  success
• Action Planning Having set your goals, break each
  one down into manageable action points. Use this
  section to get a clear picture of what you need
  to do and when. There is also a section on
  Financial Planning which includes tips on
  managing your budget.
• Any other materials that your course tutors have
  identified for you to include here.

11
Reviewing Progress 1

• After initial self-review and action planning,
  it is also important to make time regularly to
  reflect on your experiences and to update your
  plans and priorities.  You will find advice here
  on how to make the most of the University's
  personal tutoring system and on what is known as
  'reflective practice' - which you can also
  undertake on your own.

12
Reviewing Progress 2

• Making the Most of Tutorials This section
  includes
• the Universitys Personal Tutoring Policy
• advice on how to use the tutorial system
  effectively
• a downloadable form to help you organise your
  ideas before a tutorial, and then record any
  agreed action points. (If your School already has
  a standard form, use that instead). In either
  case, store your completed copies here.
• Reflective Practice This section explains what is
  meant by reflective practice and includes some
  advice on keeping a learning log or journal, and
  on critical incident analysis. Keep a print-out
  here for reference, along with any reflective
  writings that you undertake independently or as
  part of your course

13
Presenting Yourself 1

• Your course will offer plenty of opportunities to
  develop the way you present yourself and your
  work. For example, you are quite likely to be
  asked to research and present formal or informal
  seminar talks to other students, while every kind
  of written assignment you undertake will help
  improve your general writing skills.
• Advice from the Careers Centre on Writing CVs and
  Letters
• Any other materials posted by your course tutors

14
Presenting Yourself 2

• reference copies of any of the above information
• notes from Career Centre workshops and other
  advice on applying for jobs or presenting
  yourself effectively at interviews
• examples of your CV, which should be regularly
  updated
• copies of job applications or other work-related
  letters (make a note of any later ideas about how
  they might be improved)
• reflective notes about successful and
  unsuccessful interviews or public speaking
  activities
• any feedback from other people that might help
  you to improve your performance in these areas.

15
Professional Development 1

• This section will bring together advice and
  resources directly relevant to career planning
  and professional development. The detail of this
  will depend on your course and your individual
  aims and ambitions.

16
Professional Development 2

• Opportunities folder includes
• the Career Planning Agreement for your course
• advice on how to make the most of any
  opportunities, such as placements, volunteering
  or part-time employment, to gain direct work
  experience while you are at University.

17
Professional Development 3

• Professional Body folder (if applicable) should
  include
• contact details and information about any
  professional body directly relevant to your
  course. To gain membership you may need to
  compile evidence during or after your course to
  show how you meet their prescribed professional
  standards, and to fulfil requirements for
  Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to
  remain in good standing after initial entry. The
  activities and resources relating to
  studentprofile will provide excellent preparation
  for all of these.
• Other resources relevant to careers in your
  subject area.

18
Professional Development 4

• So you might use this section of the folder to
  file
• copies of any information you need to keep for
  reference
• notes or drafts relating to evidence that you may
  need to compile to achieve accreditation,
  membership or a license to practise.
• Learning Log or Critical Incident Analyses (if
  they are relevant to Professional Body
  requirements) rather than under Reviewing
  Progress.

19
Sources of Support and Advice

• Keep a record here of where you can get support
  and advice (eg careers advice etc).

20
PDP or studentprofile

• Loved the name, studentprofile
• Fitted very well with the studentcentral brand.
• Made sense.
• PDP whats that? (well, now you know).

21
What did I have to do?

• As part of the pilot, I was quite willing to try
  it out, but
• Reality check in practice, because of other
  constraints on my time (I think that is the
  political thing to say nowadays..) this was not
  going to work, unless I had lots of support
  centrally from a team out there
• Pauline, and her team sorted it out
• (Sam, Pam, Kate, Robert and others sorry if I
  missed a name or two..)
• Material on PDP (studentprofile) to be presented
  centrally.
• Folders to be given out they came later in the
  year.

22
Folders or not

• Students publish portfolio on their web site
  (http//luna.bton.ac.uk/dsg1)
• Did I want studentprofile to be just
  electronically presented?
• Problems,
• annually I have a battle to get more web space
  for my students from IS. So no guarantee that I
  would get web space. (at the moment, they get
  about 6Mbytes, which is shared with other stuff
  they may wish to save)
• Not easy to review (have to have access to a PC,
  not easy to flick through).

