PDP as part of employability strategies: KNOW YOURSELF

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PDP as part of employability strategies KNOW
YOURSELF

• Lin Norton
• Liverpool Hope
• University College

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Structure of presentation

• The case for meta-learning as a fundamental
  graduate attribute in employability
• What role can PDP play?
• PDP at Liverpool Hope
• Research studies
• Conclusions

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The case for meta-learning

• Research on employers requirements
• (Bennett, Dunne Carre, 2000)
• Research on employability attributes of graduates
• (Knight Yorke, 2004)
• A theoretical/philosophical perspective
• (Barnett, 2000)

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Research on employers requirements

• Bennet, Dunne Carré (2000) highlight ambiguity
  of terminology and paradox of fitting into
  company culture
• Commercial awareness/experience
• Enthusiasm/proactivity/drive/challenge
• Interpersonal skills/fitting in
• Leadership qualities
• Communication capabilities
• Degree/technological awareness
• Thinking and problem solving abilities

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Knight Yorke (2002) USEM model

• Employability seen as a complex mix of
• Understanding
• Skills
• Efficacy beliefs
• Metacognition

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Barnetts (2000) supercomplex world

• A complex world is one in which we are assailed
  by more facts, data, evidence, tasks and
  arguments than we can easily handle within the
  frameworks in which we have our being. By
  contrast, a supercomplex world is one in which
  the very frameworks by which we orient ourselves
  to the world are themselves contested.
  Supercomplexity denotes a fragile world but it is
  a fragility brought on not merely by social and
  technological change it is a fragility in the
  way that we understand the world, in the way in
  which we understand ourselves and in the way we
  feel secure about acting in the world (p.257).

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A definition of meta-learning
an awareness and understanding of the phenomenon
of learning itself as opposed to subject
knowledge. Implicit within this definition is
the learners perception of the learning context
which includes knowing what the expectations of
the discipline are, and more narrowly the
demands of a given learning task.   (Norton,
Owens and Clark, 2004).
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How do we develop employability in our
undergraduates?

• Three factors that underpin the concept of
  employability in higher education
• Students develop graduate skills desired by
  employers
• Students are encouraged to recognise these
  graduate skills in themselves
• Students are helped to promote their graduate
  skills when seeking employment

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What part can PDP play?

• Employers are not so much interested in the
  product of PDP but in the process (ESECT)
• 2. To develop employability awareness, students
  need to be willing to learn and reflect on own
  learning development (meta-learning)

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Personal Development Planning

• A great opportunity or a pointless exercise?
• PDP integrated into the curriculum, not separate
  from it
• The role of meta-learning and reflectiveness
• The employability agenda

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PDP at Liverpool Hope

• 20 credit module taken by all first year
  undergraduates
• Aim to enable students to become more effective
  in their learning (at university and beyond)
• Supported by VLE (Learnwise)
• Assessed on pass/fail basis (engagement)
• Delivered by all staff (non-subject specific)
• Incorporates action planning, reflectiveness and
  meta-learning (Reflections on Learning Inventory
  exercise )

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Aims of PDP

• Helps students to
• make links between modules and gain an overview
  of their studies
• reflect critically
• become more independent
• become more proactive not only in their academic
  studies but in their spare time activities and in
  career planning
• be able to transfer skills and qualities
  developed in one area/context to another.

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PDP at Hope is intended to

• encourage students to understand how they learn
  and take control of their learning
• help them to be successful in their academic
  subjects
• enhance their experience of higher education
• help them recognise and develop skills that will
  be useful in their personal and professional life
  
• help them make life and career choices.

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The PDP portfolio

• Employability
• Register with careers
• Up to date CV
• Module choice for next year plus rationale

• Meta-learning
• Summaries action plans
• SWOT analysis
• Myers Briggs
• Reflections on Learning Inventory

ACTION PLANNING REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT
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Can meta-learning be encouraged by individual
reflection with a tutor?
Some evidence that the process of analysing their
own learning profiles and then discussing them
with their tutor in the context of their academic
subjects can be useful as a first step (Norton,
Owens Clark, 2004)  
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Scott a first year student studying Sport and
Psychology
I recognise the importance of understanding
material in higher education, I realize it is not
simply a matter of memorising information, but
involves seeing things from a different
perspective. It is important I learn to be able
to develop my own ideas and justify my opinions
on topics within my academic subjects Advanced
conception of learning
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Scotts understanding of the differences between
his two subjects
The psychology department encourages a
conception of learning that is about thinking
independently and understanding. All theories
are open to debate and argument so the psychology
department encourages new ideas and thoughts on
material. It is essential in psychology to
support a theory with evidence therefore an
understanding of a particular topic is necessary
to produce work of a high standard. The
conception of the sport studies module is
different, the lectures provide all the necessary
information, it is up to the student to go away
and learn it.
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Scotts insight into changes he will need to make
The approach to my sport studies is different to
psychology where by I have tried to learn the
subject matter word for word without really
understanding the meaning. In order to achieve a
high grade in my sport degree I realise I will
need to treat the material in the same way as the
psychology modules.
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Can PDP encourage meta-learning?

• Small pilot study asked students at the beginning
  and at the of their PDP module what they thought
  the characteristics of a really good student
  were using the
• Ideal Inventory
• 36 students completed the first inventory but
  only 19 completed the second
• (Walters Norton, 2004)

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Pilot study findings

• Most of the students we looked at were concerned
  with the business of being a student at the
  start of their degree, metalearning did not
  spontaneously appear
• After PDP there was a definite awareness of
  metalearning (0 to 11 of their own generated
  characteristics) all other differences fairly
  small
• At the end of their first year students show some
  move towards metalearning which might be due to
  the effects of PDP

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Lins personal reflections

• PDP needs to be a meaningful activity not a tick
  box exercise for a progress file
• Knowing yourself should be at the heart of PDP
• PDP integrated into the curriculum ensures that
  students have to take it seriously (this is
  particularly important in the first year)
• Process rather than product is fundamental to the
  higher education and employability agenda
• There are many institutional, student, subject
  and staff issues that can make or break the PDP
  initiative

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References
Barnett, R. (2000) Supercomplexity and the
Curriculum. Studies in Higher Education, 25, 3,
255-265. Bennett, N., Dunne, E. Carr?, C.
(2000) Skills development in higher education and
employment. Buckingham The Society for research
into Higher education and Open university
press ESECT Enhancing Student Employability
Co-ordination team http//www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericc
entre/index.asp?id17641 (accessed 21 November
2004) Guide for busy academics No 3. Using PDP to
help students gain employment http//www.heacademy
.ac.uk/resources.asp?processfull_recordsectiong
enericid68 (accessed 21 November 2004) Knight
PT and Yorke M (2004) Learning, curriculum and
employability London RoutledgeFalmer Norton, L.,
Owens, T Clark, L. (2004) Encouraging
metalearning in first year undergraduates trhough
reflective discussion and writing. Innovations
in Education and Teaching International, 41, 4,
423-441 Walters, D. Norton, L. (2004) Personal
Development Planning Promoting Excellent
learning? Paper presented at the ILTHE annaul
conference, University of Hertfordshire, 29 June-
1 July, 2004