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Blog. Shared subject-specific metacognition in PebblePad: reflecting on grammar in the Gateway ... Feedback on induction week collected via the VLE'S blog tool ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Personal Development Planning for transition, retention and graduate employment: evaluating crossfac


1
Personal Development Planning for transition,
retention and graduate employment evaluating
cross-faculty curricular change implementation in
the Faculty of Business, Environment and Society
at Coventry University (UK) 2006-2009.
  • Anne-Marie McTavish (Associate Head, Strategy and
    Applied Management)
  • and
  • Marina Orsini-Jones (Principal Lecturer English
    and Languages/PDP Faculty Coordinator).

EFYE 2009 Groningen
2
Faculty of Business, Environment and Society
about us
  • Wide variety of subjects
  • Dept of Human Resource Management
  • Dept. of Economics, Finance and Accounting
  • Dept. of Marketing
  • Dept of Strategy and Applied Management
  • School of International Studies and Social
    Science
  • Coventry University Law School
  • Department of Geography, Environment and Disaster
    Management
  • Department of English

3
Numbers 2008
  • Home and EU students Coventry University
    undergraduate roughly 12000 Full Time and 2000
    Part Time
  • Faculty 3720 undergraduates
  • Undergraduate students take 120 credits per year
    (60 ECTS credits) for three years
  • Most modules are long and thin they run over
    two terms normally 2 hours contact per week
  • First year academic and professional skills
    module 10 credits (5 ECTS)

4
EU nationalities in BES (new students 2008-2009)
  • Austria 1, Belgium 7, Bulgaria 25, Cyprus 7,
    Czech R. 2, Denmark 3, Estonia 3, Finland 5,
    France 94, Germany 13, Greece 7, Hungary 9, Italy
    9, Ireland 4, Latvia 6, Lithuania 2, Netherlands
    16, Poland 49, Portugal 6, Rumania 72, Slovakia
    2, Spain 24, Sweden 7.

5
PDP Personal Development Planning
  • Dearing (1997) Quality Assurance Agency
    Guidelines for the Higher Education Progress File
    (QAA 2001) all students in HE to be offered the
    opportunity to engage in PDP from academic year
    2005-6.
  • PDP 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.

6
3 main elements to PDP
  • REFLECTION
  • RECORDING
  • PLANNING

7
CU PDP Policy
  • At Coventry University the main institutional
    implementation guidelines are that
  • - Personal development planning should be a
    formative, student-centred process.
  • - The process should be integrated into the whole
    of the student experience and include academic,
    personal, career and professional skills inputs.
  • - The implementation should take into account,
    build upon and be complementary to existing
    expertise and practices.

8
BES approach to PDP
  • Addvantage modules (run by careers unit).
  • 10 credit faculty professional and academic
    literacies module promoting employability (one
    per year in each course) starting in induction
    week.
  • Careers support staff working with faculty
    staff (normally the departmental employability
    tutor who also leads the skills modules).
  • Employability Placement Unit to encourage
    students to apply for placements while at the
    University.
  • Student mentors.
  • Year tutors and not all subjects personal
    tutors.

Refer to PProDeGE Guide
9
Typical module aims of Academic and Professional
Methods and Approaches
  • to prepare students for academic study at degree
    level, to illustrate the nature and processes of
    research in humanities and to introduce students
    to research methodology. The module will also aim
    at providing practical experience of applying
    these skills in actual case studies relevant to
    their study programme. Extensive use of
    information and communication technology will be
    made in the learning, teaching and assessment of
    this module. The module will include elements of
    online assessment, both summative and formative,
    such as a test on information retrieval skills
    and weekly contributions to online discussion
    forums. Students will be given the opportunity to
    reflect upon and record their Personal
    Development with the e-portfolio PebblePad

10
Skills/Academic and Professional Literacies
covered
  • academic essay writing and avoidance of
    plagiarism
  • literature review writing
  • referencing using the CU Harvard style
  • information retrieval from a variety of sources
    such as databases interpreting and evaluating
    data research strategies and associated
    methodological issues
  • presentation skills and working in a team
  • reflective skills and engagement with the
    professional narratives of Personal Development
    Planning and career planning.

Blended learning delivery f2f supported by VLE
11
Choice of PebblePad based upon action research
carried out in previous academic years
  • Evidence (Moon 200486 Hauck 2005) that
    metacognition can enhance learning and be
    conducive to the understanding of difficult
    concepts.
  • Evidence that most students benefit from sharing
    their work, seeing it in a public arena and
    discussing it.
  • Evidence that using specific tools in PebblePad
    can help with reflecting on difficult concepts
    and structuring ideas.
  • Evidence that carefully structured
    socio-collaborative e-learning environments can
    support students with their learning.

