Burkinshaw, S

Hughes, P

Keenan, C

Kumar, A

Peters, J

Ward, R

English

Leeds Beckett Repository

ALT JOURNAL NUMBER 5: SPRING 2009 23IntroductionThe national action research network onresearching and evaluating Personal DevelopmentPlanning and e-portfolio (NARN-PDP) is a NationalTeaching Fellowship Scheme project with somesignificant defining characteristics:• It is a large network project involving 16 highereducation institutions (HEIs) *• It is a practitioner-led network focused onresearching aspects of Personal DevelopmentPlanning (PDP) and e-portfolio• It aims to produce both a community ofpractitioner-researchers and publishableresearch outputs• Impacts on student learning are through theimproved capacity of the whole practitionercommunity to understand and develop practice insupporting student PDP and e-portfolio use. The NARN-PDP project is at its mid-point, runningfrom autumn 2007 to July 2010. This paper providesan outline of the context and challenges that havefaced the project to date, and a brief overview ofwhat has been learnt through progress so far. Webelieve that the model used by this project is apowerful one which could be adopted by othergroups to build research capacity, achieve greaterunderstanding of practice and enhance the studentlearning experience. As such this project has greatpotential for broad impact on the sector. The context: a practitioner networksupporting the implementation of PDPand e-portfolioThe practitioner network at the heart of this projectis made up of members from a diverse set ofbackgrounds, with differing levels of experience,expertise and interests. The one area that all thepractitioners have in common is someresponsibility for supporting the implementation ofstudent PDP within their own institutions. They alsoshare a willingness to discuss their practice openlywith colleagues from other HEIs and an enthusiasmto improve that practice in an evidence-informedway. The network has been drawn from the existingnational network, the Centre for RecordingAchievement (CRA). This pre-existing network hasproved to be key to this project in providing thebasis for the project network and in facilitating ourcollaborative activity and dissemination. The introduction of student PDP in UK HE is aunique attempt to enhance and capture studentlearning by sector-wide agreement (Jackson &Ward, 2004). The agreement defined PDP as “astructured and supported process undertaken by anindividual to reflect upon their own learning,performance and/or achievement and to plan fortheir personal, educational and careerdevelopment” (QAA et al, 2001). Many institutionschose to use e-portfolio systems as one means ofsupporting student PDP (Strivens, 2007). The challenge: practitioners and the needfor an evidence baseConsultation work by the CRA for the HigherEducation Academy found that a key concernamongst practitioners was the paucity of theevidence base for their work (Ward et al, 2005). Therehave been repeated calls for more robust evaluationof PDP in the UK (QAA et al, 2001; Burgess, 2004;Clegg, 2004; Gough, 2003). The project seeks toaddress this through capacity building ofpractitioners as researchers, developing theirconfidence and capability to produce their ownresearch base in relation to PDP and e-portfolio forstudents. The challenge for the project is that NARN-PDP project members have differing levels ofexperience, only some members having experienceof undertaking formal research; in many of thesecases, the research was not educational in focus. The project: capacity building throughparticipant action research on researchCapacity building for research engagement amongthis PDP practitioner network particularly lendsitself to a participant action research modelbecause there was already a strong, nationalpractitioner network in the CRA. This network hasdeveloped over time many characteristics of a“community of practice” (Wenger, 1998) with sharedvalues including an emphasis on the positiveagency of the committed practitioner. This chimesBuilding research capacity in a practitioner network: the National Action Research Network on researching andevaluating Personal Development Planning and e-portfolio John Peters, Sue Burkinshaw, Peter Hughes, Christine Keenan, Arti Kumarand Rob WardALT JOURNAL NUMBER 5: SPRING 200924well with Reason and Bradbury’s suggestion that“action research is an inherently value ladenactivity, usually practised by scholar-practitionerswho care deeply about making a positive change inthe world” (Reason & Bradbury, 2006). The value-laden nature of this definition is echoed by Sengeand Scharmer’s definition of capacity building as“enhancing people’s awareness and capabilities,individually and collectively, to produce the resultsthey truly care about” (Senge & Scharmer, 2001). The