What examples are there of successful implementation?
Two different models of how RAPID can be successfully applied in a Higher Education environment are provided below:
These models are provided as exemplars of how RAPID can be successfully customised and applied to meet the needs of different students. It is not implied that other Institutions need to follow identical processes.
Loughborough University Example
Twenty first-year BSc. Construction Engineering Management (CEM) students were inducted in the use of the RAPID Progress File over five sessions in a two-week period, as follows:
Session 1: Verbal Introduction and demonstration of the Web-based RAPID Progress File
Session 2: Student activity (Begin to build RAPID Portfolio / conduct set tasks)
Session 3: Presentation by the CIOB's Professional Development Manager
Session 4: Student activity (as per session 2) with feedback / assessment by tutor
Session 5: Briefing on use of RAPID during forthcoming six-month work placement
Students were set the following tasks:
Using the Web-based RAPID Progress File, you are required to do the following:
- Build up a 'Record of Achievement' by completing the PACE section of RAPID
- Using WORD, reformat your PACE 'Record of Achievement' to produce a CV
- In the SPEED section of RAPID, assess your competence in a minimum of TEN skills
- State at least TWO pieces of evidence that supports your claim of competence for EACH skill you have assessed
- Plan to develop TWO skills by identifying an appropriate opportunity to develop each skill, and producing a detailed ACTION PLAN of what you propose to do. (You would be advised to choose one skill that you have a high level of competence but have little or no appropriate evidence of competence, and one skill where you have a fairly low level of competence
- Justify the reasons for the TWO skills that you have chosen to develop, and explain how your proposed activity / plan will help to develop these skills
- State: a) which units and elements of the CIOB's Professional Development Programme (PDP) would the evidence that you would generate be relevant to, and b) what sources of help / assistance could you access to help develop these skills
- In 500 words REFLECT UPON your introduction to RAPID. (In particular consider how the tasks you have completed has increased your self-awareness of your skills / competencies. You might wish to comment on how you think your future use of RAPID will complement your academic studies and experience on work placement)
On completion of the above tasks students were assessed based on a set of criteria that had been made known to the students in advance of the exercise. Marks were awarded and contributed towards the final module mark of an appropriate academic module.
University of Central England (UCE) Example
UCE's deployment of the RAPID Progress File was instigated through the research of the BEEDS research unit (Built Environment Education Development Services) on the Key Core Skills, Knowledge and Understanding Project at the University of Central England (UCE). An important aspect of this research was to find ways to incorporate QCA key skills and the Construction Industry Council (CIC) occupational standards into courses at the university.
Concurrent to this research by BEEDS was a criticism by the academic review committee in March 1999 of courses in the School of Property and Construction at UCE. The issue was that part time students enrolled on this school's programmes were given insufficient opportunities to have relevant vocational work accredited towards their degree.
In order to address these two areas it was seen as necessary to look at some means to record a student's development of skills both in the academic and working environments. The RAPID system was seen as the ideal vehicle to achieve this aim.
The initial pilot launched by BEEDS in conjunction with staff from the School of Property and Construction was with the Professional Experience Unit (PEU). The RAPID system (and its guidance) was the mainstay for the new module, with the unit being piloted in October 1999.
RAPID was customised as follows:
- The Key skills templates were extended to include the Key skill of problem solving. The rest of the templates for Key and Personal and Professional skills were left unaltered.
- Construction related skills was re-titled as Technical skills, with the addition of new skill templates as well as the removal of certain skills to reflect the experiences of our students.
- The UCE version of RAPID was launched as a paper based copy in 1999 and the current further revised edition was implemented in August 2000. It is intended to create a dedicated server for RAPID at UCE when appropriate funding and personnel resources can be secured.
- Aside from the above mentioned statement changes and new skills the original version was also changed to show three assessment stages (refer to Appendix 1). This means that a student undertaking the PEU module would assess their skill levels three times in the twelve months allocated for the module - compiling suitable and appropriately referenced material. The reason for this three-stage assessment is to make the use of RAPID more academically rigorous and to ensure the student undertakes regular assessment to show where development of skills is occurring. It was also seen to be necessary to allow the student's tutor and his or her workplace mentor an opportunity to assess progress, and to verify that they were happy with the student's development.
A further addition to each skill section was a one page assessment guide (refer to Appendix 2). This examined the breakdown of skills in the different sections and what level of skills would be required to achieve certain grades e.g. a first would equate to so many skills at level A, so many at B etc. It was stressed that this was a guide and that it was up to the tutor's objective assessment of the student's evidence files that would ultimately determine the grade.
Responses and impressions from employers, students and university tutors, have been very favourable. A revised edition with textual and editing changes has now been issued to Estate Management and Building Surveying as well as the current year 4 Quantity Surveying students. Each version uses a generic Key Skill and Personal and Professional skill section, with specific skills being written in for the Technical skills.