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The Keele University Skills Portfolio Personal Tutor Guide

Accredited by the ILM

Updated for the 2017-2018 Academic Year

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Contents

Section 1: Processes 2

1. Completing the Keele University Skills Portfolio (KUSP)

2. Requirements for ILM accreditation

3. PebblePad building and sharing your portfolio

4. Accessing the KUSP

5. Recording achievement on SCIMS

Section 2: Reflective Writing 7

1. What is reflective writing and why is it important?

2. What to look for in a reflection

3. The KUSP Marking Criteria

4. Annotated example of a completed asset

Section 3: Further Support and Guidance 12

1. The personal tutor webpages

2. Pebblepad

3. The Student Learning Team

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Section 1: Processes

Completing the KUSP

The Keele University Skills Portfolio is a collection of reflections on a wide range of academic,

personal and professional skills ranging from note-making to rapport building and dealing with stress

to public speaking. There are 24 accredited reflections (called assets on PebblePad) arranged in to six

areas to choose from. Each asset is built to follow the 4Rs model of reflection (see p.9) so the more

assets a student completes the more comfortable they should become with what is required for a

good reflection (see pp.10-11).

Requirements for ILM accreditation

Keele has a unique arrangement with the Institute of Leadership and Management which enables an

accreditation to be offered to those students whose Keele University Skills Portfolio meets the ILM

requirements (see box below). As the ILM is the UK’s main awarding body for leadership and

management qualifications, it is a brand that will resonate with employers and other external

agencies.

*IMPORTANT*

To be eligible for accreditation by the ILM, the student and/or KUSP

must satisfy all of the following criteria:

Requirements for ILM accreditation

Students pursue ILM accreditation of their KUSP alongside their End Qualification (i.e.

BA Honours, MSC, PhD, etc.) and must be made aware that if they do not successfully complete

their end qualification they might not be eligible to gain the ILM accreditation.

The End Qualification must be at least a full Undergraduate Degree. Foundation

degrees, Certificates/ Diplomas of Higher Education and similar awards are not eligible. I.E. a

minimum of level 6 on the FHEQ. This will be checked automatically by the university records

system.

The student must have begun their course no earlier than September 2012.

The completed KUSP must include a reflection from each of the six coloured themes

(see the next page).

The personal tutor must be satisfied as to the quality of the reflections (see p.9).

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Team Working

Making Effective Presentations

Techniques for Getting Organised

Developing Effective Study Practice

Your Learning Style Effective Dissertation Research

Evaluation & Critical Writing Search Strategies & Databases

Principles of Time Management Barriers to Managing Time

Time Management Tools & Techniques

Public Speaking Rhetorical Techniques Presentation Anxiety

Presentation Technology

Team Roles Networking

Recognising Leadership Leading a Group

Self-Confidence Assertion

Dealing with Difficult People Building Rapport

Negotiation Listening Skills

Stress Management Managing Low Mood

Mindfulness

People Skills

Dealing with Stress

Keele University

Skills Portfolio (KUSP)

Complete 6 Reflections, -one from each colour group, to

gain ILM Accreditation

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PebblePad: building and sharing your portfolio There are two methods to complete the portfolio on the PebblePad system. The first method is available to all students and involves using a ‘workbook’ (a

structured, pre-populated portfolio) which was released on the system in September 2014. The workbook method is the suggested route. The second

method involves the uses of multiple ‘assets’ (items of content) and the drawing these assets into a ‘webfolio’ (a portfolio of the reflections the student has

completed). This second route is most likely used by students who began their portfolio before the workbook method was made available in October 2014.

We do not suggest any new students complete their portfolio using the webfolio method but instead use the simpler and more concise workbook method.

Both methods are outlined below.

Method 1: the workbook (recommended)

The advantage of the ‘workbook’ method is it draws information for completing the KUSP into one place allowing contextual information, all the reflections

and instructions to be placed with in this once space, the workbook. Students now only have to download the workbook once to be able to start

completing their KUSP. This link shows how to locate the KUSP workbook.

