Personal Development Planning: Portfolio for Study Skills Module, UWS

This document is a personal development portfolio created as part of a Study Skills module at the University of the West Scotland (UWS). The portfolio guides students through a structured process of self-assessment, goal setting, and action planning to enhance their personal and professional development. It includes questionnaires to identify strengths and weaknesses, future aspirations, and priorities. Students complete self and peer evaluations, analyze personality traits, and create SWOT analyses. The portfolio also incorporates a personal action plan with SMART goals, time management logs, and learning style assessments. Throughout the course, students reflect on their progress using a PDP diary, culminating in a final evaluation of their journey. The assignment aims to equip students with the skills needed for success in their studies and future careers.

Personal Development
Planning
Student Pack

What is personal development planning?
This is a process that enables individuals to identify, manage and develop their skills. It
allows students to demonstrate that they can think critically about their own development
and how they have achieved goals.
It allows students to take responsibility for their own learning and development and
provides a framework to develop skills required at university or in employment.
As part of the student journey in this Study Skills module, students will complete:
1. A personal development portfolio (PDP)
2. A personal action plan
3. Undertake the action plan
4. Evaluate the action plan
Suggested further reading:
To understand more about the benefits of personal development planning and its
relationship to study skills, the following is some suggested useful reading:
Cottrell, S. (2019) The Study Skills Handbook (5th ed.) London: Red Globe Press
(Chapter 3 – Employability and preparing for your future, pp.47-62).
Creating a Personal Development Portfolio (PDP)
The starting point of the portfolio is ‘Where am I now?’, where you identify your strengths
and weaknesses at the start of the course. Any weaknesses you have might include time
management, stress management or written communication. Strengths you may have
could be organisational skills, numerical skills or working as part of a team.
There are various other activities related to aspects of personal and professional
development, both in relation to Study Skills and your future career. The completion of
these tasks, along with other short pieces of self-reflection and evaluation, will be collated
and form the basis of your PDP document.
This will be carried out throughout the duration of the course and your Study Skills tutor will
provide you with guidance each week as to how to complete the various tasks in the PDP.
At the end of the course, students will complete a re-evaluation of ‘Where am I now?’ and
analyse the journey that they have taken.
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What do I put in my portfolio?
The following checklist provides students with guidance as to what should be included in the
Personal Development Portfolio.
Checklist:
ITEM (from this PDP Student Pack)
 Front cover (Name, course and image of your choice)
 Contents page
SECTION 1
 ‘Where am I now’ questionnaire?
 ‘Where am I going’ questionnaire?
 Future personal and professional achievements
SECTION 2
 Self-evaluation
 Peer evaluation
 Personality analysis
SECTION 3
 SWOT analysis
 Self-evaluation of Core Skills
SECTION 4
 Personal action plan and SMART plan (short term)
 Professional action plan and SMART plan (long term)
 Professional development cycle in action
SECTION 5
 Time management questionnaire
 Time / activity logs
 Analysis of Time Logs
SECTION 6
 Learning style questionnaire and evaluation
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 Kolb’s learning cycle worksheet
SECTION 7
 Final Evaluation
Appendix: PDP Diary
 Unit log / diary – to be completed on a weekly basis to reflect your PDP
journey
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SECTION 1: Questionnaires – Where am I now? / Where am I going?
Name: Martin Brown
University: University of the West Scotland
Course
Details
Course Title:
Full/Part-time:
Start Date /
Finish Date:
Modules being
taken:
*
*
*
*
*
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TASK 1A: Questionnaire 1 – ‘Where am I now?’
Complete the following questionnaire and provide some details about where you are now
on your personal and professional development journey.