12
E-portfolio PebblePad
13
Variety of entries
Ability
View
Achievement
Comment
Create
Shared
Action Plan
Copy
Collaborate
to a Gateway
Published
Experience
Edit
Asset
Printed
Meeting
Review
Thought
WebLog
Scans
WebFolio
Pictures
Files
Movies
Sounds
ePortfolio Asset Store
Transcript
14
Growing Asset Store
15
Variety of suitable reflective e-tools in
PebblePAD (can be either private or public)
Blog
Webfolio
16
Shared subject-specific metacognition in
PebblePad reflecting on grammar in the Gateway
17
Use of the Virtual Learning Environment too
(WebCT/Blackboard Vista)
18
PDP for transition - successful induction week
activities that are part of the skills modules
business example
  • Students work in group, are given a coffee
    voucher and are asked to go into the city centre
    and choose a product they would like to market
  • They are then asked to write a group report on
    their experience
  • The report is a required asset for their
    portfolio
  • Each member of the group with the best report is
    awarded vouchers

Outcomes bonding, getting to know each other,
report writing, team work, getting to know the
new environment, feedback on work in week 1
19
PDP for transition activity 2 English
  • Students are asked to come to a group activity
    prepared they have to tell a interesting short
    story about their induction experience
  • They are then asked to form groups and have 1
    minute to summarise the story to one member of
    the group, that member has to then tell them
    their story
  • When everybody has told their story, a group
    discussion follows and the best story in each
    group is told by a speaker (not the person who
    told it)
  • Students are then asked to write a new story with
    elements of the stories they have heard for a
    shared blog (formative)
  • The stories are peer-evaluated and the best story
    is awarded a book voucher

Outcomes bonding, team work, story-telling,
peer-evaluation
20
Feedback on induction week collected via the
VLES blog tool
21
Transition success in BES case study Strategy
and Applied Management (SAM)
  • 272 Year One students (2008-2009)
  • Only 6 have withdrawn
  • 1 to return to London (Coventry tiny)
  • 1 through illness
  • 4 to Eastern Europe
  • (This compares favourably with statistics from
    the two previous academic years)

22
But
  • In SAM 25 students came from Eastern European
    countries - mainly Romania and Bulgaria
  • 4 left within the first four weeks of their
    course
  • 18 of the remaining students have sought advice
    on adapting to their courses

23
They tell is the issues are(semi-structured
interviews/phone interviews/focus group
interviews 2006-2009)
  • Theyve come from a full time taught education
    every hour of the school day is scheduled with
    teaching.
  • Self-directed learning is new to them (difficult
    to meet tight deadlines early in the course).
  • Reflective practice is new to them.
  • The intensive use of ICT tools is new to them.
  • Students not expected to engage in debates with
    lecturers in their home education.
  • Plagiarism authors/tutors are the experts, not
    them (stark contrast in attitude towards plag. In
    comparison to UK students).

24
Those EU students who stay like
  • The friendliness and approachability of tutors
    (We are not allowed to talk to our lecturers in
    Poland and/or use their first names when
    addressing them)
  • The Library and its resources
  • The ICT infrastructure (no technology on this
    scale at home)
  • The careers opportunity offered internally to
    students (e.g. mentors, receptionists,
    ambassadors, volunteer teachers)
  • The financial/academic/professional advice
    provided.

25
UK students problematic first year experience
  • University life is not at all what I expected,
    it was a huge change from the 6th form. I do
    admit that I felt as though I was on my own
    during these past few months, because I was used
    to having teachers spoon feed me in a way
    (student from a local school in Coventry,
    semi-structured interview) 

26
UK students problematic experience 2
  • The one thing that comes as a big shock first is
    the amount of individual studying that you take
    on. There are advantages to this, such as you get
    more control over your spare and study time, but
    also the disadvantages such as you have to learn
    to study yourself and the teacher isnt always
    over your shoulder telling you the deadline. You
    have to go and see your lecturers and tutors
    instead of them coming to you.

27
However, research evidence collected shows that
  • Recording achievement helps level 1 students
    (mainly school or college leavers) and
    international students to adapt to the level of
    independent study required at university.
  • Engaging in PDP from the first year allows self
    motivated students to practise a form of
    double-loop learning the more effort and
    energy they put into developing their portfolios,
    the more they appear to gain from their own
    reflections.

28
BES past and present first year studentslack
of motivation for PDP and portfolio anxiety
  • Some students perceive reflection as a waste of
    time, they dont like the link with skills
    learning (I know this already, It
    underestimates my prior knowledge)
  • Many fail to appreciate the links between
    reflective practice and the world of work, even
    if this is highlighted with examples from real
    settings and practised with problem-based
    learning
  • Some on the other hand become very conscious
    about the above links and become stuck,
    petrified by the idea that they need to show
    professionalism so early in their academic career.

29
But positive feedback on skills module in
English, students feedback
  • Sharing assets with the outside world (our
    Webfolio could be published on the Web without
    password protection and shared with potential
    future employers)
  • Transferring work we do to our CV
  • Improving our ICT skills
  • Transferring skills across modules/course
  • Engaging in online leadership for the group
    (managing files/communication)
  • Working in a multicultural and multinational
    group both face-to-face and online.

