This document provides an overview of personal development planning (PDP) and tools to help students identify skills, set goals, and develop action plans for self-improvement. It explains that PDP involves reflecting on experiences to recognize strengths and areas for growth, then creating a portfolio to track progress toward goals. Various assessment methods like skills audits, SWOT analyses, and learning style questionnaires are presented to facilitate self-evaluation and development of transferable skills.
Personal Development Plan By Dharam Rathi, Senior Placement Trainer
1.
2.
3. Contents
Introduction
Personal Development Planning : What is it all about?
Why Bother?
My Skills
Transferable Skills
Using PDP to Identify Skills
Reflection in Action
Goals and Planning
Skills Audit
Personal Development Plan
STAR
SWOT
Reflective Questions List
Learning Styles
Skills Feed Back
Time Planner
How do I know if it is working
5. Intro: Personal Development Plan –What is it all about ?
Dear Student,
A PD Plan is a structured plan that you have drawn to help you meet some objectives
such as development of certain skills.
What lies ahead, will prove one of the most memorable experiences of your life.
Your academic studies are a primary part of this experience, but they are not the
whole package of college education.
College Education and diverse experience here should encourage you to be more
independent, more self-confident, more resourceful, and probably more assertive,
better at managing your time and your money, and better at working with others. In
a word, more mature. Your horizons – geographical, cultural and intellectual – will be
broadened by the experience of studying in college environment, and by the extra-
curricular activities and opportunities you choose to pursue.
Planning is the first step towards making the most of your time here.
The essence of Personal Development Plan – Record your experiences and reflect on
them.
6. In career planning, job-seeking and your professional career in general, your
experiences at college/university will provide you a wealth of material
Your education should equip you with transferable skills (e.g. Communication,
working independently and working in teams)
Create a PDP portfolio – it may be in the form of a computer file, note book etc.
It may contain your PD Plan, your supervision reports, CV, notes on your
reflections etc.
The point of PDP is to identify your experiences, reflect on what you have learnt
from them, and record the information so that it can help you achieve your
goals.
The following tools can help you in this process
*Skill Audit Questionnaire *Reflective Questions List
*Personal Development Plan *Skills Feedback Form
*SWOT and STAR self-appraisal Form *Timeline planner
*Learning Styles Framework
7. There is no formal assessment of PD plan by your teachers. You should observe
yourself and keep revising and updating your PD plan as per the future needs you
envisage for yourself.
As a minimum you can discuss your PD plan with your tutor or mentor or your
peers and obtain their feedback on your progress
There are other people also whose feedback may prove valuable to you– your
parents, family friends etc.
Remember to keep your PDP files in a safe place
Your tutor or mentor will also find the PDP files useful when writing references for
you.
The PD is a process. You can make most of your PDP if you do a little bit at a time
and a few times in a year.
8. Intro: Why Bother?
PDP (Personal Development Planning) offers you:
*A place to record skills, collect evidence, reflect on achievements
* Opportunities to reflect on your life, activities, and skills
*Ways to get the most out of regular meetings with your personal Tutor,
HoD, supervisor, or mentor
*Help when you are changing direction, or making future plans
*Techniques to help you perform well in job applications and interviews
*Opportunities to develop connections with other students and academic
staff
Practical Scenarios for PDP
A few situations for when PDP could help…
9. *Your supervisor gave you a much lower mark than you expected for
your essay
*You’re studying NatSci, and can’t decide whether to focus on biological
or physical sciences for Part II/III
*You’re an Engineering or Management student, and you’re trying to
put together a job application for a multinational firm
*You’re having problems getting your work handed in on time
*You’d like to do an internship, but you’re not sure which industry to
target
*You’re trying to get your teammates to cooperate on a design project
*You’re involved in a college play, and you want to capture your role in
the experience
*You’re trying to focus your ideas for your third-year long essay
*You’ve completed some volunteering or schools outreach work, and
you want to record what you’ve achieved
we learn from reflecting on experience (Dewey)
We do not learn from experience...
We learn from reflecting on experience --Dewey
10. Four contexts for PDP
Personal
*Meetings with your Personal Tutor/Tutor
*Planning and goal setting; recording milestones
*Time Management
*Personal Development
Academic
*Meeting with your HoD, supervisor, mentor etc.
