Using Developmental Mentoring To Embed PDP Via An ePortofolio System
This paper addresses how development mentoring (Megginson et al) has been used by a central strategic department to achieve an institutional objective. The objective being to increase the capability and capacity of staff to deliver contextualised personal development planning (PDP) via an ePortfolio. It will conclude by asking whether PDP and developmental mentoring is culturally desirable and/or feasible. Finally it will raise transferable strategic issues for implementation.
Since the academic year 2005/06 all Higher Education Institutions (HEI's) in the UK have had a responsibility to provide opportunities for all students to engage with Personal Development Planning (PDP). This requirement is from a policy statement issued by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) et al (2000) on the development of a Progress File for Higher Education. The policy statement came from recommendations within the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education more commonly referred to as the Dearing Report . Recommendation 20 of this report suggests that there should be a way to develop a progress file that has two elements:
a transcript recording student achievement which should follow a common format devised by institutions collectively through their representative bodies;
a means by which students can monitor, build and reflect upon their personal development.
Within the policy guidelines PDP is defined as: 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. (QAA et al 2001). This definition is now widely used across the HE sector in the UK.
This paper will address how developmental mentoring (Megginson et al 2006) has been used by a strategic department - the Institute for Learning Enhancement - to support teaching staff to embed and contextualise PDP through the use of an ePortfolio system in their subject curriculum.
In the University of Wolverhampton an institutional framework for PDP and an ePortfolio system was established and implemented (September 2005) for all staff and students. Since implementation recognised ‘champions’ of PDP and ePortfolio have dominated institutional practice. In 2006/7 it became clear that to achieve embedded practice the institution needed to move past these pockets of excellence, developmental mentoring offered a way of using champions to engage others. In May 2007 the use of the five phases of developmental mentoring, (1. Building rapport, 2. Setting direction, 3. Progression, 4. Winding up 5. Moving on), were built into three residential staff development retreats underpined by the use of the ePortfolio system for all materials, evaluation tools and communication. All ten academic schools took part in these retreats. The aim being to test the concept of developmental mentoring in a real world setting to achieve the institutional objective to build capability and therefore capacity in staff to offer opportunities for all students to engage with PDP.
Two core questions within the research are whether PDP and developmental mentoring are culturally desirable and culturally feasible. This paper will conclude by identifying strategic issues that have been raised that are transferable to other initiatives and settings.
This research is part of a Doctorate in Professional Studies (Learning and Teaching). The title being: Who or what motivates engagement in PDP?, this is an investigation into human activity systems based around the roles, power and influence of staff in central departments motivating teaching staff to motivate student learning through PDP.
Method
This research is multifaceted, it does not start with a problem that action can be taken against, measured and then improved upon. It looks at relationships, structures and influence, therefore a traditional action research approach was rejected in favour of using Soft Systems Methodology (Checkland 1990). The emphasis of SSM is on the analysis of issues and potential solutions rather than on any action taken. This research does not identify practice that needs changing but identifies a need to share good practice in a way that empowers and gives ownership to others. The research starts in the 'real world' from a holistic, big-picture view of the issues. This is acheived using mindmapping, document searches and literature reviews. Narrowing down the options through the use of interviews and Rich Pictures. Moving then into a systems world looking at concepts or an ideal model that may achive a solution. Moving back again to the real world to test the desirability and/or feasibility of the suggested concept until a solution is agreed.
PDP and the motivation to engage with it is about relationships, reflection, change, cause and effect, SSM can cope with these ‘soft’ areas in a systematic, analytical way, valuing and recognising different views and opinions.
Expected Outcomes
The research has shown that developmental mentoring is valued by those taking part and that it has helped to embed PDP and the use of an ePortfolio system. However though it is desirable, to become feasible issues such as institutional recognition of the mentoring relationship in terms of staff hours and environments for this to take place need to be addressed.
References
References
Checkland, P., J Scholes. (1990) Soft Systems Methodology in Action (Chicester: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.)
Dearing, R. (1997) Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education. London: HMSO.
Megginson, D, D. Clutterbuck, B. Garvey, P. Stokes & R. GarretHarris (2006) Mentoring in action: a practical guide for managers 2nd edition Kogan Page Ltd. London.
QAA, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2000) Policy statement on a progress file for Higher Education [on-line]. Gloucester, UK: QAA, [cited 6th October 2007]. .
QAA, Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (2001) Guidelines for HE Progress Files [on-line]. Gloucester, UK: QAA, [cited 6th October 2007]. .
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