This is a draft of the presentation that will be given at the HEA Social Sciences annual conference - Teaching forward: the future of the Social Sciences. For further details of the conference: http://bit.ly/1cRDx0p Bookings open until 14 May 2014 http://bit.ly/1hzCMLR or external.events@heacademy.ac.uk ABSTRACT Based on an HEA funded pilot study, this presentation focuses on engaging Law Students in the development and preparation of their own Personal Development Plans. The project considers how students see their learning and development needs and the current barriers to developing PDPs. The focus on PDP emphasises its importance as the foundation for integrating into current legal education an understanding of legal professionalism. By enabling students to take responsibility and to actively develop their PDP it is argued that students will come to embody wider values of legal professionalism, notably the promotion of justice.

1. Making “Connections”: Embedding
Personal and Professional
Development Plans
Dr Richard W Whitecross
Edinburgh Napier University

2. Only Connect

3. Background
Legal Education and
Training Review 2013
HEA Law Strategic
Project
Personal experience

4. Creating Professional
Opportunities
Transferable skills
Being “professional”
Learning to connect
The Challenge –
engaging with
“others”

5. Transferable Skills
Identifying
opportunities to:
Develop range of
skills
Capture skills in
e.portfolio

6. Professionalism
What does this
mean?
How is it
understood?
Why is it
important?

7. Engaging students
Law Student
Mentoring
Employer Mentoring
Work with CAB
Networking
Working with the
student Law Society

8. Learning to
Connect
What are the
inhibitors?
How can we
support students?
Valuing social skills
“Official” versus
peer approach

9. A student’s
perspective
Karolina Sieler
Research Student
studying towards
her PhD
Part-Time Tutor

10. Moving Forward
Piloting of Law
Mentoring
Piloting embedding
e.portfolio across
LLB Programme.
Evaluation

11. …now for your suggestions or
thoughts
My contact details are:
R.Whitecross@napier.ac.uk