Previous /
Other
qualifications
*
*
*
*
*
*
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What were the results of the Strengths tool questionnaire? What are your strengths?
As per the questionnaire provided by strength to it has been analysed that I have my
strength in various skills such as creativity investigative skills and leadership skills. These
skills are my biggest strengths and will help me to achieve my career goals. It also
provides me a guidance to choose a suitable carrier for my future.
Do you agree with the results or not? Do you think that you have any other personal
strengths that you can add to the list?
I completely agree with the results because all the skills provided by the strength to are
already added in my list and I know that I possess these qualities but these qualities are
my strength for my future growth is the thing what I come to know with the help of this is
strength tool questionnaire.
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TASK 1B: Questionnaire 2 – ‘What are my personal strengths?’
i) Go to the ‘My World of Work’ website https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/ and if you
haven’t done so already, register with the website using your UWS email address.
ii) Complete the ‘Strengths tool’ on the website
https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/tools/strengths/start to discover your personal
strengths.
iii) Complete the section below about what you have discovered about your strengths.
You can also download your results from the website and include them in your portfolio.

Select an appropriate main objective from the choice below in relation to why
you have chosen to study this foundation degree course
Successfully pass this course in order to progress to a degree course
Successfully pass this course and then gain employment
To further develop my core skills
To further my personal development
In the section below, identify a future aspiration. What do you hope to achieve in the
future, both personally and professionally?
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TASK 1C: Questionnaire 3 – ‘Where am I going?’
Complete the following questionnaire about where you see your personal and
professional journey heading. Think about your objectives and aspirations in relation to
this course, any future studies, your career, and anything else relevant in your life.
You may not fully know yet where you want to go or what you want to achieve in life, so
at the moment it may just be a broad, general choice that you are making.

In the section below, list what you regard to be priorities for your future
In order to set priorities for my future I will consider my IT skills to be my priority for my
near future to develop them in such a manner that I can have a proper knowledge about
the applications and technologies which are used in HR department for the purpose of
human resource management. Another priority is to earn a good amount of money so
that I can provide an effective living standard to my family. My another priority is to
develop my communication as well as proactivity skills so that I can be able to became a
person with smart personality and effective communication.
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SECTION 2: Self and Peer Evaluation / Personality Analysis
Introduction: Understanding Behaviour
If we are to try to understand ourselves, we need to look at what makes us ‘tick’ – what
moves us into action. There is no one simple answer as human beings are highly complex
and our behaviour is often driven by our needs. These needs range from simple
physiological ones to complex desires such as respect and self-esteem.
A well-known theory of human motivation proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1954 suggests
that there are five basic needs that influence human behaviour. These needs are organised
in a hierarchy (diagram attached). According to Maslow, needs at the lowest level of the
hierarchy must be at least partially satisfied before people can be motivated to move up to
the higher-level needs.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs represented as a pyramid.
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Beginning at the bottom and moving towards the top, Maslow’s needs are:
 [The internet has been added as a basic need to reflect technologies today and how
they are being used!]
 Physiological/Biological: These needs include the need for food, water, oxygen,
activity, sleep, sex, temperature regulation, shelter
 Safety: Being protected from potentially dangerous objects/situations, being cared
for as a child, having a secure source of income, protected from illness, secure place
to live as an adult, protection in old age
 Belonginess and Love: Receiving and giving love, being accepted into social groups
(clubs etc), affectionate relationships, trust and acceptance
 Esteem: Being respected by others as an honest and honourable individual brings
feelings of confidence and a sense of achievement. Some people seek esteem
through careers, others through relationships with families, friends, etc.
 Self-actualization: This is the highest level in the hierarchy and refers to achieving
full personal potential, self-fulfilment and accomplishing personal goals.
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I see myself as someone who is:
Cheerful Unorganised Methodical Enthusiastic
Pushy Grumpy Lazy Cautious
Late Curious Driven Serious
Messy Positive Chatty Stubborn
Thorough Bossy Honest Noisy
Patient Resilient Ambitious Dreamy
Proactive Soft Brash Diplomatic
Stroppy Motivating Supportive Tactful
Strict Careful Nosy Confident
Flexible Imaginative Open Self-Assured
Responsible Sensitive Creative Cooperative
Critical Reliable Helpful Perfectionist
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(Adapted from Meyers-Briggs Personality Traits)
TASK 2A: Self-evaluation Part 1
How do you see yourself? Study the list of characteristics below that may or may not
apply to you. Underline each characteristic that you think applies to you (you can select
as many as you think are relevant).

