Definition of PDP

Definition of PDP

The cross-sectoral definition of PDP is broad and leaves much open to interpretation but it does provide some key guidance for practice:

‘A structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement, and to plan for their personal, educational and career development.’

Process: PDP is a verb not a noun.  It is an ongoing educational process not a document or file.

Individual: The focus is upon and the responsibility lies with the student learner her/himself.

Structured: It is a process that involves a number of stages.

Supported: Though the focus is on the individual learner it is not undertaken alone but with help from tutors, colleagues and institutional systems.

Reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement, and to plan:  Suggests a number of elements of the PDP process.  This relates to the definition of PDP used by the EPPI-Centre for their systematic review as ‘processes that connect reflection, recording and action planning.’ [Gough et al 2003]

Personal, educational and career development: The three spheres of learning that PDP draws together, helping to make connections between them.
 
At UW we have adopted a model of PDP which fleshes out these definitions.  It is based on a learning cycle which encourages the individual to undertake PDP processes which relates self-evaluation to reflection, action planning and recording.  However other models of PDP and its implementation are explored in the following sections.
 
References

Gough, D et al (2003) A systematic map and synthesis review of PDP for improving student learning London: EPPI-Centre, SSRU at: http://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/EPPIWeb/home.aspx?page=reel/review_groups/EPPI/LTSN/LTSN_intro.htm

QAA, UUK, SCoP & CoSHEP, (2001) Guidelines for HE Progress File at: http://www.qaa.ac.uk/crntwork/progfileHE/guidelines/progfile2001.htm