*Planning longer-term projects (long essays, research projects, design
projects
*Prioritising work and preparing for exams
Career and Job Search
*Job applications, giving evidence of your skills
*Help with creative thinking or changing direction
*Getting good references
*Writing CVs
Four Contexts for PDP
11. Informal and Experiential Learning
*Recording experiences and reflecting on new skills
*Extracurricular activities (music, sports, fine arts etc.)
*Internships, summer travel, exchange programmes, year abroad etc.
13. My Skills : Transferable Skills
What are Transferable Skills?
Transferable Skills are, quite simply, the skills learned in one context that are useful in
another. They may be learnt in an academic setting, or outside study, often through
informal or experiential learning contexts (like volunteering, student societies, or
community participation).
Transferable Skills can help you to study more effectively, and may help promote academic
achievement. They are also highly valued by employers. There is no definitive list, but the
category can include:
*Intellectual initiative
*Critical reflection
*The ability to gather, organise and deploy evidence, data, and information
*The ability to identify and solve problems
* Analytical and evaluative thinking
* The ability to engage in lateral thinking, openness to creative thinking
*The ability to present material orally in a clear and effective way
*The ability to present written material clearly and appropriately
*Self-direction, Self-discipline ,Management of time and resources
14. *Working creatively, flexibly and adaptably with others
* Formulating and meeting team objectives
*Interacting successfully on a one-to-one basis
*Observational skills
*Practical skills
Skills that could be developed by all students
*Intellectual Skills (e.g. critical, analytical, synthesising and problem-solving skills)
*Communication skills (written and oral)
*Organisational Skills (e.g. working independently, taking initiative, time-
management)
*Interpersonal Skills (e.g. working with or motivating others, flexibility/
adaptability.
Skills which are essential for and specifically developed by certain courses, but
which remain desirable for all students, and available to them through various
routes
*Research Skills
*Computer Literacy
* Numeracy (e.g. statistical skills, data handling)
*Foreign Language Skills
15. My Skills : Using PDP to Identify Skills
• PDP can help you to identify and develop your Transferable Skills. Use PDP techniques
such as the Skills Audit to identify the skills that you have already developed, skills that
you wish to develop further, and skills that you do not yet possess. Then, use your
Personal Development Plan, to decide which steps you need to follow in order to
acquire them.
• But before we get to that stage you need to be aware that the link between skills
awareness and personal development planning is: reflection.
• What is reflection? Reflection is the basic concept behind much PDP. The idea, based
on well-established educational research, is that reflection promotes learners’ self-
awareness and self-motivation. Research also indicates that the incorporation of
reflective processes into teaching actively enhances student learning.
Reflection is a search for connections --(James R. Zull)
Reflection is a form of mental processing – like a form of thinking – that we use to fulfil
a purpose or to achieve some anticipated outcome. It is applied to relatively
complicated or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution and is
largely based on further processing of knowledge and understanding, and possibly
emotions, that we already possess. --(Helen Barrett, quoting Jennifer Moon)
16. Reflection involves “metacognition”, or the awareness individuals have of their
own mental processes. Undertaking reflective activities helps you to move from the activity
of learning, to a deeper understanding of how you learn. It also helps to integrate learning,
by enabling you to group together a set of experiences and identify the common elements
they share.
The best way to get to grips with reflection is to start using the record of activities
and reflective questions contained in your PDP portfolio. As you become more experienced,
you may wish to add other, less structured, approaches (weblog or “blog”, journal, informal
discussions with friends, or your Tutor).
Some observations about reflection:
*Some students find reflection comes naturally, others do not.
*The potential personal ‘exposure’ of reflection can be uncomfortable and,
particularly for international students, contrary to cultural norms.
*There is no “one right way” to reflect.
*You will never be evaluated or judged on your reflections; they are private and
personal to you, unless you choose to share them with others.
*Reflection is a process, not a single event
*For a busy student, the discipline of writing on a regular basis can be difficult to
establish.
*Sharing reflections can help with motivation.
19. Goals and Planning : Skills Audit
There are seven categories of skills in the Skills Audit. Rate yourself according to the scale
shown for all the statements in each skills category.
Use the following to rate yourself against each of the skills in the Skills Audit:
Ability Ratings
A I can use this skill very well
B I can use this skill well but some improvements could be made
C I need to improve this skill
D I need to put in considerable work to develop this skill
E I have not had the opportunity to develop this skill
25. Skill : Computer Literacy
Name:
Rating:
A
B
C
D
E
Date:
Evidence:
26. Skill : Foreign Languages
Name:
Rating:
A
B
C
D
E
Date:
Evidence:
27. Goals and Planning: Personal Development Plan
Use this plan to review your progress to date and to help you identify any skills gaps or
areas that you need to develop further.
