Conceptions of learning, approaches to studying and personal development in UK higher education

2009 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Edmunds ◽  
John T. E. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Conceptions Of Learning ◽  
Approaches To Studying ◽  
Uk Higher Education

scholarly journals An overview of the development of Personal Development Planning (PDP) and e-Portfolio practice in UK higher education

1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Strivens ◽  
Rob Ward
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Educational Practice ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Research Task ◽  
Uk Higher Education

This article presents an overview of the origins of Personal Development Planning (PDP) in UK higher education and the development of the concept into a range of practices, rooted in the processes of recording achievement, reflection, review and planning. It reviews the various theoretical underpinnings that have been proposed for PDP and charts how the developing evidence base has become an increasing focus of interest to practitioners and policymakers alike. The role of technology in supporting PDP processes is acknowledged and in particular the close association between PDP and e-Portfolio practices is examined. The article concludes with a look at current initiatives which draw on PDP concepts, the continuing importance of these concepts to educational practice and the size of the research task which still lies ahead.

E-portfolios and personal development: a higher educational perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary McKenna ◽  
Gavin Baxter ◽  
Thomas Hainey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Development Planning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Educational Perspective ◽  
Uk Higher Education ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the attitudes of staff and students towards adopting the use of e-portfolios for the purposes of supporting the concept of personal development planning (PDP). The study compares and contrasts the views and opinions of staff and students at one UK Higher Education Institution (HEI) about whether e-portfolios can support PDP. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a case study approach, this study presents empirical data gathered from two surveys involving 460 students and 182 lecturers from one UK HEI, collected from four different campuses across the West of Scotland. Findings The results of the surveys showed that the framework the authors used in the research to collect information about students and staffs attitudes was effective and that further research is merited for a more extensive investigation into PDP e-portfolio usage within HEI. Research limitations/implications The research was conducted at only one UK HEI so at this stage of the research, it is difficult to assess how generalisable the findings are. Practical implications This study provides useful empirical evidence to educators who may be considering employing e-portfolios within an educational context. For example, the views of students and staff identified in this paper can aid towards informing educators about some of the issues that might impact on using e-portfolios for supporting PDP in higher education. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work that presents survey data on both students’ and lecturers’ attitudes towards e-portfolio use to support and facilitate PDP.

scholarly journals Can Students' Concept of Learning Influence Their Learning Outcomes?

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Despina Varnava Marouchou
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Bologna Process ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Font Size ◽  
Conceptions Of Learning ◽  
European Universities ◽  
University Course ◽  
The University ◽  
The Bologna Process

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">This paper aims to readdress the lack of empirical data concerning university learning and in particular the dynamics students’ conceptions of learning may have on students’ learning outcomes. This paper is written at a time when the EU commission for Higher Education (HE) through the Bologna Process declaration has put into action, since 1999, a series of reforms needed to make European Higher Education compatible, efficient and competitive for students and academics alike. One of the reforms was the development of learning outcomes in the form of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">As part of the process the European universities require to identify and describe the learning outcomes a student is supposed to achieve, in a particular course. The learning outcomes are, now, expected to be clearly specified in all the university course syllabuses. </span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />The main argument stated within this paper is that the design of effective learning outcomes, such as the ECTS, especially for curriculum development, cannot be successfully achieved in the absence of the students’ own experience of how they conceive learning to be, including the methods (approaches) they use for learning. Thus, the first aim of this investigation is to analyse the students’ conceptions of learning and the second aim is to examine, through prior research evidence, the effects these conceptions may have on learning approaches and specifically on learning outcomes.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><br />Drawing on a 2007 study of Cypriot students’ conceptions of learning, this paper discusses the possibility of a relation between these issues and outlines the importance of taking them into consideration when exploring learning outcomes, curriculum and syllabus design and the professional development of faculty.</p></span>

ePortfolio

2011 ◽  
pp. 168-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Marcoul-Burlinson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Electronic Portfolios ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Pedagogical Tools ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Uk Higher Education

This chapter examines the concept and the uses of electronic portfolios as pedagogical tools for adult learners, particularly in UK Higher Education, where it is part of the personal development plan (PDP) agenda on lifelong learning and widening participation. Its development relies on an environment that favours the learners’ active involvement in the learning process as well as learning outcomes through reflection and collaborative participation. A better understanding of the pedagogical implications of such portfolios and their learning processes is needed and will be discussed in this chapter.

scholarly journals Teaching and learning of Chinese students in the UK

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 221258682110358
Author(s):  
Carolijn van Noort
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Continuing Professional Development ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Student Body ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Student Cohorts ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Uk Higher Education

Education partnerships between the United Kingdom (UK) and China continue to evolve. It is worthwhile reflecting on how teaching and learning of Chinese students in the UK has been functioning, and how it can be improved. This study focuses on short-term continuing professional development (CPD) courses taken by professional student cohorts from China in British Higher Education, and explores the application of constructivist learning approaches in regard to teaching and learning. This study suggests three forms of teaching adaptations as a response to- and accommodation of the short duration of the training programs, the seniority of the delegates, and the delegations’ expectations to learn fixed knowledge. Despite teachers’ willingness to adapt and acculturate CPD courses, divergent educational cultures influence the teaching process and students’ learning and experiences. The changing student body in UK Higher Education calls for more university-level attention and sharing of effective practices.

scholarly journals The Potential of Blockchain Technology in Higher Education as Perceived by Students in Serbia, Romania, and Portugal

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 749
Author(s):  
Valentin Kuleto ◽  
Rocsana Bucea-Manea-Țoniş ◽  
Radu Bucea-Manea-Țoniş ◽  
Milena P. Ilić ◽  
Oliva M. D. Martins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Learning Performance ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Blockchain Technology ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
Inclusive Processes

Lifelong learning approaches that include digital, transversal, and practical skills (i.e., critical thinking, communication, collaboration, information literacy, analytical, metacognitive, reflection, and other research skills) are required in order to be equitable and inclusive and stimulate personal development. Realtime interaction between teachers and students and the ability for students to choose courses from curricula are guaranteed by decentralized online learning. Moreover, through blockchain, it is possible to acquire skills regarding the structure and content while also implementing learning tools. Additionally, documentation validation should be equally crucial to speeding up the process and reducing costs and paperwork. Finally, blockchains are open and inclusive processes that include people and cultures from all walks of life. Learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) is facilitated by new technologies, connecting blockchain to sustainability, which helps understand the relationship between technologies and sustainability. Besides serving as a secure transaction system, blockchain technology can help decentralize, provide security and integrity, and offer anonymity and encryption, therefore, promoting a transaction rate increase. This study investigates an alternative in which HEI include a blockchain network to provide the best sustainable education system. Students’ opinions were analyzed, and they considered that blockchain technology had a very positive influence on learning performance.

scholarly journals Lessons learned by educator and students through experiential entrepreneurship

2021 ◽  
pp. 095042222110234
Author(s):  
Marcus Simmons
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
Personal Development ◽  
Academic Development ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Learning Approach ◽  
Module Design ◽  
Uk Higher Education ◽  
The Impact

This account of practice describes an experiential learning approach used for enterprise and entrepreneurship education in a UK higher education setting. Module design and delivery insights are drawn from the methods employed by an entrepreneur turned educator to facilitate learning via pop-up shop/event activities financed by a £50 seed fund. Feedback showed that the approach was highly valued by students, who reported significant personal development and enhanced entrepreneurial understanding. Considerably improved student attainment was also measured. The educator reflects on how his experiences as an entrepreneur helped shape the activities and their delivery, and the impact on his own pedagogical and academic development.

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