30
More positive feedback (anonymous module
evaluation online). Further details
athttp//www.english.heacademy.ac.uk/explore/publ
ications/casestudies/technology/eportfolio.php
  • This module makes me evaluate my strengths and
    weaknesses and helps me to understand what I need
    to do to improve.
  • The module tries to orientate our future, helps
    to see further than just our studies. - Prepares
    us for the cruel world of work, by explaining how
    to sell ourselves.
  • This module has helped me ease into academic
    study, and to transition from A level to
    university standards it has created a base to
    start writing academically the group work and
    presentation area of the module has helped
    improve skills I was quite weak in.

31
Emerging data
  • First year students engage in PDP more willingly
    if tutors introduce it as a subject-specific
    activity.
  • PebblePad would appear to cater for the
    reflective needs of both advanced reflectors
    (e.g. journal entry) and less advanced ones (e.g.
    opportunity to structure reflection in
    structured entry).
  • The possibility of personalising PDP entries with
    colours/different interfaces in PebblePad appeals
    to most students.
  • PebblePad encourages students to present work in
    a more professional way.
  • The most reluctant reflectors will resist using
    PebblePad and shift the blame for their PDP
    resistance to the software (difficult to use,
    cumbersome) when in fact they have an
    ontological resistance to engaging with
    independent learning refusal to become
    autonomous learners.

32
Honest with students Cousin (2006)
  • Learning often involves encounters with
    troublesome knowledge (Perkins 1999) or a sense
    of immobility in stuck places (Ellsworth 1989).
  • We need to convey to learners that disconfort and
    uncertainty are normal dimensions to learning
    (different from Maslow, Rogers and Freiber)
    unsafety unavoidable part of the learners
    journey.

33
And finally institutional engagement necessary
for successful PDP implementation
  • Academic alignment
  • Presence of PDP champions (students in
    particular)
  • Management commitment (resources for ICT and
    personal tutorial support)
  • Supporting infrastructure and clear allocation of
    duties for its daily management/running
  • Suitable tools (e.g. PebblePad)
  • Real links with the world of work/careers

34
Any questions?
  • m.orsini_at_coventry.ac.uk

35
Selected Bibliography/References
  • Allen, D. The PDP Handbook (2002)
  • http//www.economicsnetwork.ac.uk/handbook/pdp/
  • Cottrell, S. (2001) Teaching Study Skills and
    Supporting Learning. Basingstoke Palgrave
    Macmillan.
  • Cottrell, S. (2003a) Skills for Success the
    Personal Development Planning Handbook.
    Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Cottrell, S. (2003b) 2nd edition The Study Skills
    Handbook. Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Cousin, G. (2006) Threshold Concepts old wine
    in new bottles? plenary paper given at the
    Threshold Concepts in the Disciplines Symposium,
    30/8-1/9, Glasgow, University of Strathclyde.
  • Edwards, G. (2005) Connecting PDP to employer
    needs and the world of work. London/York HEA.  
  • Hauck, M. (2003). Exploring the link between
    metacognitive knowledge, efficient strategy use
    and learner autonomy in collaborative virtual
    language learning environments. Paper presented
    at the EuroCALL conference New literacies in
    language learning and teaching, University of
    Limerick, Ireland, September 2003
  • Martin, P. and Gawthrope, J. (2004) The study of
    English and the careers of its graduates. In P.
    Knight and M. Yorke (Eds.) Learning, Curriculum
    and Employability in Higher Education. (London
    Routledge).
  • Moon, J. (2004) A Handbook of Reflective
    Learning Theory and Practice. (London
    Routledge/Falmer).
  • Orsini-Jones, M. (2004) Supporting a course in
    new literacies and skills for linguists with a
    Virtual Learning Environment Results from a
    staff/ student collaborative action-research
    project at Coventry University. ReCALL 16
    (1)189-209.
  • Orsini-Jones, M., Kurowska, M., McTavish A.M. and
    Mills, S. (2007) Personal Development Planning
    Perspectives from theFaculty of BES (Business,
    Environment and Society) Conference Proceedings,
    Internationalisation ELATE (Enhancing Learning
    and Teaching Environments) Conference, 26-27
    June, pp.65-72.
  • Orsini-Jones, M., Adley, D., Lamari, C., Maund,
    N. and Paruk, K. (2007) Integrating PDP
    (Personal Development Planning) and PebblePAD
    into the curriculum Students perspectives in
    Deepwell, F. (ed.) Proceedings of the ELATE
    (Enhancing Learning and Teaching Environments)
    Conference 2007. Internationalisation.
    Coventry Coventry University pp.31-35. Summary
    also available online at http//www.english.heaca
    demy.ac.uk/explore/publications/casestudies/techno
    logy/eportfolio.php
  • Pebble Learning (2005), PebblePad online
    Available from www.pebblelearning.co.uk 31 March
    2009
  • Quality Assurance Agency - QAA, (2001)
    Guidelines for HE Progress Files Available
    onlinehttp//www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructur
    e/progressFiles/guidelines/progfile2001.asp 03
    April 2009
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