When you meet with your Personal Tutor or Tutor, have your plan ready in advance to show
him or her, and be prepared to discuss it and to receive feedback.
How to Use the Personal Development Plan
1. Reflect on your work and progress. Ask yourself: Have I progressed as well as I
hoped? What problems or difficulties have I experienced? Use tools like the Skills
Audit in this guide to help you get started. It is important to think about how things
are going in general, as well as for each subject or paper you are taking.
2. If the answer is yes—great! If not – start having some ideas of your own for
improvement and be prepared to discuss these with your Tutor.
3. Fill in the Personal Development Plan.
4. Show your Personal Development Plan to your Tutor from time to time, and seek
feedback from him or her. If you would like further feedback on your Plan, there are
others you can call on: including close friends / family, your College Dean, your HoD
etc.
5. Keep track of your progress. Refer to your Plan so you can build on what you’ve
accomplished.
28. Using your Personal Development Plan should have the following outcomes:
- Greater understanding of how much progress you’ve made in all areas of your
course
- Better understanding of any strengths and weaknesses by both you and your
Tutor
- Clearer understanding of what you need to do next
- Agreement on setting goals and targets
- An Action Plan that summarises all this
29. Name Subject
Subject/paper/course Enjoying it Fits in
General Direction: You will learn best if your course, subject or programme fits
into the general direction of where you want to go in future. Write down a list
of your subjects, papers or courses and whether you think they fit in with your
study and/or future plans. Check with your Tutor about any of which you are
unsure.
Personal Development Plan
30. Achievements: Think of a piece of work or an activity that you feel particularly pleased
about and proud of. Make a note of this here.
Areas for Improvement: Write down any areas in which you are experiencing difficulties
or any skills that you would like to develop, eg. “Meet all my deadlines”, “Set some career
goals by Mid-Term”, “Learn to use Powerpoint.”
Action Plan: These are the concrete steps you are going to take in order to reach your
goals. Break your plan down into concrete steps and make sure each step is realistic. Set
yourself a deadline, to motivate yourself to get started.
Step 1 Date
Step 2 Date
31. Goals and Targets: Complete the questions on this chart. This will give you
something to measure your progress against at your next tutorial meeting. Your
aim is to be able to tick all the “Yes” boxes.
Statement Yes
Yes I have set myself some goals that say what I want to achieve by my
next tutorial meeting
I have a plan to help me improve on my learning and personal
development
I have identified action points to help me reach my targets
Student’s signature : Tutor’s signature:
Date:
Step 3 Date
32. Goals and Planning : SWOT
SWOT analysis is a useful method to aid understanding and decision-making in any
situation.
SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. SWOT
analysis has its origins in research on corporate planning, conducted at the Stanford
Research Institute in the 1960s and 1970s. SWOT analysis is widely used today in business
and management, but it is also useful as a tool for learning and personal development.
A SWOT analysis is a personal, subjective assessment of information that is organized by
the SWOT format into a logical order that helps understanding, presentation, discussion
and decision-making.
The SWOT analysis template is normally presented as a grid, comprising four sections, one
for each of the SWOT headings: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. When
you do a SWOT analysis, begin by clearly identifying the situation to which the SWOT
analysis relates. Then fill in each of the SWOT grid areas, according to the details of that
situation.
How to do SWOT:
•On a post-it note (which you can attach to an object or item)
•On a piece of scrap paper
33. •With colour highlighters or pencils
• On the computer / laptop
• Using the SWOT template in this guide
• Voice recording (using a Dictaphone, voicemail, mp3 recorder, etc.)
• In a journal, learning log, or diary
•While chatting with a friend
When to do SWOT:
• Straight after a supervision, lab session, lecture, group meeting
• At the start of a study or revision session
•At the end of the day / when you finish studying
• First thing in the morning in a break between lectures
•Before you fill in a job application
Translating SWOT analysis into action
SWOT analysis provides a framework by which relevant issues can be identified, classified,
and understood. Moving from SWOT analysis to action, however, can be something of a
leap!
As far as identifying actions from SWOT issues goes, it all very much depends on your
reasons and aims for using SWOT, and also your position with respect to others who may be
implicated in the issues you identify—you can make decisions for yourself, but not
necessarily for others.
