Telford (UK), May 2011 - The focus in public and private-sector organizations today is on increasing efficiency whilst reducing costs. Customer research shows that universities using award-winning online learning space PebblePad are saving staff and student time and money in areas such as travel, photocopying, and postage. PebblePad allows higher education students and those pursuing continuing professional development to collect, provide evidence, and reflect on their studies in a secure online space and to receive online feedback and marks from tutors and peers in the same space.
Savings mount up to around £40 per student per course on paper, photocopying, and postage associated with the portfolio assessment element of the course, and an additional £5 to £20 per student per placement on travel. Travel savings also apply to tutors: several universities are now providing access for external examiners to PebblePad assessment gateways to view assignments online, removing the cost and time associated with travelling a day ahead of the examination board and staying overnight.
Based on these figures, a PebblePad client providing access to the system across a university can reduce assessment costs by £20,000 per year with just 500 undergraduate nursing students using the system. If the use is spread across other subject areas where portfolio-based assessment is common place, such as teacher training or dentistry, the savings can be even greater.
Students are also becoming increasingly demanding: They expect fast turnaround of marking and require more and better feedback (NSS 2010, National Union of Students' Charter 2010; Bols 20112). PebblePad helps tutors to provide comments more quickly and to share those comments efficiently with other markers whether internal or external, local or overseas. Tutors can also distribute material such as forms, assignment guides, and reading lists easily and speedily through PebblePad and leave them in an online resources store, ensuring that they are always available for students' reference.
Other benefits also accrue: Resilience is increased by using an online portfolio rather than an irreplaceable paper-based filing systems, which can easily be lost or damaged. There is a real risk of loss or damage during transit, either when in the hands of the student, the institution, or external parties. In many institutions storage space is at a premium, and reducing the need to devote space to store bulky files for many years by having them stored in an online space is an additional benefit.
The notion of a secure personal learning space for learners to record and present their work is a fairly new innovation. However, with the benefits and convenience of an online system and the potential to reduce costs, it's easy to see why many universities and professional organizations are choosing to implement PebblePad.
