eportfolio context for University of Wolverhampton ePDP case studies.
It is important to clarify for the purposes of the following case study that ePDP is referring to eportfolio facilitated Personal Development Planning. There may be interchangeable reference between PDP and ePDP, whilst PDP may be discussing the broader concept of Personal Development Planning and ePDP will possibly focus on the enhancement and delivery through the eportfolio system, PebblePAD. It is important to contextualise that the tool, PebblePAD has in built functionality suited to PDP (that other eportfolio systems may or may not have). There are tools that allow staff to use criteria and evidence based audits in a range of skill areas and the ability to adapt these generic templates to create tailored audits. There are also in built tools and templates that support scaffolded activities such as action planning and the recording of experiences, abilities, activities etc. There may be reference to these types of activity within the case study.
For more information go to www.wlv.ac.uk/pathfinder or contact Dr Paul Brett: p.brett@wlv.ac.uk
Megan Lawton: m.j.lawton@wlv.ac.uk
Emma Purnell: e.purnell@wlv.ac.uk

Embedding eportfolio at level 1
University of Wolverhampton Pathfinder project: Case study 2
School of Legal Studies
Discipline context
School of Legal Studies: Effective Legal Study
350 students
Students have to… a) Complete a word template CV and upload it to PebblePAD. Use the learning skills audit in
PebblePAD and share with personal tutor; b) Attempt case analysis exercise and upload an achievement asset to the module gateway 1 . ePDP definition within the context of the discipline
PDP is a personal, educational, career and developmental process which encourages reflection in a structured framework. The focus is on personal, not a public learning environment which enables students to determine when, and with whom to share assets. ePDP is the means of facilitating Personal Academic Careers and Employability skills through technology.
Barriers and enablers experienced at an institutional, school, module or individual level
Barriers
The logistics of using ePDP with large student groups resulted in the following problems: i) Access to computers in teaching sessions ii) The reliability of the technology iii) Student engagement a) A failure of students to follow instructions b) The adoption of a strategic approach by students linked to assessment iv) Staff and student understanding of the technology v) The investment of additional resources vi) Feedback to students vii) User-friendly? a) Navigation difficult at times b) Duplication of work posted on Gateways caused problems in grading/marking c) Certain software could not be opened remotely from the University.
Enablers i) Th i) The employment of a ‘consultant’ and the facility for students and staff to make appointments with a view to up-skilling themselves with PebblePAD provided successful. ii) The link of the task to summative assessment ensured engagement. iii) Small seminar groups in computer labs facilitated learning/teaching. iv) Allowed tutor to give formative feedback. v) v) Team commitment (not always achievable) resulted in effective use of e-PDP.
Learning resources - what learning resources did you make available to your students?
Were they given a template to work to?
Computer Labs for seminars
Consultant for two half days a week for diarised appointments
1 A gateway is a space in PebblePAD where students can submit assets for assessment, a kind of virtual registry, students can choose to move an asset from their personal store in PebblePAD to the more institutional space within PebblePAD for the purposes of feedback or assessment

Learning activities – were there any scaffolded learning activities included in your session a) CV and Skills Audit b) Case Study Analysis a) Complete a word template CV and upload it to PebblePAD. Use the learning skills audit in PebblePAD and share with personal tutor; b) Attempt case analysis exercise and upload onto PebblePAD by creating an achievement asset.
1.
Within one of the identified modules, the eportfolio template provided an overall structure for the module. The sections within the template included some scaffolded activities. For example, within the ‘case analysis’ section of the template, students were asked to research information about the Human Rights Act and cases related to this legislation. A link to relevant legislation was provided and students also had to search for cases and answer specific questions.
2.
The case analysis completed was then used as a basis for further analysis and
3.
discussion within a parallel module.
Finally, students were directed to the learning skills audit template within the eportfolio and asked to complete and submit to their personal tutors. Guidance was also given on producing a CV and students submitted their own CV to a gateway group.
Feedback - what expectations of feedback did you set for your learners? Were your learners encouraged to respond to their feedback?
1.
Students studying on the identified modules were told to expect feedback, via the eportfolio, on their CVs. They were also told that they would receive feedback, via the eportfolio, from their personal tutors on their individual learning profiles. This feedback should then have been used as a basis for discussion during personal tutor meetings. Some students did engage in discussions, after having received their feedback.
Students undertaking the parallel module were also told to expect online feedback on 2.
their case analysis. This feedback was then discussed and developed further within seminar groups.
Sustainability - what is needed for you to be able to continue and move your work with e-PDP forward?
Resources are a key issue for the School of Legal Studies as the number of students we are dealing with through the core modules is significant. We need to ensure that students are engaged and supported and that staff are suitably trained to use the eportfolio. The employment of an eportfolio ‘consultant’ as part of the Pathfinder project was successful and ensured that support was provided where necessary. In addition, IT labs are required to enable all students to engage with the eportfolio during class time.
Support - what support systems did you have in place for your students?
1.
A consultant was employed to meet with small groups of students two days per week.
The students were able to make appointments with the consultant if they required additional help with using the eportfolio.
2.
The consultant also provided support for staff teaching on the relevant modules.
3.
Staff teaching on the modules were also able to support students both during seminars and outside of class time.

Lessons learnt - how would you sum up the key lessons learned from the project?
1.
It is vital to plan ahead to ensure you have support mechanisms / appropriate
3.
resources in place to support both students and staff. This is particularly important when dealing with large cohorts of students.
2.
Linking summative assessment to e-PDP activities will help to engage more students.
Learn from the technical issues and problems and improve the functionality of
PebblePAD.
4.
Keep it simple! The students we are working with are at level one, semester one of their programmes and are having to learn the conventions of higher education. For some students, using systems such as PebblePAD can be daunting and adequate support should be put in place.
Advice to those starting out - what advice would you give to a colleague who was new to e-PDP, but wanted to make it part of their teaching
Avoid implementing new systems and processes with large groups of students unless you are confident you have the support of a team. Once a team is established, then this will ensure smoother implementation and improved experience for the students.
With thanks to Emma Nicholls, Jatinder Virdee and Rowland Hughes, School of Legal Studies for submitting this case study to the project.
For more information go to www.wlv.ac.uk/pathfinder or contact Dr Paul Brett: p.brett@wlv.ac.uk
Megan Lawton: m.j.lawton@wlv.ac.uk
Emma Purnell: e.purnell@wlv.ac.uk