Personal Professional Skills Lab: a certificate for the development of FSW bachelor students
In line with the university and faculty ambition: ‘Future-oriented development of students’, from now on all FSW bachelor students can follow a three-year elective, faculty programme with certificate for personal-professional development, the programme starts with current first-year students; they are enrolled in the starter module and then determine their own learning line.
Wat is het Personal Professional Skills Lab?
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Starting this academic year, FSW students in Leiden and The Hague can develop in a direction that is important to them through the multi-year Personal Professional Skills Lab programme (PPSL). FSW's embedding of this faculty programme in the study programme is an important step in realising a direct offer of the basic skills advocated by Leiden University.
One unique aspect is the thread running through PPSL, which will be each student's own online personal Learning My Way portfolio (developed by the Personal Development Centre). In this portfolio, the student prepares the chosen workshops, and also stores insights and created materials. In this way, the student maintains visibility of their own personal-professional development.
Within these skills, PPSL focuses mainly on inter- and intrapersonal skills. In doing so, the Faculty of Social Sciences underlines the importance of each student's development as a person during their studies. This way, everyone can apply subject knowledge, self-knowledge, insights and skills when entering the labour market.
Elements of PPSL include:
- learning to work from self-reflection and own values;
- awareness of your comfort zone and how to work with it;
- combining study and student life;
- learning to name and apply your own talent;
- making choices and committing to them;
- developing perspective on own professional context and CV formation.
“I am delighted that the PPSL programme is now starting after a long preparation. We hope that this programme will have significant positive effects on students' personal and professional development, their labour market preparation and their motivation, planning and self-direction, which can also contribute positively to their study success and ‘lifelong learning’. In addition, the aim is to better connect the existing support facilities from Student Plaza and increase their use among students. And of course, above all, we hope that this programme will provide good support to teachers and study advisors. In the challenging period ahead for the faculty, we will of course continue to properly evaluate how this programme optimally strengthens teaching and student support. We will continue to iteratively improve the programme.”- Kristiaan van der Heijden, Vice Dean and Director of Studies Faculty Board FSW
PPSL offered by FSW and Student Plaza
The development of this programme has taken some time due to the large scale of the project and the collaborations within. PPSL is offered jointly by all FSW departments in the Student Plaza and connects elements from the facilities of these departments. The programme has a faculty-wide approach: the Institute Boards and the Faculty Council have contributed ideas about the programme. In this way, the Student Plaza and Institutes want to offer the support facilities for students, most of which already existed, in a more clear and uniform manner. In addition, interested teachers and student advisers from all disciplines can be involved in the PPSL educational programme for students. Read more about this on the new Teachers' Platform FSW.
Those who work directly with students will also benefit from the programme: they can assist students in their learning process by showing them the way to the PPSL modules. The modules can be found in the FSW course calendar and the PPSL-Brightspace page for students. The PPSL programme complements curricular education and thus supports students, lecturers and study advisors. Students who benefit from one or more of the following topics can add these elements to their curriculum by participating in PPSL. For example:
- training study skills and study techniques and awareness of their own starting position to apply this for better study results (POPcorner);
- training self-reflection and resilience, themes around personal development: choices, working with talent, values and commitment (Personal Development Centre);
- (study) career choices, developing personal and career profile, labour market orientation, networking and application skills (Career Service FSW);
- innovative and playful education in an interdisciplinary context aimed at learning to solve complex problems (in society) and the personal development of students (Honours College FSW).
“Students are given a whole lot of substantive knowledge during their bachelor, but it is also important to think about who you are and what you think is important. I noticed this when I participated in Personal & Professional Development as part of the Honours Programme. The fact that the PPSL now responds concretely to students' needs ensures that, both during and after their studies, they know better what they want, can develop even further and are more motivated.” - Robin Buijs, FSW Assessor & Honours College FSW alumnus
From starter module to certificate
The programme for first-year students starts with a starter module for each discipline (Political Science, IRO, Psychology and CA-DS*) and will take place from October to January. In this first seminar students will be introduced to the modules and to the online portfolio. After the starter module, each student will be able to choose to enter the programme at their own time (in year 1, 2 or 3) to acquire the certificate. During the programme, students will gain additional confidence and tools to shape their own future. According to own needs, the modules are combined, ending with the final module that helps prepare for the future after the bachelor. Upon successful participation in at least six three-hour modules (18 hours), the Personal Professional Skills Certificate is awarded. The certificate can then be used by the student, for example to show future employers that the student has paid attention to personal and professional skills in addition to subject knowledge.
The programme launches this year for current first-year students; students in year 2 or higher can participate in the separate Student Plaza facilities as usual. Next academic year, the certificate will be available to first- and second-year students, and the following year to all FSW undergraduate students.
*Except Pedagogical Sciences: students already follow a similar programme in their curriculum.
Teacher Platform FSW
As a teacher or study advisor, what can I do with this? All information in one place.
Teachers' Platform FSWPPSL Student website
As a student, what can I do with this? All information in one place.
Student website PPSLAuthors: Thalia Thomassen, Marc Cleiren. Visuals: Eric van de Bandt, Justin Sijtsma, Fie Luijten.