Bridges CETL at the University of Bedfordshire

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Bridges CETL at the University of Bedfordshire

• Arti Kumar MBE
• CETL Associate Director
• National Teaching Fellow

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Main aims
to enable student learning for personal,
academic and career development. working to
identify, enhance and evaluate effective PDP
practices that
- bridge back to students prior experiences
- bridge beyond the curriculum into careers
of lifelong learning
- bridge through the curriculum by linking
activities
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Main outputs CRe8 SOAR
SOAR model
Curriculum Review and implementation 2008
09
CRe8
Employability, PDP and preparation for
careers of lifelong learning
Stimulating personalised and realistic learning
Innovative
curriculum and assessment approaches
Book Kumar, A (2007) Routledge, London New York
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SOARing to Success

• Self, Opportunity, Aspirations, Results
• - a student-centred formative process
• - enables students to identify and develop a
• range of graduate skills and attributes
• moving towards professionalism
• - a framework for PDP-CMS empirically evaluated
  
• - content and coverage
• structures
• pedagogy theoretically credible

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Skill-sets of the ideal student /graduate
SOAR
Communication skills (including work in
groups)

• as a bridge -
• provides the links
• - Self awareness
• Opportunity
• awareness
• - Aspirations
• - Results
• How captured
• - Progress File?
• Paper-based or
• electronic?

Creativity and critical thinking
information literacy
Research and evaluation
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Self as hero in the journey of life
Where am I now? Where do I want to be? Where do I
need to be? How will I get there?
What are my actual and potential abilities? What
am I capable of achieving? What is important to
me in life/work? Where will I suitably fit in the
world out there? Do I understand how life and
work are changing? Do I match up to the
requirements?
Can SOAR prompt reflection, action and
articulation for careers of lifelong learning?
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elf awareness
S

• awareness of the distinctive characteristics
  (abilities, skills, values and interests) that
  define the kind of person one is and the kind of
  person one wishes to become. (NICEC briefing,
  1992)
• Students discover develop a
• Self-MAP for the journey Motivation, Ability,
  Personality

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The mind is like an iceberg, it floats with
one-seventh of its bulk above water
Sigmund Freud
Environment Behaviours Actions (observable) Capa
bilities Interests Values Beliefs (reportable) Id
entity Collective identity (subconscious)
If Heineken were to do teaching, learning and
assessment?
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Three-way interaction learners at the heart of
their learning
May be diverse in ability, age, background, etc.
Learning outcomes
N.B. Learning opportunities should relate closely
to learning objectives and methods
Learners
Learning facilitators may be academic or support
staff, peers, employers, alumni, professional
body representatives
Learning enablers
Learning opportunities
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Self- Other-awareness skills in a success cycle
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Assessment doing triple duty self, peer and
tutor / employer perspectives
Learning from doing, writing, reflecting,
presenting and from formative and summative
assessment.
N.B. Learning from continuous assessment and
feedback develops a range of attributes
Self-assessment
Assessment criteria can take account of both
academic requirements and employers needs
Tutor assessment
Peer assessment
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Opportunity

• awareness of the possibilities that exist,
  the demands they make and the rewards and
  satisfactions they can offer (NICEC briefing,
  1992)

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The Self-Opportunity dynamic
explore options, occupations, etc. that fit
with ones Self-MAP
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Aspirations

• generate, clarify, test and implement
  aspirations through realistic decision-making and
  action planning
• The difference between a dream and a goal is the
  written plan
• 'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it!
  Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.'
  (one of Goethes couplets)

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Demonstrating and Evaluating Results

• A winning CV, application, interview and
  Assessment Centre requires
• Targeting suitable opportunities
• Matching its requirements with the Self-MAP or
  applicant profile
• Understanding transferability
• Defending a decision at interview
• Demonstrating behavioural competencies at
  Assessment Centre activities and exercises

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Lutons model
Year 3 project Year 2 Core PDP 15 credits Year 1
Core Personal, Professional Academic Module
Transcript of 6 QCA key skills CMS
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PDP as a spine or spiral in curricula
F A C I L I T A T I O N
I N F O R M A T I O N
results
G U I D A N C E
aspirations
opportunity
self
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Working with students to unlock their potential

• The dynamic relationships between SOAR elements
  can generate synergy and real-life relevance
• The model should be animated and contextualised
  within different subject disciplines
• You can take student development to a whole new
  dimension put the jigsaw bridge together!

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An example of a self-auditTackling my
assessments

• Allocate ratings to each statement below, along a
  four-point scale, where 1 never, 2 rarely, 3
  frequently, 4 always
• I analyse and understand assessment instructions
• I match these with marking briefs / criteria
• I identify what information and resources are
  needed and available
• I decide and plan how I will conduct the
  research
• I seek appropriate help, as needed
• I retrieve the information I need, from a range
  of sources
• I evaluate information to see if it is reliable,
  relevant, etc. for my purposes
• I organise the information into essay, report or
  presentation format, as required
• I produce the first draft in my own words
  (avoiding plagiarism)
• I reference accurately, using the required
  system e.g. Harvard
• I copy-edit and proof-read, refine second and
  third drafts
• I then produce the final version
• I evaluate and assess myself in relation to
  given marking criteria.

• Ratings
• 1 - 4