23
Folders or not 2

• Current folders
• BRILLIANT
• focus,
• brand name (studentprofile)
• students getting something free always a
  winner.
• easy to flick through
• insets for each of the six areas focuses
  students attention on what is required. (ok, so
  they should really do that themselves, but I have
  learnt that it is useful to limit obstacles to
  get more engagement).

24
Peer review

• Get students to look at each others folders.
• Sort of worked, as not all brought them in!
• However, used that to my advantage, by me showing
  the others good practice.
• Key thing, trying to get them engaged.

25
Access to studentprofile

• Via studentcentral
• My course Electronic Engineering button
• Then
• studentprofile button.

26
studentprofile via studentcentral

• Home page

Click here
27
studentprofile via studentcentral

• My course Electronic Engineering page

Click here
28
studentprofile via studentcentral

• .

29
What do students have to do?

• studentprofile was new, so it took a while for me
  too!
• First semester
• students shown what it was, and where to get hold
  of information.
• Except, there were a few teething problems.
• (I keep forgetting what I can see on
  studentcentral is not necessarily what they can
  see!) Guest vs registered member.
• Problem notified, and SOLVED!
• (via Pauline and the studentcentral team).

30
What do students have to do?

• Portfolio was in two parts.
• End of first semester they had to do the
  following

31
Has this worked?

• Well, you have the evidence in front of you. By
  the way, I did get the students permission first!
  
• Mixed reaction.
• I was surprised at the quality of what was
  produced, given that I really left them to get on
  with it (new degree, IEE visit, life.. Got in the
  way)
• Also, getting them to reflect on what was
  required frequently helped I think.

32
Summary of Reflections from students, (OHP, then
scanned by a student and published on EO106 site
of studentcentral)
Initial Review
33
Action Planning
34
Reviewing Progress
35
Presenting yourself
36
Professional Development
37
Practicalities

• This was implemented on the back of an existing
  module, Electronic Engineering Practice.
• Traditionally, it has been difficult to get
  students to engage with this (what has this got
  to do with engineering).
• However, since 1998, students have consistently
  produced good work (and some terrible!)

38
Practicalities 2

• Why did students still produce the portfolios?
• Force of personality?
• Marks awarded?

39
Examples of student feedback. 1

• Please write some constructive comments down
  below, eg what you liked about the module,
  delivery
• etc, and what you think could be improved. If you
  have no comment, write no comment.
• Afterwards, please return to the original screen
  to complete the questionnaires for the other
  modules.
• many thanks
• deshinder
• 23 submitted their comments, and they are
  included unedited, (including spelling
  mistakes, and negative comments!)

40
Examples of student feedback 2

• No comment
• its a really good module because it has improved
  my emngineering skills
• I think that any tasks set need to be more
  defined
• it requires much more time and attention , to
  design and build the website, the portfolio. Very
  constructive for planning career.
• I found that this module was a bit confusing with
  regards to what was required for us to do. and
  that most of the student profile was just a waste
  of paper )

41
Examples of student feedback 3

• This module I think is to practise us for the
  labs and to test our skills as engineers, But it
  has a lot work and assignments that they don't
  allow us to study more time for the exams.
• Found the course very interesting and factual.
  The work covered i felt was relevent and was good
  that some time was used it for introduction and
  information about the digital project.
• no comment
• we have started to create a useful tool
  (portfolio) but got confused about what it is we
  were suppost to be doing

42
Examples of student feedback 4

• In some ways I found the course useful, i.e.
  Looking for a job using the information in the
  PDP folder. In some cases in did seem to be a
  hinderance to the other work on the degree
  course.
• I found the second semester of this module to be
  much more interesting and useful compared to the
  first. The industrial visit, industrial lectures,
  along with the careers sessions were very
  informative, and in combination with the PDP
  activity, I found the module quite rewarding.

43
Examples of student feedback 4

• Although hearing from companies and careers
  advisors is interesting, i find this module a bit
  pointless and think that it should be voluntary
  rather than be graded on it. Learning how to
  write a c.v and other topics covered should be a
  choice that if people do not feel confident with
  can attend the lecture. I feel that other
  lectures are much more important and so
  concentrate on learning these rather than filing
  in lecture reports and publishing a web page that
  asks for some personal information that i dont
  wish to publish.
• No comment.

