Introducing the PDP process
What is PDP?
PDP stands for ‘personal development planning’ and refers to the process of reflecting on and communicating your own ideas to enrich your study, enable you to fully benefit from the course and the experience of being a student, and prepare you for future career aspirations.
Obviously, this is not a new idea and your experience of Level 1 studies here have involved a number of activities which can be understood as PDP. Those activities have enabled you to become more effective, self-confident and autonomous learners. You have begun to articulate your personal and learning goals and identify the skills that you need to achieve them. You can reflect on what you were able to achieve and make connections between your learning and the world outside of MMU.
In Level 2 we want to extend this work by developing more systematic ways of recording all of these threads. Now that you have begun to create your own programme of study through your elective choices your academic tutor becomes more central in your planning and reflection. It is this tutor who will monitor your PDP and whilst we’ve decided that it is not assessed, it will enable you to produce some valuable materials for use with your tutor, to develop your CV, complete a job application and develop the skills you need to really get the most out of your studies.
Planning, reviewing and reflection are vital parts of the PDP process. By recording ideas as you go you will be in a better position to make plans, set and achieve goals, as well as understand and focus on what you are doing.
The following pages are designed to help you to create a PDP portfolio.
- Using a blog to record your thoughts and build your portfolio
- Academic achievements (understand your academic profile, start building your CV)
- Employment & Social achievements (note your work experience, extra-curricular activities)
- Learning Styles (maximise your learning and study activities)
- Study skills (think about the skills you have and need to develop)
- Level 1 studies (record your thoughts about what you learned and the feedback you received for your assignments)
- Level 2 studies (begin to think about the units you have elected for Level 2)
- Personal Development Planner (think about your objectives and how to achieve them)
- Your academic tutor (how to work with your tutor to maximum effect)
- Links (check the advice you can receive from others)
