Personal tutoring

The personal tutor and PDP

Since 2005 it has been a national requirement that students are given opportunities for Personal Development Planning (PDP) at each stage and level of their programme. This means that all students need to be given opportunities to review their strengths and areas to improve, and plan for their future personal and professional development.

In common with many other universities, personal tutors are expected to encourage their tutees to reflect on their achievements and skills, and to seek out other opportunities to enhance their employability.  This might include participating in the Exeter Award and other university schemes and societies, or engaging in work experience and volunteering. Students should also be encouraged to keep up-to-date records of their progress and achievement. At Exeter the University provides an electronic system for PDP records, called ePDP.

Students can visit the PDP website which includes access to the University's ePDP resource, and any records kept by the student are available for the personal tutor to view, unless the student specifically flags them as private. In return, tutors can give feedback to their tutees online by providing a brief comment about their ePDP. 

For more information and guidance on how you as a personal tutor can use ePDP, please see the Staff User Guide to ePDP.

Additional resources

A workshop for staff about PDP and the ePDP resource is available on demand. For more details, email Education Quality and Enhancement.