adopted project methodology is a form ofparticipant/community action research at theoverarching, meta-level of sharing and developingresearch plans and outcomes among colleagues. Inpractice each individual NARN-PDP participant isdeveloping and implementing a research project on akey aspect of PDP implementation at his or her owninstitution. The plans are being shared, analysed,evaluated and sharpened at regular regionalnetwork meetings. The action research interventions(Argyris & Schön, 1991) are taking the form ofconsidered improvements in the plans developedthrough this iterative process and more formalinputs to annual national network meetings at thestages of research design, data gathering, dataanalysis and reporting. The emphasis throughout isupon sharing good practice and workingcollaboratively at all stages of the research process. The overall project is seeking to establish whetherthis form of participant action research on researchplanning is an effective means of research capacitybuilding. The key criteria here will be whether allparticipants are confident and able to producepublishable outputs. The individual institutionalrepresentatives are sharpening their research plansand aiming to produce at least one piece ofpublishable research on their PDP practice. Thecollation of these research outputs will make asignificant contribution to our understanding ofeffective PDP implementation across UK HEIs. Progress: lessons so farThe first period of the project was spentestablishing the membership, forming theleadership team and three regional groups anddeveloping a shared and consistent view as to thenature and purpose of the overall project. Thiscould not be rushed.There have been some issues of changingmembership, which is to be expected with such alarge project membership and over time. Thiscreated a challenge, in the first instance, inmaintaining a sense of community and purpose asinstitutional teams formed and developed and newmembers were brought into the project. The projecthas now reached a period of consolidated and morestable membership.The leadership team is now well established andappears to be effective in providing a central,guiding and overarching role for the project and itsmembers. The project has important synergy withthe lead National Teaching Fellow’s role asAssociate Director for Research with the CRA(Peters, 2006; 2007). The three regional groups havedeveloped into highly effective support networkswithin which research progress and personaldevelopment journeys of members are beingshared, with the guidance of all three regionalleaders.Levels of trust and support across the regionalteams have developed and are exemplified by theway in which teams are able to act as criticalfriends to each other, asking probing questions andoffering support. The success of the regionalgroups has been fundamental to the whole project’ssuccess. After one year, there is evidence thatmembers have ‘moved on a step’ and developed inconfidence and the capability to undertake andfurther their research. An unintended consequence of the original projectproposal is that the institutional members (throughtheir participation in the NARN-PDP project) aredeveloping research capacity within their own HEIsas research teams/groups have formed internallyaround the national project. In one HEI the nationalaction research network model has been adoptedinternally to develop an action research approach,inviting academic staff to evaluate (e)-PDPimplementation across different subject disciplines. Early on in the project a NING social network site(http://about.ning.com/) was set up. This has had amixed response and ‘patchy’ engagement. Toencourage broader engagement with the NING site‘diarised’ meetings have been organised on NING,with a specific discussion topic relating to theproject. This has proved more successful and theALT JOURNAL NUMBER 5: SPRING 2009 25leadership team will be developing this. Weanticipated that communication processes andsystems would be a challenge with a networkproject of this size and we will seek to evaluate thesuccess or otherwise of the NING communicationssite throughout the project lifecycle.There has also been a challenge in keeping abalance between implementing the projecttimetable as planned and responding sensitively tothe natural flow of participant action research. It isin the nature of participant action research that itshould be driven by the community and not by apre-set project plan (Argyris & Schön, 1991), andthis can cause tensions. However, so far it hasproved possible to respond to participant requestsand ideas and still work within the overall projectstructure. The NARN-PDP project centres on developing thecapability and capacity of researchers. There isgrowing evidence that the intended capacitybuilding