The role of the e-portfolio in developing engagement to enculturate and empower the first year student

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Jenny WestwoodAcademic Development Adviser

PDP & Employability

Ian SmithSenior Lecturer & Teaching Fellow

SoC PDP Champion

Further Information

• Smith, I (2006, April) Empowering the learner through enhanced engagement informed by reflective practice. Paper presented to The First Year Experience In Continuing Education ESCalate, University of Stirling ISBN 978-1-905788-41-5

• Smith, I (2007, August) Engaging the First Year: Laying the Foundations of Personal & Professional Development. Short paper presented to 8th Annual Conference of the Higher Education Academy for Information and Computer Sciences, University of Southampton

• http://www.ed.napier.ac.uk/staffconference/june2006/posters/smith.pdf• http://www.ed.napier.ac.uk/staffconference/june2007/posters/smith.pdf

• http://www.napier.ac.uk/confidentfutures/whatis.aspx

James Bond is best personified by ……

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

0% 71% 6% 12%0%0%12%

1. David Niven

2. Sean Connery

3. George Lazenby

4. Roger Moore

5. Timothy Dalton

6. Pierce Brosnan

7. Daniel Craig

My primary role is ……

1 2 3 4 5

24%

35%

18%

0%

24%

1. Chalk-face Teaching

2. Student Support

3. Academic Development

4. Management

5. Other

Research

Acknowledgements: Jenny Westwood

Professional Development Planning

• Three small pilots (2005), involving students from:– Computing– Law – Marketing & Tourism

• Each introduced PDP in different ways.

• Independent Evaluation– informal semi-structured interviews with students– student questionnaires– informal feedback from a group of staff.

PDP Evaluation Report

1. All students providing feedback are strongly in support of the concept of PDP

– they liked the idea of an aspect of their programme being about them and their progress.

2. PDP needs to be built into the programme from the start, rather than added onto it at a later date

– students saw this as a strong indicator of the University’s and School’s commitment to, and valuing of, PDP.

3. PDP seems to work best with a well-planned combination of group and individual activities.

– students liked being part of a small group (~ 25) but needed to be encouraged to carry out personal activities alongside

4. The promotion of PDP was an encouragement for, and reminder to, staff to carry out previously used (and useful) activities

– e.g. diagnostic testing for “at risk” students – now available electronically in an accessible and user-friendly format.

PDP Evaluation Report

5. Students who had undergone a positive PDP experience (within 10 weeks of their programme) talked about having a “much better deal” than their colleagues who hadn’t.

– articulated the benefits as:5. feeling valued and supported 6. feeling more motivated and committed (by the enthusiasm

& commitment of their tutor) 7. having a strong sense of group identity/belonging8. having an obvious and natural point of contact 9. developing an awareness of themselves in relation to

where they were aiming/ planning to go professionally10.developing an understanding of how their programme

could help them achieve their goals - whether these goals were firmly formed or only emerging.

• The PDP process and associated activities could provide an effective focus for helping students make sense of their programme by ‘joining up’ its modular parts.

Outline

• Context

• In action

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” (Quality Assurance Agency (2001) Guidelines for HE Progress Files, Gloucester, QAA)

PDP focus @ Napier

Core aims

• The enhancement of student academic learning and achievement, career planning & personal development abilities and understanding

• To support Napier students “to be highly valued by employers, the sector & the community”* both now & in the future

*As articulated in Napier's LTA Strategy, Promoting Learning for Achieving Potential

Personal qualitiesself- motivation

self- relianceadaptability/ flexibility

personal valuesnous/ commonsense

creativity

Key skillstime managementstudy skillscommunication: written & oralapplication of numberinformation/communication technologyworking with othersproblem-solving

Reflective skills

Student Employability Skills and Attributes

Understanding of howorganisations work

knowledge of working practicesprofessional behaviour

recognition of organisational culture

Traditional intellectual skillscritical evaluation of evidenceargue logicallyapply theory to practicemodel problems qualitatively & quantitativelychallenge taken-for-granted assumptions

Reflective skillslearning to learn

identification of own strengths and development needscontinuously improving one's own performance

2000 NAPIER UNIVERSITY, EDINBURGH

Personal & professional development planning

Achieved through:

• Supporting students to:• personalise their HE experience • make best use of personal and professional opportunities their

modular programme provides

• Providing opportunities, activities & mechanisms to support students in developing well-founded confidence through• increased self-knowledge • informed decision-making

• Supporting staff and providing a range of staff development opportunities & support mechanisms

Key PDP components

Developing the confident learner is being helped by:

• Stimulating & useful inductions/orientation• Appropriate personal development tutor contact, support &

activities• Options/choices designed into programme• Enhanced learning opportunities in programme• Inbuilt high quality personal development• E-portfolio that encourages self-evaluation and planning activities of

recognition, reflection, modification, collection, selection & recording• Empowered, enthusiastic and confident staff

The Development Units

www.napier.ac.uk/confidentfutures

THEME YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 POSTGRADUATEStrand 1 Knowing Yourself Communication

StylesDealing with Conflict Goal Setting

Self Awareness Purpose: to identify strengths, build confidence and encourage self-analysis

Purpose: to build awareness of personal style and other people’s styles of communication

Purpose: to develop skills and strategies for resolving conflict

Purpose: To identify techniques for effective goal setting

Strand 2 Learned Optimism Taking on Challenges

Problem Solving Embracing Change Defending ideas

Empowering Attitudes

Purpose: to build resilience and develop skills to cope with difficulties

Purpose: to identify where risks can be taken and encourage movement out with comfort zone

Purpose: to develop a problem solving attitude and to focus on the future, including overcoming barriers

Purpose: develop personal skills for dealing with change and change management

Purpose: To be able to defend ideas in a variety of forum

Strand 3 Interacting with Others

Assertiveness Developing Professional Relationships

Networking

Building Relationships

Purpose: to develop interaction skills including listening, negotiation, compromising and building relationships

Purpose: to build on communication skills and identify situations where could be more assertive

Purpose: build an awareness of how impact on others and how to communicate strengths to others

Purpose: to develop techniques for fruitful networking

School of Computing

Year 1 Engagement Model

engage

empower educate

enculturate

(Smith, 2007)

Innovations for First Year in 2006/07SoC, Napier University

• Confident Futures

• Technology-Assisted Tracking System (Tracker)

• ePortfolio

• Additional Electives

• Enhanced Induction

• CO13003: Professional Development module

My most memorable moment as a student was ….

1 2 3

20%13%

67%1. Academic in context

2. Social in context

3. Other

Most useful part of my degree was ……

1 2

65%

35%

1. Content related

2. Process related

PhysicalSpace

Academic

SocialVirtualSpace

The Graduate’s Journey

Portfolios are better suited to certain subject areas

1 2 3 4 5

11% 32% 21%21%16%

1. Strongly Agree

2. Agree

3. Neutral

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

Portfolios need to be integrated into the curriculum

1 2 3 4 5

44% 39% 6%6%6%

1. Strongly Agree

2. Agree

3. Neutral

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

Portfolios should be assessed

1 2 3 4 5

12% 18% 12%24%35%

1. Strongly Agree

2. Agree

3. Neutral

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

Reflection is a key factor in the development of porfolios

1 2 3 4 5

61% 33% 6%0%0%

1. Strongly Agree

2. Agree

3. Neutral

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

Students are naturally reflective

1 2 3 4 5

5% 20% 10%30%35%

1. Strongly Agree

2. Agree

3. Neutral

4. Disagree

5. Strongly Disagree

Professional Development Module: Formative Tasks

1. 250 word pen picture & digital photograph (week 1)

2. 150 word reflective report on Confident Futures Workshop -

Knowing Yourself (week 2)

3. 300 word self-reflection "What type of learner am I and what

implications does this have for my university studies?” (week 3)

4. 300 word self-reflection "How am I hoping my course will help me

achieve my current aspirations ?” (week 4)

5. With reference to the recommended template, develop a current

curriculum vitae (CV) as word document. (week 5)

6. 150 word reflective report on Confident Futures Workshop -

Learned Optimism (week 5)

7. 150 word reflective report on Confident Futures Workshop -

Interacting with Others (week 8)

Professional Development Module: Summative Tasks

• A 1000 word essay on the theme "Bill Gates - A Biography.

• PDP Plan, Reflective Report & Portfolio– With reference to your reflective report and your PDP

plan, compile a portfolio of artefacts that illustrate your personal development over this semester. Individual artefacts may take the form of text, images, audio or video.

– You may also submit links to blogs or appropriate personal websites.

– All relevant documents should be appropriately named in a section of your ePortfolio with relevant access rights provided to your tutors.

• A ten-minute presentation on the theme “Video Games in Contemporary Society”– Group project– Negotiated grading criteria

Today and Tomorrow

• “Introduction to PDP and the ePortfolio” for all students at point of entry

• Forward thinking at start of each trimester• Better use of one2one interview mid-trimester• Reflective review at end of each trimester.• “Graduate Portfolio” module in final year.

It must be tremendously interesting to be a schoolmaster, to watch boys grow up and help them along; to see their characters develop and what they become when they leave school and the world gets hold of them. I don't see how you could ever get old in a world that's always young.

Katherine (Greer Garson)Goodbye Mr Chips (1939)