Method 2: the webfolio

A webfolio is built from scratch by the user. It collates together individual reflections (assets). It requires a greater understanding of the PebblePad system.

This link shows how to put a webfolio together.

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Accessing the KUSP When the student ‘shares’ their KUSP an email will be sent to your inbox. Click the link to open the portfolio in PebblePad. You may be asked for your Keele

log-in credentials to do this. Click this link to watch a video. It is critical that the portfolio is sent to you through the PebblePad system so that the

university has a record of it for quality checks by both the internal team and the external accreditors. If you receive the portfolio in a different format, e.g.

hard-copy or PDF, you must instruct the student to share it with you through PebblePad before signing it off. Failure to do so on part of the student may

result in the award being refused or rescinded. PebblePad support videos are available here. If a tutor or a student experiences any difficulties or has any

questions relating to the PebblePad system these should be sent directly to the I.T. service help desk. If you have any suggestions for additional videos

please send them to student.learning@keele.ac.uk

Recording achievement on SCIMS The KUSP screen can be found on EVISON (see screenshot 1) and a number of functions are provided (see screenshot 2). The two initial boxes, ‘I

acknowledge intention to submit received’ and ‘portfolio received’ should be ticked at the appropriate juncture. For each of the six accredited areas there

are three options N/A, pass or fail. N/A is the default position and simply means that this element of work has yet to be received or assessed. Judge

submitted work against the criteria (p.9) and pass/fail as appropriate. If the element is failed please select a reason from the drop-down box; either, ‘not

submitted on time’, or ‘unacceptable standard’. Finally, click ‘confirm KUSP’ once all sections have been marked. If all six sections are marked as pass then

this will trigger the award on the student records system. Please note that there is a comments box to provide feedback on the portfolio as a whole

(alternatively this can be done through the PebblePad system). Please note that anything written in this box will be sent to the student. Each time you make

any changes on the screen remember to click ‘save selections’.

At this point the student will receive an automated email from the system once the KUSP has been signed off. A copy of this email is also sent to Student

Learning and to you. If the student or you has not received this email then the KUSP has not been signed off correctly and they will not be recognised on the

records system.

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Screen shot 1

Screenshot 2

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Section 2: Reflective Writing

What is reflective writing and why is it important?

Reflective writing should capture the process described by Gibbs above. It is not simply about

describing what happened but reviewing, analysing and evaluating what happened and why. As we

prepare students for their next steps, it is important that they can understand and deal with

complex situations and learn from them. Reflective writing allows students to challenge ideas and

develop new perspectives, respond to challenges and identify new possibilities. These insights can

be drawn from the whole student experience, academic or otherwise. These behaviours are

captured by the Keele Graduate Attributes.

What to look for in a reflection Students might find reflective writing more uncomfortable than other forms of academic writing as

it involves writing about concerns and anxieties as well as successes and achievements. Though the

student will be writing about their own feelings and experiences their work still needs to be as

robust as it would for any other piece of academic work. Therefore, assertions should be supported

by evidence from their experiences and, where relevant, integrate theory with practice – i.e. how do

'It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting

upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is

from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalisations

or concepts can be generated. And it is generalisations that allow new situations to

be tackled effectively.'

Gibbs, G. (1988)

Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods,

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my experiences relate to existing literature? Reflections should capture the learning that has

resulted from making sense of their experiences - what have I learnt from this experience and what

can the literature tell me about how I should plan for future experiences?

Whilst in other forms of academic writing it can be frowned upon to write in the first person this is

perfectly acceptable in reflective writing when the author is talking about their own experiences

(e.g. “I did not feel confident reflecting on my contribution to the team because….”). When

discussing academic literature however it is expected that the author will revert back to the third person (e.g.“Moon (2004) advocates…”). Effective reflective writing will draw these two styles

together.

