Contents The Role of the Personal Tutor in Supporting the Transition from FE into HE. Jacki Cartlidge & Sue Riddell Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit.

Contents

The Role of the Personal Tutor

in Supporting the Transition

from FE into HE.

Jacki Cartlidge & Sue Riddell

Learning and Teaching Enhancement Unit

Canterbury Christ Church University

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Action Research as part of the JISC Regional PLPP

Several models for PDP

Model selected was to include PDP and e-portfolio as part of the Personal Tutor System and IT sessions

Experience has demonstrated the importance of the personal tutor in aiding the FE to HE transition (student feedback once in HE)

Pilot Group Access to HE programme students and tutors

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PILOT GROUP and BACKGROUND

Over 100 students and 7 staff involved

Access to HE situation students are non-traditional students - set a pre entry task

assessed at entry for numeracy and literacy skills

aim was that these form basis of first tutorial

in early IT sessions students would undertake several on-line or paper based self audits

be shown how to Access numerous KEY SKILLS resources and websites

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Why use the tutorial system?

Personal tutor and student relationship in Access is crucial:

Action planning part of this relationship

particularly noting ‘unidentified’ strengths that older learners bring to education eg. time management, life skills, etc.

noting skills and areas that need development, often basic numeracy, literacy and study skills

encouraging and developing IT skills; in Access to HE groups these can be highly developed or minimal

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Action planning requires the learner, with tutor assistance, to reflect on progress so far and progress needed for successful progression

Why reflect?

It helps the learner in ‘digesting’ or making sense of what has been, and is being, learned

Apart from initial action planning, it is part of an ongoing process to aid personal development

From a staff viewpoint it can be a powerful tool in alerting tutors to challenges that students from a widening participation agenda present

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Apart from Action Planning, reflection is part of an ongoing process that aids a student’s self-development

In the Access to HE programme it actively enables the student in completing the personal statement for UCAS purposes

From a staff point of view it can aid retention and achievement

It helps staff identify ‘at risk’ students can be identified earlier and appropriate support put in place

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Findings

Processes not formalised in this FE programme

Short time scale of initial JISC project makes assessment difficult

Complications and delay with PETAL – meant initial action planning had taken place

Additional staff training had to be undertaken to refresh them in the use of the system

Tutors needed more introduction to PDP, reflection and how the e-portfolio system could assist them

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Student response to PDPP via Focus group – positive

At learner level the students grasped idea of portal and showed enthusiasm for the pilot

Could see its value as a personal learning portal for students like themselves

Focus group students were IT literate and felt that the portal was easy to use and navigate through

Added that other pilot students with less developed IT skills were daunted by the site

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Students sense of value of personal tutor never in question but in terms of PDPP

Students would like to see regular use of the site by tutors

Example given was that tutors could paste up a bit of research useful for an assignment

During pilot students were encouraged to use the site during an IT session once a week

Felt its use needed to be more formally integrated through taught part of course

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Students believed tutors needed to be committed100% to using the portal as a learning tool

Students felt that an introduction to PLPP should occur right at the start of the course preferably in induction week

Then it would be part of an integrated tool to help their learning journey

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Conclusions and Recommendations:

Cultural issues FE/HE

Time constraints and uncertainty

IT systems less well resourced and supported FE

More pilot tutor training on nature of PDP and reflection – different perceptions FE/HE

[Project became targeted more closely on supporting study skills through a tutorial process to aid transition in our research]

Need to start such a project at start of a course not part way through academic year

Pilot with discrete groups with one tutor

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PERSONAL TUTORING

Remains best way of supporting and co-ordinating transition from FE to HE via PDP

Personal tutor is the vital point of contact for the older/non traditional learner

Both tutors and students need more pedagogic guidance about PDP and reflection to aid transition

Ways of incorporating PDP more formally into a programme need developing

Realisation that e-portfolio can be a useful tool

Follow up of these students once they reach HE

ContentsThe Challenge of the Transition for the Personal Tutor in HE is to take over the baton smoothly

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On entering HE:

•Personal Tutor identified for each student

•Concept of PDP introduced

•Role of Personal Tutor within PDP clearly explained

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Within Programmes the set-up may vary BUT:

•The development of a Personal Development Portfolio is the responsibility of the individual student

•Electronic tool is available for the recording of PDP

•Frequency of interaction with Personal Tutor may be dictated by the Programme

•Frequency of interaction with Personal Tutor may be up to the student

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So what will the Personal Tutor be doing?

•Providing opportunities for student to reflect on the development of his/her Graduate Skills

•Giving guidance about the location and availability of resources to support development

•Electronic

•Face-to-face

•Paper-based

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An example in Interprofessional Learning Programme (IPL)

•Meet with Personal Tutor for one hour in Induction Week

•Introduced to PDP and the process of reflection within Skills for Professional Learning (SPL) module in semester 1

•Carry out skills audit as part of SPL module

•Within first two weeks meet with Personal Tutor to discuss skills audit – arrangement made by student

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Example cont:

•Devise an Action Plan in consultation with Personal Tutor

•Following this meeting, write first/initial statement on PROGRESS (University’s electronic PDP recording tool)

•Submit statement to Personal Tutor

•Receive feedback (where appropriate)

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Example cont:

•After results of first semester assignment work, meet with Personal Tutor to evaluate previous Action Plan and discuss feedback from assignments

•Devise Action Plan to address ‘deficits’

•Write second statement on PROGRESS

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IPL Programme Portfolio of Evidence

•During the programme this process will be repeated until a minimum of six statements have been written

•These statements are required to be submitted each year in student’s portfolio for Examination Board

•The final statement will be an overall reflection of the student’s development of Graduate Skills during the programme

•It is anticipated that this will form a component of a reference which the Personal Tutor will contribute to

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Facilitating the transition relies

on the baton changing skills of

the Personal Tutors!