the keele university skills portfolio student guide...3 section 1: the keele university skills...
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The Keele University Skills Portfolio Student Guide
Accredited by the ILM
Updated for the 2017-2018 academic year
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Contents
Section 1: The Keele University Skills Portfolio 3
A: Writing reflectively
B: Eligibility
Section 2: Learning and Further Support 5
A: Reading list
B: (K)eele (L)earning (E)nvironment
C: Workshops: How 2 series
D: Student Learning One to ones: Write Direction
E: PebblePad
Section 3: Assignments 6
A: Deadlines
B: Intention to Submit
C: Accreditation from the Institute of Leadership and Management
D: Sharing your portfolio
E: Signing off
F: Assessment Criteria
G: Word Counts
Section 4: Appeals 11
Section 5: Frequently Asked Questions 11
Section 6: Key Contacts and Support 12
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Section 1: The Keele University Skills Portfolio The Keele University Skill Portfolio, or KUSP, is a collection of reflections about your experiences at
university. These experiences can be from any aspect of your life; your programme of study, a
community volunteering project, or family life. This is called “life-wide learning” and since we
consider these to be valuable learning experiences we wanted to find a way of recognising them. By
reflecting on these experiences we want you to learn about yourself, what makes you tick, what
environment do you thrive in and what contribution might you make to this world in your lifetime?
This is called “life-long learning” and these qualities of ‘self-knowledge’ and self-direction’ are
captured in the Keele Graduate Attributes.
The learning outcomes of this process through reflection will help you develop:
An open and questioning approach to ideas, demonstrating curiosity, independence of
thought and ability to appreciate a range of perspectives (linked to Graduate Attribute 1)
An appreciation of the development and value of your chosen subjects of study, awareness
of their contexts, the links between them and the wider world (linked Graduate Attribute 2)
The ability creatively to solve problems using a range of different approaches and techniques
and determine which techniques are appropriate for the issues at hand (linked to Graduate
Attribute number 4)
The ability to communicate clearly and effectively in written reflective form (linked to
Graduate attribute number 6)
The knowledge, skills, self-confidence and self-awareness actively to pursue your future
goals (linked to Graduate Attribute 7)
A professional and reflective approach (linked to Graduate Attribute 9)
A: Writing reflectively The KUSP requires you to write reflectively. This style may be new to you, and it may prove a
challenge, but it is all part of the learning process.
'It is not sufficient simply to have an experience in order to learn. Without reflecting
upon this experience it may quickly be forgotten, or its learning potential lost. It is
from the feelings and thoughts emerging from this reflection that generalisations
or concepts can be generated. And it is generalisations that allow new situations to
be tackled effectively.'
Gibbs, G. (1988)
Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods,
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Reflective writing should capture the process described by Gibbs above. It is not simply about
describing what happened but reviewing, analysing and evaluating what happened and why. As you
prepare for your next steps, it is important that you are able to understand and deal with complex
situations and learn from them. Reflective writing allows the individual to challenge ideas and
develop new perspectives, respond to challenges and identify new possibilities. These insights can
be drawn from the whole student experience, academic or otherwise. These behaviours are
captured by the Keele Graduate Attributes.
At first you might find reflective writing more uncomfortable than other forms of academic writing
as it involves writing about concerns and anxieties as well as successes and achievements. Though
you will be writing about your feelings and experiences your work still needs to be academically
robust. Therefore, assertions should be supported by evidence and, where relevant, should integrate
theory with practice – i.e. how do my experiences relate to existing literature? Reflections should
capture the learning that has resulted from making sense of the experience - what have I learnt from
this experience and what can the literature tell me about how I should plan for future experiences?
Whilst in other forms of academic writing it can be frowned upon to write in the first person this is
perfectly acceptable in reflective writing when you are talking about your own experiences (e.g. “I
did not feel confident reflecting on my contribution to the team because….”). When discussing
academic literature however it is expected that you revert back to the third person (e.g.“Moon
(2004) advocates…”). Effective reflective writing will draw these two styles together.
In early attempts to blend theory and practice most people have a tendency to focus on describing
what happened. You should attempt to write a balanced reflection by giving emphasis to the final
3Rs of the PebblePad assets (Relate, Reason, and Reconstruct), see p.10 for the 4Rs. Many students
find that talking through their experiences with their personal tutor will help with this. If you
continue to struggle with writing reflectively you can attend a workshop or book a one to one Write
Direction appointment ([email protected]).
B: Eligibility To complete the KUSP with ILM accreditation you must be able to satisfy the following criteria.
Began your course in September 2012 or later
Final award must be at least FHEQ level 6 or higher (undergraduate degree)
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Section 2: Learning Resources There are many learning resources available to help you complete your portfolio. These range from
reading lists and online resources, workshops from the University and the Students’ Union, to study
skill tutors and your own personal tutor.