In early attempts to blend theory and practice some students have a tendency to focus on describing

what happened. Tutors should use feedback to encourage students to produce a more balanced

reflection by giving emphasis to the final 3Rs of the PebblePad assets (Relate, Reason, and

Reconstruct) in their discussions – see pages 9-11.

The KUSP Marking Criteria As the student’s KUSP accompanies their end qualification it is important that the quality of

reflection in the KUSP is consistent with standards of higher education learning. We have developed

a set of guidelines as to what constitutes a good reflection (pp.10-11), please exercise you academic

judgement in applying these. Feel free to seek a second opinion from colleagues in your school, or

from Student Learning.

Students should be given as many opportunities to revisit their reflections as they need to meet a

suitable standard, as long as they submit their final portfolio to a satisfactory standard by the central

deadline. The final deadline for submission for undergraduates is 1 March, for full-time

postgraduates is 1 May and for part-time postgraduates is 1 November each calendar year. It is the

responsibility of the individual student to ensure they meet the deadline. Tutors are expected to

mark the portfolio in line with university policy, which is currently three weeks.

All reflection templates on PebblePad for the KUSP follow the 4Rs model (Report, Relate, Reason,

and Reconstruct) and are easily mapped to this guidelines, adapted from the Ryan and Ryan model

of ‘Developing Reflective Practice across Higher Education’ (2010). Each reflection need not hit every

tick in the satisfactory column but should address the prompt questions. As such personal tutors are

asked to exercise academic judgement in deciding if the reflection represents a satisfactory attempt

at the prompt questions. Typical prompt questions can be seen in the annotated example found on

pages 10 -11.

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Figure 3: KUSP Marking Criteria

Criteria Pass Reporting Student has identified an appropriate incident or issue and explained what was involved. For example:

Student has reported/ recorded what happened or what the issue or incident involved Student has explained why it is relevant Student has responded to the incident or issue by making observations and expressing an

informed opinion Student has posed questions to address as a result of the incident

Relating Student has related the incident or issue to their own skills, personal and professional experience, or discipline knowledge. For example:

Student has related or made connection between the incident or issue and own skills, professional experience, or discipline knowledge.

Student has commented on aspects that they have or have not experienced before Student has analysed the similarities and differences between conditions of other contexts they

have encountered Student has explained the extent to which their skills or knowledge will enable them to deal

with the incident or issue

Reasoning Student has made sense of the incident and its significance to their skills development, personal and professional experience, or discipline knowledge. For example:

Student has highlighted in detail significant factors underlying the incident or issue Student has explained and analysed their importance Student has referred to relevant theory and literature to support their reasoning Student has considered different perspectives (theoretical or ethical)

Reconstructing Student has generalised and/or applied their learning to other contexts and future professional practice. For example:

Student has described how they would deal with this next time Student has elaborated on what might work and why Student has identified different options/scenarios and hypothesised possible outcomes Student has explained how theories or relevant literature support their ideas Student has explored whether changes could be made to benefit others

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Annotated example of a good reflection The following is provided as an example of a good reflective asset..

The student has selected an appropriate

incident, explained why it is relevant,

shared informed and nuanced opinion and

used the incident to address pertinent

questions about their listening.

The student has made connections

between the incident and issues referred

to and their own experience and discipline.

In referring to Shankar Ram’s theory, they

have commented on an aspect of listening

that they may not have considered before.

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The student has highlighted in detail a

range of significant factors underlying

the issue, analysed their importance

and effects. Relevant theory and

different perspectives are included.

The student has drawn from their

experience and reflection to describe

how they would deal with similar

situations in future. They have

elaborated on what might work and why

and explained how relevant theory

supports the suggested course of action.

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Section 3: Further Support and Guidance

The webpages for personal tutoring provide further

information on aspects of the role.

The PebblePad webpages have videos to support

students and staff using the platform. All queries

relating to PebblePad can be directed to the IT help

desk.

Student Learning provide a number of services to

support students during their studies, such as Write

Direction (one-to-ones) and How2 (workshop series).

Each faculty also has a teaching fellow or learning

developer assigned to it who can assist staff.