Introducing PebblePad at University of Worcester Dr Rowland Gallop Elizabeth Symonds

Why PebblePad? Two year process of investigation and consultation Other options considered –Various open source solutions –E-Vision –WebCT An internal e-learning interest group voted overwhelmingly for PebblePad

Implementation Phase 1 [Oct 07 – Jan 08] – Staff only pilot and feedback Phase 2 [Feb 08 – May 08] – 14 small pilot groups of students with a specific learning goal Phase 3 [Sept 08 onwards] – make available to all students with guidelines for PDP

Aims of Phase 1 To introduce staff to the software Create a community of users for mutual support To explore the potential for supporting learning and teaching

Evaluation of Phase 1 50 members of staff took part and attended training workshops and support sessions Overwhelming positive response to the ease of use of the software Some pilot users chose not to proceed to phase two immediately due to time restrictions

Aims of Phase 2 To create a community of users who will provide ongoing feedback This feedback will inform the development of the use of PebblePad for supporting learning and teaching To develop procedures and practices that will help individuals and groups achieve their own aims for PDP and portfolio development

Implementation of Phase 2 14 groups used PebblePad to support their learning with tutor guidance Each group was given an introductory workshop and ongoing support from the central e-learning team Feedback from tutors and students was collected by means of focus groups and ongoing online feedback using Pebblepad

Lessons Learned from Phase 2 The students need a reason for using PebblePad Decide on a subset of PebblePad to use with your students Set up discussions to enable students to use them effectively Make sure all students have full access to the facilities

Aims of Phase 3 Provide all students with the opportunity to develop an e-portfolio Access via the Single Sign On portal Support for PDP using appropriate subsets of PebblePad Support tutors using PebblePad for learning and teaching

Possible Challenges for Phase 3 Synchronising systems with large numbers of students Supporting students where no tutor guidance is provided Developing appropriate online support for PDP Engaging personal tutors