Starting out – the highs and lows of implementing an e- portfolio system Alan Howe University of Gloucestershire

In the beginning…  Personal Development Planning is: “ 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” (QAA 2001) “ 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” (QAA 2001)  University PDP policy: Personal Development Planning is an integral and a required element of all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes: Personal Development Planning is an integral and a required element of all undergraduate and postgraduate programmes:  Reality was that: Introduced in year one first semester usually in a study skills module Then if they were lucky some students given a ring binder and told to keep their ‘PDP’ in that. Then …..??? Introduced in year one first semester usually in a study skills module Then if they were lucky some students given a ring binder and told to keep their ‘PDP’ in that. Then …..???

The Brave New World of PDP  SW Degree was re-validated June 2007  Decision taken to adopt pebblePAD as vehicle to record PDP throughout the degree.  pebblePAD was seen as the key to unlock the door to successful, meaningful PDP activity  JISC/RSC West Midlands workshop on e- portfolios was significant in shaping our thinking May 2007

E-portfolios - the vision  “A radical shift towards learners owning their lifelong learning”  “A personal online space for students to access services and store their work”  A portable portfolio to take with you between learning experiences  A key element of the move towards greater flexibility and personalisation in learning Ben Williams ILT Adviser JISC RSC East Midlands 2007

Principles we adopted  One tutor needed to lead development and take over modules where pebblePAD and PDP could be developed and integrated  If we wanted students to take PDP seriously we had to integrate it into the curriculum and assess it  Needed ‘buy in’ from managers and SW tutors  Needed development time  Needed lots of support

What we did  I took over modules at levels 1.2 and 3 where pebblePAD and PDP could be developed  Made contact with Emma Purnell University of Wolverhampton, who offered lots of guidance and support  Developed pebblePAD Learning and Personal Developemt (LPD) module and Introduced level 1 students to pebblepad and PDP

What else did we do?  Ran training session for tutors and offered continuing guidance and support throughout LPD module  Kept managers and SW tutors informed of developments at various meetings to keep then ‘on side’.  Made links with colleagues at University of Kent and Wolverhampton to develop pebblePAD module to assess SW practice  Pushed for pebblePAD support group within University  Secured hours on BoD to do this work

PDP on the SW degree  Level 1 LDP plus overall reflection on year one – assessed by personal tutor ( )  Level 2 Practice Placement pebblePAD webfolio- assessed by tutors and practice assessors. Overall reflection on learning in year 2- assessed by personal tutor ( )  Level 3 Professional Identities module assessed by tutors using pebblePAD webfolio. Practice placement webfolio assessed by tutors and practice assessors ( )

If starting again…  Ensure all university computers being used have latest version of ‘Flash ’- avoids embarrassing moments…  Set up a ‘dummy’ student account so you can see and experience what students see and experience  Get as much training before you start as possible so you can deal with queries and sort out problems  Know where to get help  At beginning of year 1, book more hands on time for students to learn the intricacies of pebblePAD  Do not set deadlines for assessment gateway if you want students to continue to post assets to it throughout year  Respond to student queries and postings promptly and encourage personal tutors to do likewise  Think about piloting modules first

Conclusion  This has been one of the most exciting journeys I have been on in SW education for many years.  Opportunities for creative and meaningful development, which majority of students value  Opportunities to become part of a collaborative ‘community’ with SW colleagues in other institutions. 