Return to January 2006 Funded Projects

Developing models of using social technologies for supporting PDP

Developing models of using social (Web 2.0) technologies for supporting Personal Development Planning and building an environment to augment creativity within group projects

Dr Deshinder Gill

This project will investigate the efficacy of using social technologies such as blogs in supporting a creative continuum from personal development and reflection through to enhancing collaborative work within group projects. In this respect, the project has broadly two aspects - assessing the potential for PDP and assessing the potential for developing collaborative modes of working.

Recent developments in web-based technologies have led to a significant change in patterns of use of the internet and the emergence of social technologies currently encompassed under the Web 2.0 heading. Technologies such as blogs have become widely used as social tools to allow individuals and communities to present, share and discuss personal, social and academic issues e.g. Esther Maccallum-Stewart (http://www.whatalovelywar.co.uk and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4194669.stm).

At the heart of these social technologies are the key components of:

• Ease of publishing information, whether text, audio, video or still image
• Ease of sharing information with individuals or groups
• Allowing others to comment on information
• Active mechanisms for alerting individuals or communities when information is added or changed

This combination of facilities has significant potential to provide a flexible virtual space for supporting the PDP process, social/group developments and academic collaboration.

Within the module XE121 Engineering Concepts (which currently makes extensive use of problem-based learning methodologies), students are required to engage in several mini tasks and problems, PDP, planning their own work schedules as well as working within groups across the mechanical and electrical disciplines with a view to sharing their creative ideas across traditionally disparate subject areas. This project will encourage students to use a blog to develop a creative working environment both for their personal development and shared academic achievement. An example of a process could be:

• Specification of a given problem
• Sharing thoughts about how the problem can be specified (including text, images and video diaries)
• Developing a deeper understanding of the underlying academic content through shared research and review
• Designing a solution
• Implementing the solution
• Demonstrating the solution

In each of these stages, there is a need for research, reflection and sharing of ideas that feed the next stage in the process and develop ideas in previous stages. In parallel to this process, students are also encouraged to adopt PDP processes to tie in their academic and personal development within the processes they are engaged in. This involves the maintenance of personal logs, gathering of evidence and sharing of evidence and reflections with their personal tutors, peers and module leader.

The ability of social technologies to allow students to easily create, share and comment on work would appear to have significant potential in supporting these processes. This project represents an opportunity to determine the extent to which technologies that have traditionally been used in the social context can be developed for use in the academic context as tools that support the continuum of development from personal through to shared learning.

Broadly speaking, much of the current methodology used in implementing the PDP process focuses on two approaches - the gathering of physical evidence - 'paper-based' approach and structured, database-focussed ICT solutions (e.g. PETAL ). The University of Brighton is currently involved in PDP activities that span both these approaches. StudentProfile is an institution-wide initiative led jointly by the University's Careers service and Centre for Learning & Teaching that uses a combination of online advice and documentation with the provision of a physical folder for students to collect and maintain evidence and notes. Dr Gill is currently one of the lead academics piloting this scheme. My World is a JISC funded eLearning project evaluating the use of the PETAL ePortfolio system in the development of ePortfolios to support PDP. Dr Stanier is the University's coordinator and lead on this project which is led by Oxford-Brookes University.

However, the flow of development from PDP to more collaborative academic contexts has been little explored and the above methodologies tend to focus on the individual and their interactions with tutors rather than their contribution to the wider sphere of learning and the sharing of the creative process with others. Social technologies potentially offer an alternative approach whereby both personal development and shared creativity can be combined in a single learning space that allows each individual to build up bodies of evidence, reflect on their experiences and share selected information with specified individuals and groups.

Students will be encouraged to:

• Maintain their personal blog
• Gather and upload relevant evidence
• Reflect on their experiences
• Share information with other students and tutors
• Comment on information made available by other students

A combination of evaluating online materials and comments, staff and student questionnaires and focus groups will be used to gain a better understanding of the following:

• The efficacy of the use of blogging technology to support or enhance the PDP process
• The degree to which the ability to easily share and comment on materials improves reflective and creative processes
• The value of such tools for staff supporting students PDP
• The value of such tools for enhancing collaborative project work
• The value of such tools in improving ICT skills and confidence

In this respect, the project fulfils the CETLC's key aim to "explore how a technology-rich environment can support the creative process", with a particular emphasis on CETLC outcomes "Explore new ways in teaching and learning implementation by interactive activities" and "Realise personal development plan goals for both staff and students".

The intended deliverables of this project will include a project report, presentations at relevant dissemination events and experience in implementing a technology that will contribute to any potential institutional-wide roll-out.

It is expected that the outcomes of the project will improve our understanding of the use of the technology indicated previously in helping to develop critical skills in creativity and learning amongst students who are new to the environment of higher education. It is hoped that lessons learnt in this project this could be used as a model for use in other modules within the two universities.

The project will be conducted over an academic year from October 2006 to June 2007 to cover the duration of the module, XE121.