A: Reading list The following reading list is intended as a starting point to your reading around the accredited
topics. Remember it is expected that you use the literature as part of your reflections when
prompted to do so by the PebblePad assets. The reading lists can be found www.keele.ac.uk/kusp
B: (K)eele (L)earning (E)nvironment There are a range of online learning activities and resources on the KLE for you to use. Log on to the
KLE from the Keele homepage. Click on to the ‘Learning’ tab. Under the ‘My Course section’ there
will be a module called ‘The Development Strand’ (pre-September 2015 starters) or ‘Academic and
Professional Toolkits’ (post-September 2015 starters).
C: How2 Workshops Student Learning provide a range of workshops to support your learning, called the How2 series.
More details can found at https://www.keele.ac.uk/studentlearning/ .
D: Write Direction Study Support is available through the Write Direction Service. The tutors will be able to assist you
with writing reflectively. 1-2-1 appointments and drop-ins are held regularly so visit the webpage or
email [email protected] .
E: PebblePad The Keele University Skills portfolio uses the PebblePad platform to put together your portfolio. You
can log on here and will find help videos on the same page. If you need help then contact the IT
service desk.
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Section 3: Assignments The following section will guide you through how to complete your Keele University Skills Portfolio.
It covers: deadlines, what topics to cover, word counts and signing off.
A: Deadlines The following deadlines apply to all students. The first deadline is the submission of an e-form to
your personal tutor. The second deadline is for the sharing of the portfolio with your tutor.
Intention to submit e-form* Sharing deadline
Undergraduate (all)
1 March (second year) 1 March (third year)
Taught postgraduate (full-time)
1 November (first year) 1 May (first year)
Taught postgraduate (part-time)
1 November (first year) 1 November (second year)
Research postgraduate (all) Contact Student Learning ([email protected])
Contact Student Learning ([email protected])
*If you started your course before September 2014 there is no need to complete the intention to
submit form.
B: Intention to Submit The first stage to completing your portfolio is to let your personal tutor know that you intend to
share you accredited portfolio with them. This is done officially through a Google form by clicking
www.keele.ac.uk/kusp. There is a deadline for submitting this form, see above. If you started your
current course before September 2014 there is no need to complete this form.
C: Accreditation from the ILM The ILM is the UK's largest awarding body for leadership and management qualifications. In a first
for the UK Higher Education sector they have accredited parts of the Keele University Skills Portfolio.
Your portfolio will need to address six broad areas, each represented
by a colour, to be accredited by the ILM. Each of these six topics has
been broken down in to a number sub-categories. These subcategories
are the titles of the assets on PebblePad that you may complete.
Complete one sub-category reflection from each of the six main topics
to complete your portfolio.
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Keele University
Skills Portfolio (KUSP)
Complete 6 Reflections, -one
from each colour group, to gain ILM Accreditation
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SUB CATEGORIES: COMPLETE ONE FROM EACH COLOURED SECTION
Team Working
Making Effective Presentations
Techniques for Getting Organised
Developing Effective Study Practice
Your Learning Style Effective Dissertation Research
Evaluation & Critical Writing Search Strategies & Databases
Principles of Time Management Barriers to Managing Time
Time Management Tools & Techniques
Public Speaking Rhetorical Techniques Presentation Anxiety
Presentation Technology
Team Roles Networking
Recognising Leadership Leading a Group
Self-Confidence Assertion
Dealing with Difficult People Building Rapport
Negotiation Listening Skills
Stress Management Managing Low Mood
Mindfulness
People Skills
Dealing with Stress
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D: Sharing your portfolio You must share your portfolio to your tutor through the PebblePad system. No other method such
as PDFs or a hard-copy will be accepted and may result in your accreditation not being awarded or
even being rescinded.
Ordinarily only your tutor will see your portfolio. However both Keele University and the ILM do
require quality checks to be undertaken and as such the University reserves the right to view your
portfolio and share it with the ILM. This is clearly stated in the Intention to Submit form. We suggest
that you keep a copy of your portfolio for your own records.
E: Signing off Once you have completed your portfolio and shared it to with personal tutor they will use the table
below as a guidance to judge your work so pay careful attention to it. If they are happy they will
sign-off your portfolio as ‘pending’ the result of you main award on your student record system. You
will receive a certificate at the same time as your receive you main award from the university. Note
that the Keele University Skills Portfolio is a graduate level award. This means that you must exit
Keele with an award that is equivalent to or higher than level 6 on the Framework for Higher
Education Qualifications (FHEQ). If the final qualification you leave Keele with does not meet this
criteria you will not be awarded your portfolio or accreditation. If you are still unsure what level
award you have achieved then you should contact Student Records and Exams
F: Word counts Each reflection, for example networking, should be a minimum of 400 words and a maximum of
1500 words in length. This means that your final portfolio with all six entries will be a minimum of
2400 words and a maximum of 9000 words.
