PDP4Life the project and its outcomes www'bournemouth'ac'ukpdp4life

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PDP4Lifethe project and its outcomeswww.bournemo
uth.ac.uk/pdp4life
ABC

• Project Team
• Janet Hanson, Barbara Newland, Ken Bissell,
• Dave Croot, Sue Timmis, Chris Mullings
• Dartington, 20-21 March 2006

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Project Activities

• Developing a specification for an extended
  Learner Record (LR) that includes formal
  qualifications and learner-generated records of
  informal learning from local PDP systems
• Testing the secure transfer of learner records
  between institutions using ioNode technology
• Identifying user views on PDP records, in
  particular from the Creative Industries, using
  focus groups of students, academic staff and
  employers to inform the LR
• Sharing PDP practice between 11 HEI/FEI partners
  in the South West
• Contributing PDP processes to ioPortal suite.

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Testing the ioNode building on the SHELL legacy
University of Plymouth currently
ioHUB
Student record database
ioDatabase holding formal records
ioAgent
Bournemouth University
ioAgent
ioAgent
Portal presenting an interface with the data for
learner and administration
Student record database
Student record database
Weymouth College
UCY
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Specification for an Extended Lifelong Learner
Record

• Daves slides

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Voices of Staff and Students in the South West
Report on Focus Groups with PDP4Life partners
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Focus Group Objectives

• Identify existing PDP practice amongst students
• Use student ideas and experiences to help develop
  extended learner record
• Identify positive and negative issues and
  priorities for extended learner record
• Contribute to understanding of issues and
  challenges of a lifelong e-portfolio.

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Staff views

• Potential to be a really useful tool but how to
  get students to see the value? Students want a
  quick and easy fix
• Must be a resource for students-has to be
  meaningful to them
• Students need encouragement with course work
  learning process, without adding completing PDP
• Role of personal or subject tutor crucial
• But extra role/work for tutors.

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Staff views (continued)

• Value of institutional stamp/link on
  publicly-available work, an employer concern
  also?
• Students only see grades- not aware of key skills
  needed (organiser, people skills) or transferable
  skills
• Professional development support varies
• PDP probably especially useful for disabled and
  mature students

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Student Results

• Difficult to see far ahead-very focused on CV for
  first job-often know what want to do. OU
  different
• Only want to present best work, do not need to
  keep past work, especially from school
• Hard copy/physical portfolio very important to
  CI
• Vary as to wanting to include non-academic
  skills, voluntary work some say Yes, some No
• More self-evaluation and reflective practice for
  CI and mature students, often built in course
• Not clear learner record was in their control, to
  choose to share.

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Views common to all

• Record could accumulate too much material
• Difficult to know what to keep, what to edit
• Difficult to look ahead, say 20 years-which
  version to retain?
• Not many students using blogs/personal websites,
  depends on course, e.g. B Ed, graphics,
  journalism
• Many CI students do group work and assessment,
  others less so.

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Points for Employers

• Employers wont be interested in the detail in
  the record-wont have time to read
• Employers need proof of management, or people
  skills as much as academic work
• Change industry ideas-many employers have very
  old-fashioned approach to selection
• Evidence depends on job references, character
  refs. application form, personal statement,
  creative work
• SW Region- a special case-low pay, scarcity of
  jobs-many students do not realise.

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Extended Learner Record

• Staff-majority of students would not be
  interested and would need help to complete
• Many students not interested, thought it all a
  bit big-brother
• Creative Arts are different and need a different
  structure- creativity to get away from
  records
• Useful for recording achievements all in one
  place
• For list of interesting websites/contacts
• Would value a CV-Wizard
• Security raised-especially personal qualities
• Learning styles less useful data field.

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Final points

• More a snapshot, not (as yet) a representative
  sample
• Structure (record) must be flexible and suit
  different disciplines
• More data needed on subject differences
• Best introduced in first year so becomes embedded
  and supported in learning experience.

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Contributing PDP processes to the ioPortal suite
University of Plymouth currently but could be
anywhere
ioHUB
Local PDP system and repository
ioAgent
Extended ioDatabase holding formal and informal
records
Repository
Bournemouth University
ioAgent
ioAgent
ioPortal presenting multiple user interfaces with
the data (learner, employer, F/HEI
Local PDP system and repository
Local PDP system and repository
Open University
Weymouth College
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Issues raised Technical

• Interoperability and lack of consensus on
  standards
• PDP-related records potentially unlimited
• Categorising the record information- by data
  structure or purpose
• Accessibility
• Key role for the portal offering unsupported PDP
  processes, but needs clear rationale
• System-level requirements, eg Web Services
  interfaces to institutional PDP systems
• Security and authentication.

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Issues raised Pedagogic

• Variety of approaches to PDP and
  E-portfolio use among PDP4Life Partners
• Learner motivation generally
• Learners in the Creative Industries sector
• Motivation to access lifelong learning records
• Purpose of PDP records not clear.

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Issues raised Political, Legal, Organisational

• Location and management of independent storage
• Security and privacy, allowing third party
  access
• Is there a role for a regional approach?

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PDP4Life Where Next?

• Three month extension from April to June
• Working with Phosphorix to contribute PDP
  processes to ioPortal suite
• Further analysis of user views gathered through
  the focus groups
• Possibility of further JISC funding for embedding
  and piloting for one more year
• Follow-up SW PDP conference in 2007.