34. The other pivotal part in the process is finding the motivation to follow through. The key
point is to translate the items you place in each SWOT category into decisions or actions
that you are prepared to take on board:
Strengths (maintain and extend) Weaknesses (address and / or seek advice)
Opportunities (prioritise and optimise) Threats (counter and / or seek help)
SWOT Form
Situations to which SWOT analysis relates Date
Strenths Weaknesses
Opportunities Threats
35. STAR (the acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Response), is a method to help you analyse
and reflect on your role in a given situation. Use the form below to help you to unpack the
ways in which you contributed to a situation, action, or event.
The STAR method works best when you use it to focus on active participation—the
concrete things you did in order to make something happen. Those “concrete things” could
mean strategic planning: taking a decision, changing direction, or creating a plan. Or it
could mean problem solving or creative thinking: coming up with a solution to a particular
problem, or trying a new way of doing things. Or it could mean following a method: going
through a process, step-by-step, in order to complete a task. Or it could mean working with
people: organising others, motivating peers, working in a group or team.
Identifying the actions you took, and showing how they contributed to a result or
outcome, offers a powerful demonstration of your skills. STAR is therefore an excellent
technique to use when preparing for job interviews.
STAR will also help you to prepare for any kind of application or interview (formal or
informal) where you have to give examples from your experience, in order to substantiate
any claims you make about your skills and abilities.
Goals and Planning : STAR
37. Goals and Planning : Reflective Questions
Use this list of questions to kick-start the reflective process.
Try picking two or three questions at random, and then just jot down your
thoughts as they occur to you.
Think laterally, and don’t censor yourself. There are no “right answers”.
Thinking creatively is itself a useful skill to develop. Edward de Bono’s “Thinking Hats” is a
well known approach to creative reflection and problem solving. The basic premise is that
you try thinking about an issue, problem, or situation from different perspectives, as if you
were wearing different “hats” (e.g. the social perspective, the “big-picture” perspective,
the detail oriented perspective). Try it out.
38. •What specific goals, not related to your study, have you established for the next year?
• What do you see yourself doing five years from now?
•What do you really want to do in life? What are your long-range career objectives?
•How would you describe yourself?
•How has your University experience prepared you for a career?
•What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Why?
•Describe your most rewarding experience.
•What academic subjects do you like best? Why?
•Do you have plans for continuing your study? An advanced degree?
•What have you learned from participation in extracurricular activities?
•In what kind of environment are you most comfortable?
•Can you give an example of where you had to influence someone to take action?
•What major problem have you encountered and how did you deal with it?
•What are your strengths and weaknesses?
•Why did you decide to apply to a particular university?
•Do you prefer working alone or with others? Why?
•If you could start your University studies again what would you do differently?
39. Goals and Planning : Learning Styles
Educational psychologists and researchers in the fields of human cognition and student
learning have developed various schemes to classify and characterise learners’ educational
preferences. These are usually known as “learning styles”.
This section of your Guide gives you an overview of three key Learning Styles theories and
explains why they might be useful for personal development.
What are Learning Styles?
The concept of Learning Styles is intended to explain observable differences in learners’
methods (“how” we learn), as well as differences in motivations or choices (“why” we
learn). Sometimes, advocates of learning styles connect learning preferences to learner
identities, arguing that the learning methods people use, together with the learning choices
they make, are bound up with “who” they are. The identity-centred versions of Learning
Styles can be similar to systems that claim to reveal psychological “personality types” (such
as Myers-Briggs). Personality type profiles are widely used by businesses and corporate
recruiters, so it is useful for you to know about this variation.
40. The most significant theorists of Learning Styles are: Allinson & Hayes, Entwistle,
Herrmann, Honey & Mumford, Kolb, Kolody, and Vermunt.
How can I use Learning Styles?
Advocates of Learning Styles believe that, by analysing your personal learning
modes and preferences, you can start to learn more effectively and get more from
your education. The idea is that, if you understand the circumstances in which you
are most productive, you can begin consciously to seek out opportunities in your
environment and study sessions that suit you best.
The most familiar Learning Styles technique is probably the questionnaire.
Learning Styles theorists have designed various questionnaires to enhance self-
management and “personal productivity”.
If you are interested in finding out more about Learning Styles and psychological
profiling, the University Careers Service offers a wide variety of questionnaires and
self-testing instruments for you to try.
