ePortfolio and Personal Development Planning Richy Hetherington - Development Co-ordinator Simon Cotterill - Senior Research Associate

Today’s session Why do you need this stuff? A very brief history The Development Programme A quick demo of the systems Time for you to use your ePortfolio Identifying sources of help & support Ask questions at any time

Roberts’ Report 2002 “Many employers do not initially pay those with PhDs any more than they would a new graduate, viewing the training (particularly in transferable skills) that PhD students receive as inadequate preparation for careers in business R&D.” “Institutions are not adapting quickly enough to the needs of industry”

Joint Skills Statement & Recording UK research councils devised a list of skills research students should gain The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) adopted this list and made it a requirement that research students should be able to record these skills

(UK Grad)

Researcher Development Framework

ePortfolio has been developed so you can... …record your research progress …plan and monitor your professional development (PDP) …reflect upon the skills you have gained

Booking sessions and Evaluation

ePortfolio (Research Training Portfolio - Online)

About the Portfolio Portfolio:  Includes support for research skills  Continue to use if you do a PhD. Recording meetings with tutors/supervisors Record and Reflect on Achievements Awareness of transferable and specialist skills Promoting your role in actively developing your research skills -- be more effective during your Masters / PhD -- broader research & transferable skills for your career Express your skills and relate them to potential employers Portfolios

Importance of skills and competencies in gaining employment

Generic/transferable skills used in employment

“We spend more time planning our holidays than we do planning our lives !”

Is it compulsory to record meetings in ePorfolio? Recording Meetings

How many formal supervisory meetings should I have? For full-time, a minimum of 10 per year. For part-time, a minimum of 5 per year.

Who should record the meetings? All students are required to maintain and record formal supervisions, training and progress in ePortfolio. Your supervisor(s) can add their comments to your meeting notes in ePortfolio and will be asked to confirm that the meeting took place.

Why should I record the meetings? They are a record of agreed actions which are used to refer back to. They demonstrate regular engagement with your supervisor(s). They provide a useful record of your progress. It is good professional practice to do so. It is normal practice to minute meetings in the workplace. They confirm engagement and attendance. If meetings are not recorded you may be contacted by the Research Student Support Team (HaSS and SAgE) or the Graduate School staff (FMS) to find out if there are any issues preventing the recording of them.

Who can see the meeting records? Only you and your supervisor can see the content of the recorded meeting notes.

Demonstration

Record your meetings with your supervisor(s)

How to Record a Meeting

Blog integrated with “My Skills”

Prof Fred Smith Please ensure that you record the attendees

If you didn’t already do so register for this workshop on the training programme pages: Log on to the portfolio: Spend some time exploring each section. Add a few records to your CV. Questions / Issues ? Workshop Task #1

Personal Development Planning Cycle During your research, it is important to.. Identify gaps in skills and knowledge Identify opportunities to develop experience Set goals and targets and get involved Record what you did, how you did it, skills and knowledge used and the final result Review progress regularly and use progress meetings to cover professional development

Self Assessment/PDP

Evidence can be drawn from… Research & Development Programme Work experience Interests Conferences – posters, presentations Committees and societies Academic awards & funding success Professional courses (Vitae, sponsors) Publications – research articles

Sources of Support Supervisor(s) and tutors (Graduate School) Postgraduate Student Development Programme Careers Advisers and information staff Professional bodies and networks Graduate Connections Employers/Sponsor Your own network - other students

Resources Researchers’ Handbook Professional bodies Research Councils Careers Service Prospects Vitae (UK Grad)

Careers Service Level 1 Kings Gate No appointment required – just call in! Advice & Guidance available Monday to Friday 11am – 4.30pm Open from 10am term-time and vacation