Implementing Personal Development Profiles

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Implementing Personal Development Profiles

• Dr Clare Saunders, Subject Coordinator
  (Philosophy)
• Dr Darlene Bird, Subject Coordinator (Theology)

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The what and why of PDP

• What 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.
• Why to help students
• - become more effective, independent and
  confident self-directed learners
• - understand how they are learning and relate
  their learning to a wider context
• - improve their general skills for study and
  career management
• - articulate their personal goals and evaluate
  progress towards their achievement
• - and encourage a positive attitude to learning
  throughout life.
• (information from Centre for Recording
  Achievement)

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Some student responses to PDP

• I was surprised, it seemed to be a waste of time
  at first, but I now realise what a help doing
  some planning can be.
• Recording helped me realise what I have learnt
  this year.
• I know I should be using it more, I am not good
  at this sort of thing, so having to do it for my
  tutor would be useful.
• I assess what I am doing myself, I dont need a
  book to help me.
• My first year tutor did lots on this with us,
  but the one we have now said he thought it was a
  waste of time so I havent looked at it since
  last summer. 
• taken from comments made by students in
  Geography and Earth Science (courtesy of Prof
  Pauline Kneale, School of Geography, University
  of Leeds)

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Student response to survey (87 UG in Geography
surveyed)

• Your PDP is private to you. Do you want staff to
  write in it?
• 80 responded yes
• It needs to be a dialogue, otherwise I cannot be
  interested.
• When should it be done?
• I think time should be set aside for them so it
  does not feel a hassle
• Each term is about right (majority)

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Response to survey

• Question on format and style of PDP
• - PDP with open ended questions allows more
  effective reflection
• - I like tick boxes as well as general
  questions
• - It should not be in the form of tick boxes as
  this encourages laziness
• - Tick boxes are good
• - I think it should be open and not constrained
  or structured, this way people give their honest
  views how they see it rather than accommodate a
  structured method 
• - Suggest a mix of styles and prompts would be
  useful

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Self-Audit

• What are you already doing - or what have you
  done in the past - in your department that might
  be considered a kind of proto-PDP?

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SWOT Analysis

• What, for you, are the
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Opportunities
• Threats
• re using PDP?

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SWOT Analysis (contd.)
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Paper vs electronic PDP

• What do e-portfolios look like?
• http//www.eportfolios.ac.uk
• Username demo724
• Password yellow520
• Samples of paper-based PDP

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PDP Why Bother?

• Some concerns about PDP?...
• More demands on staff ( student) time
• More paperwork
• Just paperwork whats the point?
• Students have already done this at school (e.g.
  National Records of Achievement) why do it again?

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Why Bother? Universities UKs answer

• The primary objective for PDP is to improve the
  capacity of individuals to understand what and
  how they are learning, and to review, plan, and
  take responsibility for their own learning,
  helping students
• become more effective, independent and confident
  self-directed learners
• understand how they are learning and relate their
  learning to a wider context
• improve their general skills for study and career
  management
• articulate personal goals and evaluate progress
  towards their achievement
• and encourage a positive attitude to learning
  throughout life.
• Guidelines for HE Progress Files

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Why Bother? some benefits for students

• A structured, systematic framework for recording,
  and reflecting on, all aspects of their HE
  experience
• Drawing together different aspects of (esp.
  modular) course
• Scope for including extra-curricular activities
  too
• Identifying, and addressing, areas of strength
  and weakness this can be used to inform, e.g.
• Module choice
• Improving performance on assessed work
• Job seeking
• Identifying and developing skills valued by
  employers
• Evidence for use in job applications, interviews
  etc.
• Skills for continuing professional development
  (CPD)

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Why Bother? some benefits for staff

• A framework for encouraging, and enabling,
  greater independent learning
• A structure for tracking student progress,
  identifying and addressing areas of concern
  useful for
• Student retention
• Student achievement (within and beyond their
  degree programme)
• More and better information for preparing student
  references
• A systematic approach
• Drawing together, and making explicit, existing
  good practices (as discussed in our audit)
• Useful evidence for (e.g.) institutional audit
  addressing HE agendas (progress files, student
  success, employability)

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How to motivate participation in PDP for staff?

• Ensure that it fits with existing departmental
  practices priorities
• E.g. personal tutoring system avoid duplication
  of work
• Use to support student retention achievement
• A reflective approach is something that we all,
  already, use and value
• PDP need not be something different or extra
• Lifelong learning approach PDP ? CPD

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How to motivate participation in PDP for
students?

• Ensure that we communicate (explicitly) the
  potential benefits of PDP (as discussed earlier)!
• Not just more of the same (cf. school Records
  of Achievement)
• Lead by example! if staff value PDP, so will
  students
• Recognise their efforts (accreditation?)
• Emphasise link with employability
• Employers value graduates who are reflective, and
  capable of managing their own learning, personal
  professional development
• But they are generally interested in the PDP
  process, rather than the product (progress files)

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PDP Student Employability examples

• Skills development
• Subject-specific skills profiles (Subject Centre
  for PRS) including
• mapping of TRS graduates abilities against
  employer requirements
• reflective questions to aid TRS graduates in
  identifying and articulating their capabilities
• Modelling PDP on employers CPD processes
• NTF project (University of Leeds)
• Based in Geography, but largely generic in
  content
• Includes some public sector charity examples
• http//www.geog.leeds.ac.uk/courses/other/performa
  nce/pdpindex.html

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Discussion Questions

• How do these approaches relate to your
  department?
• What you are already doing
• What you would like to do
• Anticipated problems?
• Any other issues?....
• Thank you!
• Darlene Clare
• http//prs.heacademy.ac.uk

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CPD Example (Save the Children)
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PDP CPD resources

• Creating Development Plans
• What does a Development Plan look like?
  Comparing your current practice with company
  procedures at Woolworths or HBOS
• Personal Development Reviewing a year, the CRAC
  approach
• Activities to promote reflective writing for PDP
• Self-regulated learning - how do you complete
  academic activities? Reflecting on personal
  experience with Avenade
• How do I learn? Reflecting on personal experience
  with Avenade
• Activities related to goal setting
• Goal setting for a project, module, placement or
  semester using BAE Systems planners
• Reviewing performance against goals using
  Woolworths criteria
• Incidents and achievements, preparation for
  interviews with Bradford Metropolitan District
  Council
• Assessing personal competencies with BNFL,
  preparing for interviews.
• Planning for the longer term
• Setting longer-term goals using BAE Systems
  planner
• Valuing your degree skills, preparing for
  interviews with
• Career Development Activities