is working. Network members arechallenging themselves to move into new aspects ofresearch and are using the supportive atmosphereof the network to guide them through this.Members are also demonstrating a willingness to‘push at the boundaries’ and taking themselves outof comfort zones in their research. The overall project offers a blueprint for capacitybuilding through participant action research whichcould be utilised effectively by any HE community.The commitments it requires are the willingness tofind time to meet, to be open about plans and tolearn from peer feedback. The project has alreadydone much to move a successful practitionercommunity towards engagement in practitioner-ledresearch. Participants have developed researchquestions and plans that are robust enough togenerate publishable outputs. The result will be agreatly enhanced evidence base for PDPimplementation across UK higher education.ReferencesArgyris, C. and Schön, D. (1991) Participatory actionresearch and action science compared. In: Whyte, W.Participatory Action Research. London: Sage, 85-96.Burgess, R. (2004) Measuring and recording studentachievement: Report of the Scoping Group. Availableat: bookshop.universitiesuk.ac.uk/downloads/measuringachievement.pdf Clegg, S. (2004) Critical readings: progress files andthe production of the autonomous learner. Teachingin HE 9(3).Gough, D. et al (2003) A systematic map andsynthesis review of PDP for improving studentlearning. London: EPPI-Centre, SSRU. Available at:http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/EPPIWeb/home.aspx?page=reel/review_groups/EPPI/LTSN/LTSN_intro.htmJackson, N. & Ward, R. (2004) A fresh perspective onProgress Files – a way of representing complex learningand achievement in higher education. Available at:http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?process=full_record&section=generic&id=361Peters, J. (2006) Researching student attitudes toPDP. PDP-UK Newsletter 7. Available at: http://www.recordingachievement.org/pdpuk/default.aspPeters, J. (2007) Guide and toolkit for evaluating PDP.Available at: http://www.recordingachievement.org/downloads/KD-EvaluationToolkits.pdfQAA, UUK, SCoP & CoSHEP (2001) Guidelines for HEProgress Files. Available at: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/progressfiles/guidelines/progfile2001.aspReason, P. & Bradbury, H. (2006) Handbook of ActionResearch. London: Sage.Senge, P. & Scharmer, C. (2001) Community actionresearch: learning as a community of practitioners,consultants and researchers. In: Reason, P. &Bradbury, H. (2006) Handbook of Action Research.London: Sage.Strivens, J. (2007) A survey of e-PDP and e-portfoliopractice in UK Higher Education. Available at:http://recordingachievement.org/downloads/KD-HEAe-portfoliosurvey.pdfALT JOURNAL NUMBER 5: SPRING 200926Ward, R., Jackson, N. & Strivens, J. (2005) ProgressFiles: are we achieving our goal? Available at:http://www.recordingachievement.org/downloads/PFWorkingPaper.pdfWenger, E. (1998) Communities of practice: Learning,meaning, and identity. Cambridge: CUP.John PetersCentre for Recording Achievement and Universityof WorcesterSue BurkinshawUniversity of BoltonPeter HughesUniversity of BradfordChristine KeenanUniversity of BournemouthArti KumarUniversity of BedfordshireRob WardCentre for Recording Achievement*The project members and regional groups are:Northern – Bradford, Bolton, Liverpool, Salford,UCLAN and NewcastleMidlands – Bedfordshire, Birmingham City,Coventry, Wolverhampton, Worcester andGloucestershireSouthern – Bournemouth, Exeter, Portsmouth,Canterbury Christ Church [and Kent]Project website:recordingachievement.org/narn/default.asp

A survey of e-PDP and e-portfolio practice in UK Higher Education. Available at: http://recordingachievement.org/downloads/KDHEAe-portfoliosurvey.pdfALT JOURNAL NUMBER 5: SPRING

A systematic map and synthesis review of PDP for improving student learning. London: EPPI-Centre, SSRU. Available at: http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/EPPIWeb/home.aspx?page=re el/review_groups/EPPI/LTSN/LTSN_intro.htm

Community action research: learning as a community of practitioners, consultants and researchers.

Measuring and recording student achievement: Report of the Scoping Group. Available at: bookshop.universitiesuk.ac.uk/ downloads/measuringachievement.pdf

Participatory action research and action science compared. In: Whyte, W. Participatory Action Research.

Building research capacity in a practitioner network: the National Action Research Network on researching and evaluating Personal Development Plannin

Building research capacity in a practitioner network: the National Action Research Network on researching and evaluating Personal Development Plannin

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