44
Examples of student feedback 5

• it is good module for future application but
  would prefer have the lesson in the afternoon.
  most of the students, me included didnt take
  seriously because the assumption that it
  repitition. next you would included regular
  assessment and in-class assignment that
  contribute towards your final
• grade.
• lots of activities , lots of material but never
  been told how much maks it talks for our final
  mark , some people think its no point to do the
  work u just give us they think is just waste of
  time becasue they normally they take lots of time
  as well and we donot get any mark for them.

45
Examples of student feedback 6

• generally it's good, with much of the information
  in student central,
• by organising the lectures it would be more
  interesting
• Engineering practice is a fairly good module, as
  it prepares you for the real life in an
  enigneering industry.
• Things to improve on
• - the module can include more visits to
  engineering companies.
• - assist students with placement.

46
Examples of student feedback 7

• I feel that this module has played a key part in
  improving my organisational skills, but most of
  all, this module motivated me the most.
• very enjoyable
• It helps me to improve on my I.T skills
• Generally it's good, i've got a good skills to
  write and show what i can't do in other classes.

47
Examples of student feedback 8

• My comment is the system of the lecture is
  slightly disorganised and makes me at least
  confused.
• The weather station report, the portfolio 1,2 and
  the student profile was a part of this module. It
  is not a very difficult module but students had
  to work many hours in order to reach their
  deadlines.
• Everything was very well-organised, no other
  specific comment

48
Examples of student feedback 9

• Quantitative feedback from the on-line survey.
  Apologies for the large number of decimal places
• What was the INTEREST level for this module,
  EO106.
• Answers Percent Answered
• 5 Very Interesting 4.3
• 4 Interesting 56.5
• 3 Undecided 21.699999
• 2 Uninteresting 13.0
• 1 Very Uninteresting 4.3
• Unanswered lt0.0

49
Examples of student feedback 10

• What was the CHALLENGE level for this module,
  EO106.
• Answers Percent Answered
• 5 Too much material 8.7
• 4 Challenging 21.699999
• 3 Satisfactory 52.2
• 2 Not enough challenge 17.4
• 1 Not enough material 0.0
• Unanswered lt0.0
• What was the PRESENTATION like for this module,
  EO106.
• Answers Percent Answered
• 5 Very Good 17.4
• 4 Good 56.5
• 3 Satisfactory 26.1
• 2 Poor 0.0
• 1 Very Poor 0.0
• Unanswered lt0.0

50
Future what am I going to do? 1

• Continue with studentprofile for Years 2 and 3 of
  old portfolio (via CPA with Pam).
• Students from all years to get involved.
• Use Personal tutors to review folder at regular
  intervals use studentprofile folder as the
  vehicle to engage with the students.
• Course Leader will probably have to be involved
  at final year level.

51
Future what am I going to do? 2

• New Portfolio no EO106!
• Would like to continue with it, the IEE commended
  on its implementation
• Identified a possible module, XE121 Engineering
  Concepts,
• but it is NOT a skills module.
• Problem with trying to link this with an
  engineering based module.

52
Future what am I going to do? 3

• Use the GARRETT model
• devise assignments from other modules
• The work done in the assignments is then placed
  in the studentprofile folder
• Some merit in that needs further work to
  develop the
• The focus will be in XE121(Eng Concepts)
• Bring CPA alive incorporate/link it with
  studentprofile

53
Conclusions 1

• Pilot has been useful in finding out the
  practicalities of implementing studentprofile.
• Students feedback was mixed need to ensure
  that the burden of assessment is fair.
• It needs to be integrated in the course, not as
  an appendix which can be chopped off(Garrett
  Model)
• Needs a champion to energise/motivate students
  as well as staff (Garrett model).

54
Conclusions 2

• Folders are a good idea
• Outside Stakeholders value it (IEE)
• Get students on board, so they drive it, not you.
• Use support from central team. (get links into
  your course button on studentcentral).
• Link with CPA.
• Still awake .. Thank you for listening. Now
  over to Pauline to lead the discussion, or we
  could go for an early coffee