PebblePad does not have a built-in word count so you may want to copy and paste your work in to a
word processor to check your how much you have written. Right-click functionality is not supported
in PebblePad so use the keyboard functions ctrl+c (copy) and ctrl+v (paste).
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G: Assessment Criteria
Criteria Pass Reporting Student has identified an appropriate incident or issue and explained what was involved. For example:
Student has reported/ recorded what happened or what the issue or incident involved Student has explained why it is relevant Student has responded to the incident or issue by making observations and expressing an
informed opinion Student has posed questions to address as a result of the incident
Relating Student has related the incident or issue to their own skills, personal and professional experience, or discipline knowledge. For example:
Student has related or made connection between the incident or issue and own skills, professional experience, or discipline knowledge.
Student has commented on aspects that they have or have not experienced before Student has analysed the similarities and differences between conditions of other contexts they
have encountered Student has explained the extent to which their skills or knowledge will enable them to deal
with the incident or issue
Reasoning Student has made sense of the incident and its significance to their skills development, personal and professional experience, or discipline knowledge. For example:
Student has highlighted in detail significant factors underlying the incident or issue Student has explained and analysed their importance Student has referred to relevant theory and literature to support their reasoning Student has considered different perspectives (theoretical or ethical)
Reconstructing Student has generalised and/or applied their learning to other contexts and future professional practice. For example:
Student has described how they would deal with this next time Student has elaborated on what might work and why Student has identified different options/scenarios and hypothesised possible outcomes Student has explained how theories or relevant literature support their ideas Student has explored whether changes could be made to benefit others
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Section 4: Appeals
1. Appeals may only be made on the grounds of procedural irregularity in the conduct of the assessment and not against the academic judgement of the personal tutor.
2. Programme participants should raise any appeal against failure, in writing, with the Head of Student Learning and Curriculum Development. This must be done within 10 working days (not including University closed days or Bank Holidays, but including weekends) of receiving the results.
3. If after the decision of the Head of Student Learning and Curriculum Development the individual is still concerned and feels there has not been a satisfactory outcome, he/she may use the University’s complaints procedure, which can be found here. This must be done within 10 working days (not including University closed days or Bank Holidays, but including weekends) of notification of the decision of the Head of Student Learning and Curriculum Development.
Section 5: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I am required to write a reflective or professional portfolio as part of my course. Can I use those
reflections as part of my Keele University Skills Portfolio?
You may not use entries as part of any programme requirements towards you Keele University Skills
Portfolio. You must use the approved templates/assets on Pebblepad. You may, however, reflect on
the same experiences.
Q: I am studying at foundation year / for an undergraduate certificate or diploma. Can I get the
Keele University Skills Portfolio and accreditation?
The Keele University Skills Portfolio is a graduate level award. This means that you must exit Keele
with an award that is equivalent to or higher than level 6 on the Framework for Higher Education
Qualifications (FHEQ). This excludes all undergraduate diplomas and certificates, one day courses
and foundation degrees. If you are still unsure then you should contact Student Records and Exams
Q: I already completed a Keele University Skills Portfolio but I am now studying a new course. Can I
get a second KUSP?
All students regardless of how many courses they complete can only ever be awarded the Keele
University Skills Portfolio once.
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Q; I have extenuating circumstances for my academic work. Do these apply to my Keele University
Skills Portfolio work?
Extenuating circumstances only apply to your programme of study. As is the case for any other
additional activity you decide to undertake whilst at Keele, e.g. volunteering, it is not possible to
apply for extenuating circumstances for the Keele University Skills Portfolio. However if you feel that
your circumstances are compelling discuss these with your personal tutor and if they are supportive
then contact the Head of Student Learning and Curriculum Development about a possible extension
Q: Can I start my KUSP before the 1 March intention to submit deadline?
Yes, you may begin your KUSP as soon as you arrive at Keele and have access to your PebblePad
account.
Q: What does accreditation from the ILM mean?
A KUSP is an ePortfolio comprising of 6 personal reflections. It demonstrates to potential employers
that you have a commitment to your personal and professional development. The accreditation
from the ILM (whilst not a formal qualification) should be thought of as a recommendation from the
ILM in lieu of a personal reference for a job application, it does not equate to any other qualification
or credit.
Section 6: Key Contacts and Support
Personal tutor You may wish to write the contact details of your personal tutor here
I.T – for PebblePad [email protected] 01782 733636
Student Learning, for Write Direction (1-2-1s), How2 (workshops) and E-resources.
[email protected] http://www.keele.ac.uk/studentlearning