Process
The PDP process can be made explicit through a specific module; assignments with a focus on
goals and tasks, however students feel they are going through the process of documenting
evidence to reflect on and get feedback on to help them develop further. Bite size tasks could be
organised following Bloom’s taxonomy of learning incorporating personal, academic and
professional learning. Dialogue with tutors and peers in the ePortfolio environment is essential for
tutor and student engagement with the process. Therefore, it is important that the academics are
fully engaged in the process and see the provision of providing feedback important to enable the
student to achieve to their full potential in addition to their assessment strategy, measuring
achievement against learning outcomes.
Conclusion
This study demonstrates that introducing ePortfolios would help facilitate elements of PDP such as
gathering and showcasing evidence, reviewing and ordering, reflective writing, social learning and
action planning. Frith (2010) claims that engaging with this process provides a truer picture of the
student’s skills and their capacity to capture and learn from their individual ‘learning journey’
implying that each discipline, and within that each student, can use ePortfolios differently.
This work has led to the development of an Academic Tool Kit as a file of information to be stored
on the University’s VLE. This Tool Kit offers guidance on the provision of PDP at 3 different levels
within programmes; guidance on the use of ePortfolios based on the professional, employability or
academic model (Clegg & Bradley 2006) and a chart of the comparative data for various tools
available linked to champions of their use, to support the processes of identifying learning needs,
recording, reviewing, evidencing and articulating student achievements.
References
Barnett, R. (2000) Supercomplexity and the curriculum, Studies in Higher Education, 25(3), pp.
255-265.
Clegg, S. and Bradley, S. (2006), Models of PDP: practice and processes, British Educational
Research Journal, 32(1), pp. 57-76.
Floud, R. (2002), Higher education, the economy and society: developing vocational relevance,
Universities UK Keynote speech, The Cavendish Conference Centre, London, 21 February 2002.
Available from: http://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/speeches/show.asp?sp548 [Accessed 12 May
2012]
Frith, L. (2010), How do different models of PDP influence the embedding of e-Portfolios? Journal
of Learning Development in Higher Education. Special Edition: Researching PDP Practice.
pp. 1-15
HEFCE (2005). HEFCE Strategy for E-Learning, ref. 2005/12. Available from:
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_12/ (Last accessed June 2014)
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