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Using Personal Development Plans (PDPs) to Facilitate Learning for Computing Students

Using Personal Development Plans (PDPs) to Facilitate Learning for Computing Students. 4th LTSN Conference Galway August 2003 Alastair Irons Northumbria University. Objectives of Presentation. Present the rationale for PDPs in HE Discuss pedagogical issues with PDP

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Using Personal Development Plans (PDPs) to Facilitate Learning for Computing Students

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  1. Using Personal Development Plans (PDPs) to Facilitate Learning for Computing Students 4th LTSN Conference Galway August 2003 Alastair Irons Northumbria University

  2. Objectives of Presentation • Present the rationale for PDPs in HE • Discuss pedagogical issues with PDP • Examine the learning opportunities for students • Look at the implementation issues with PDPs • Keep PDP on the computing agenda !

  3. Personal Development Planning • PDP is a ‘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’. • Principle behind PDP is to help students • become more effective, independent and confident self-directed learners; • understand how they are learning and relate their learning to a wider context; • improve their general skills for study and career management; • articulate their personal goals and evaluate progress towards their achievement and encourage a positive attitude to learning throughout life. • 2005/06 start date for PDP for all HE awards.

  4. Rationale for PDPs in HE • Stimulus for developing PDPs into a mainstream activity in HE came from recommendation 20 of the Dearing Report • Recognition of much of what is being done currently in student learning • Facilitate reflective learning on practice (and learning about learning) • Development of professional skills (link to BCS) • Can link to guidance tutoring policy and help with retention • Can be used to record development on placement year, possibly linked to BCS professional development model • Student ownership of learning

  5. Rational from student perspective • PDPs allow students to • be responsible for their own learning; • have greater control and choice in the way they learn; • be creative in how they produce material for their PDPs, and therefore by implication for their assessments, • individualise (and discuss) their work, • potentially helping to alleviate concerns about plagiarism; • develop and reflect on their computing skills; • develop skills in reflective practice, • helping them to prepare for professional careers

  6. Is it a computing / computer science issue ? • PDPs are a generic to all HE programmes • However PDPs are pertinent to computing and computer science because • They need to be integrated into the computing / computer science curriculum, so we need to deal with the issue • They lend themselves to the nature of the discipline, in particular practical aspects • They provide an opportunity to make learning more student centred

  7. Pedagogical issues • PDPs are a learning and teaching issue • Require culture shift in learning and teaching • Opportunity to change focus of student experience • Shift from summative assessment dominance • Integration of curriculum (move away from modularisation) • Many different PDP models, but consideration of PDP given opportunity to review programme curriculum, module curriculum and learning and teaching philosophy

  8. Resistance to PDPs in the computing curriculum • Summative assessment load already too much, • Effort required for culture change, • including staff development, administrative support • Effort required to review and change existing computing curriculum • Why change existing assessment methods ? • Value of PDPs ? • Student motivation, only engage in activities that are assessed • Confidentiality of PDPs

  9. On the other hand…... • Irrespective of PDP demands is the process a benefit to students and something we should be encouraging anyway ? • Do the activities we already do constitute the PDP requirements ? • Can PDP cut down the amount of work for staff and students ? • Side benefits, • reduction in plagiarism • improved retention

  10. Implementing PDPs • Opportunity to align ILOs, learning and assessment • Link PDP entries to learning outcomes in a module • Provide opportunities for authentic learning • Design learning to facilitate formative feedback especially discussion with module tutors throughout the delivery of a module. • Make process transparent; to staff, students, and other “stakeholders”? • Articulate requirements of PDP in programme design • Have procedures for review and evaluation • Teach students about PDP benefits, and how to develop their PDPs • Bridge between summative and formative assessment, e.g though portfolios

  11. Summary • PDPs are here to stay • but there are many ways to implement it • PDPs require a culture change in learning styles to encourage • reflective practice • students to identify different learning styles • the development of skills • student ownership of learning • There are issues with participation, ownership and assessment which need to be addressed • Opportunity to align learning outcomes and assessment and PDP • Good learning opportunities promote PDP

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