Very eloquently worded, Chris. My sentiments entirely.
I spent four years working as a Careers Advisor, in addition to my Effective Learning/Learning Development role. So I met a great many of our successful graduates, from a wide range of companies, 1 - 10 years post-graduation, part of their company's recruitment team, who were seeking to inspire the best of the next cohort of graduates to apply to their company. Just like the graduates Chris met, our mature graduates "spoke of the importance of what we might refer to as soft skills, transferable skills, the importance of values..."
I have no doubt that there's a "correlation between student engagement in [reflective practice], and their overall ‘achievement’". But PDP can only be one part of this; co-curricular and extra-curricular activities such as peer led learning, and leadership opportunities have a role to play too.
Best wishes,
Isabelle
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Isabelle Pottinger
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-----Original Message-----
From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Chris Keenan
Sent: 31 March 2016 09:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: benefit of engaging in PDP
Hello Sandra, Peter and all
I thought I might throw my two penn'orth into this discussion.
The ‘problem’ with evidencing the benefits of PDP is inherent in its need for reflexivity. I was invited to join an employability forum recently at my institution, where graduates came back to contribute to the discussions. These were graduates who had been in graduate jobs for about 4-5 years at this stage and who had started to progress in their jobs (range from banking to high tech defence industries). They all spoke of the importance of what we might refer to as soft skills, transferable skills, the importance of values, a lot of things that relate to emotional intelligence. Indeed they said that their employers sought these qualities over rather more discipline based competencies, people who would espouse the values of the company. I am not sure that they would have had the insight to articulate this as eloquently on their NSS or other exit surveys until they had achieved this level of maturity of self and maturity as global citizens.
So, I do think it is important to ensure that our students are supported to develop in this way, and that this should be embedded in the curriculum and extra curricula activities such as peer led learning, and leadership opportunities.
Best wishes and thanks ALDinHE again for another fab conference.
Chris
On 30 Mar 2016, at 19:56, Sandra Sinfield <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Sorry for a repeat email to all - but I re-read my former email and it seemed rather negative and critical - and I am especially not criticising colleagues who care passionately about PDP and the reflective space it might offer to students.
I was challenging the notion that PDP de facto leads to employment.
And I am stirred by the way huge developments are implemented within education willy nilly - at huge cost - and without an evidence base - whilst we are supposed to be an evidence-based profession...
And, yes, I do think that we need reflective spaces within academia within which students can make sense of their learning - and wherein they can accommodate new learning with previous schema...
Thank you for bearing with me!
Sandra
On 30 March 2016 at 18:42, Sandra Sinfield <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
I remember years ago (about 2003) Len Holmes critiquing PDP and the related claim that the process or the product improved employability.
Len argued then that said claim was only valid if there were proven employment outcomes - and yet as far as I am aware PDP was implemented without any such ground work or research being undertaken - or any links between PDP and employment outcomes being offered.
I would also be interested in any references that you gather - please do share?
Best,
Sandra
On 30 March 2016 at 17:53, Peter John Lumsden <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Dear network members – I’m sure there is literature out there on this, but a steer would be useful.
Today I gave a presentation on some research I have done around PDP (personal development planning – name probably out-dated now) to a group of academic staff. As I expected, there was still some perception that this requires extra time ‘as well as’ the core ‘academic’ content – to which |I suggested more creative types of assessment FOR learning, to incorporate some of the elements of PDP. One challenge – a reasonable enough one – was whether I could show a correlation between student engagement in PDP, and their overall ‘achievement’; this would help to convince students of its value, and ditto staff.
Any references or recent reports you can sign-post me to would be appreciated
Thanks
Peter Lumsden
--
Sandra Sinfield
University Teaching Fellow
________________________________________________________
CELT Learning & Writing Development (www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt<http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt>)
LC-213 London Metropolitan University,
236-250 Holloway Road, N7 6PP.
(020) 7 133 4045
Association of Learning Development in HE (www.aldinhe.ac.uk<http://www.aldinhe.ac.uk/>)
Essential Study Skills: the complete guide to success at university
(http://www.uk.sagepub.com/burnsandsinfield3e/main.htm)
http://lastrefugelmu.blogspot.co.uk/
Find me on Twitter - or use #studychat & #loveld
--
Sandra Sinfield
University Teaching Fellow
________________________________________________________
CELT Learning & Writing Development (www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt<http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/celt>)
LC-213 London Metropolitan University,
236-250 Holloway Road, N7 6PP.
(020) 7 133 4045
Association of Learning Development in HE (www.aldinhe.ac.uk<http://www.aldinhe.ac.uk/>)
Essential Study Skills: the complete guide to success at university
(http://www.uk.sagepub.com/burnsandsinfield3e/main.htm)
http://lastrefugelmu.blogspot.co.uk/
Find me on Twitter - or use #studychat & #loveld
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