41. Three Learning Styles Frameworks
Style Focus
Pragmatist Concrete experience
Reflector Observing and reflecting
Theorist Abstract conceptualisation
Activist Active experimentaton
-- Honey and Mumford
Style Focus
Diverging These people are able to look at things from different perspectives. They are sensitive.
They prefer to watch rather than do, tending to gather information and using imagination
to solve problems.
Assimilating The Assimilating learning preference is for a concise, logical approach. Ideas and abstract
concepts are more important than people. In formal learning situations, people with this
style prefer readings, lectures, exploring analytical models, and having time to think
things through.
Converging A Converging style enables specialist and technology abilities. They are best at finding
practical uses for ideas and theories. People with this style like to experiment with new
ideas, to simulate, and to work with practical applications.
Accomodating The Accommodating learning style is ‘hands-on’, and relies on intuition rather than logic.
These people rely on others’ analysis, and prefer to work in teams to complete tasks.
They set targets and actively work in the field.
-- Kolb
42. Style Focus
Navigators Locating, structuring, and using information
Monitors Organisation; making learning plans; studying at fixed times
Critical thinkers Individual and creative thinking; open-ended questions and
problem-solving
Engagers Group dynamics; work that is based on personal interests
Networkers Discussion and debate with peers and lecturers; brainstorming
and teamwork
Kolody
43. Goals and Planning: Skills Feedback
Present this feedback form to a suitable person(s) with a copy of your Skills Audit. They do
not have to fill in every section; indeed, you may find it useful to ask for feedback from a
range of people. They should state their relationship to you (i.e. personal tutor, project
supervisor, fellow student etc.) in the space provided.
Name Date
Skill : Communication
Relationship Date
Feedback
47. Skill : Foreign Languages
Relationship: Date :
Feedback
Relationship: Date :
Feedback
Skill : Fill as appropriate
48. Goals and Planning : Time Line Planner
Time Line Planning is a powerful way to identify the most significant events in your life.
The context does not matter: whether they are personal, study-related, family-related,
work-related, or connected to your social life, the events you choose to include will be
the ones that stand out for you.
The proforma below gives one example of a time line planner. It covers a single year, and
the section labels are focused on the academic year. Your version might be much broader
and more detailed in scope.
Try drawing a bigger version on a piece of graph paper, extending the line to include your
past and future (before you came to university/college, and after you graduate).
Failures are important, as well as successes. This is a private plan and you are not
competing against anyone when you fill it in. The point is to reflect on the most
important and striking events that have affected your life. We all fail at things from time
to time and there is no shame in this, the point is to understand the implications and
learn from the experience.
49. Date you completed this Plan:
Year this Plan relates to:
Mid Term I:
(Possible events: Date of matriculation? Joined college parent scheme? Survived first
supervision? Lost first football match? Elected to JCR committee?)
Term I:
(Possible events: Got first low mark on essay? Spoke at a Union debate? Organised Society
dinner? Experienced Sixth Week Blues? First article published in Varsity?)
50. Mid Term II:
(Possible events: Panicked about exams? Rowed in Bumps? Made the May Ball Survivors
Photo? Created first job CV?)
Term II:
(Possible events: First company internship? Trekking in Morocco? Volunteered on an
environmental project? Worked for a local business?)
51. Goals and Planning : How do I Know if it is Working
Checklist for reflection
PDP will only be effective if it works for you. Every person is different and not everyone will
do PDP at the same times or in the same way.
You can use this checklist to measure the usefulness of your approach to reflection in PDP.
1. Am I clear what my role is? Think about the different roles you occupy: e.g. peer
interactions with supervision partners / lab partners / study group; leader or participant
in a sports team / choral society / environmental campaign; future employee or worker
for employers / internship programmes / volunteering opportunities etc.
2. Have I considered the wider context? Identify the context for your actions.
University? College? Church group? Volunteer organization? Company? Who are you
responsible to: friends? family? Other students? An organization? Your HoD?
3. Have I identified my contribution? In what way or ways did you participate? Is there a
purpose—where is it leading?
52. 4. Have I identified and reflected upon positive developments? What have you
achieved? What are you most proud of?
5. Have I identified and reflected upon any difficulties and issues? What stumbling
blocks are there? What gets in the way?
6. Have I identified key learning points? What moments were most significant to you?
When did you learn most?
7. Have I got a clear action plan for the future? What is your strategy? What are you
going to do now?