I see ………………………………………………………………..……as someone who is:
Cheerful Unorganised Methodical Enthusiastic
Pushy Grumpy Lazy Cautious
Late Curious Driven Serious
Messy Positive Chatty Stubborn
Thorough Bossy Honest Noisy
Patient Resilient Ambitious Dreamy
Proactive Soft Brash Diplomatic
Stroppy Motivating Supportive Tactful
Strict Careful Nosy Confident
Flexible Imaginative Open Self-Assured
Responsible Sensitive Creative Cooperative
Critical Reliable Helpful Perfectionist
Name of Evaluator:
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TASK 2B: Peer evaluation
How do others see you? Using the same list in Task 2A, ask someone who knows you well
to study the list of characteristics and underline each one that they think applies to you
(they can underline as many as they think are relevant). Make sure that they can’t see
your list in Task 2A!

Signature & date:
A Worrier Anxious Impetuous
Serious Pessimistic Reserved
Unsociable Tardy Passive
Careful Thoughtful Peaceful
Controlled Reliable Even-Tempered
Dependable Touchy Restless
Intelligent Aggressive Excitable
Changeable Impulsive Optimistic
Active Negative Outgoing
Nervous Sensitive Easy-Going
Dynamic Meticulous A Natural Leader
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TASK 2C: Self-evaluation Part 2
Study the list of adjectives below and underline the ones that you think apply to you. You
can choose as many as you think are relevant.

1 I am a Son / Daughter a Son
2 I am A warrior
3 I am an investigator
4 I am a good leader
5 I am an effective speaker
6 I am a caring person
7 I am a sensitive person who like to help everyone
8 I am a person with good communication skills
9 I am Person with Pessimistic Approach
10 I am a reliable person
11 I am a peace loving person
12 I am a person with good imagination
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TASK 2D: Self-evaluation Part 3 – Social Roles / Who am I?
Complete the following 12 sentences by responding to the question, ‘Who am I?’

Analysing Personality
Eysenck’s Personality Analysis
Eysenck (1947) found that their behaviour could be represented by two dimensions:
Introversion / Extroversion (E); Neuroticism / Stability (N). Eysenck called these second-
order personality traits.
Each aspect of personality (extraversion, neuroticism and psychoticism) can be traced back
to a different biological cause. Personality is dependent on the balance between excitation
and inhibition process of the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
Extraversion/introversion
Extraverts are sociable and crave excitement and change, and thus can become bored
easily. They tend to be carefree, optimistic and impulsive. They are more likely to take risks
and be thrill seekers. Eysenck argues that this is because they inherit an under aroused
nervous system and so seek stimulation to restore the level of optimum stimulation.
Introverts on the other hand lie at the other end of this scale, being quiet and reserved.
They are already over-aroused and shun sensation and stimulation. Introverts are reserved,
plan their actions and control their emotions. They tend to be serious, reliable and
pessimistic.
Neuroticism/stability
A person’s level of neuroticism is determined by the reactivity of their sympathetic nervous
system. A stable person’s nervous system will generally be less reactive to stressful
situations, remaining calm and level headed.
Someone high in neuroticism on the other hand will be much more unstable, and prone to
overreacting to stimuli and may be quick to worry, anger or fear. They are overly emotional
and find it difficult to calm down once upset. Neurotic individuals have an ANS that
responds quickly to stress.
Psychoticism/normality
Eysenck (1966) later added a third trait / dimension - Psychoticism – e.g., lacking in
empathy, cruel, a loner, aggressive and troublesome. This has been related to high levels of
testosterone. The higher the testosterone, the higher the level of psychoticism, with low
levels related to more normal balanced behaviour.
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Eysenck’s Personality Analysis
According to Eysenck, the two dimensions of neuroticism (stable vs. unstable) and
introversion-extroversion combine to form a variety of personality characteristics.
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Summarise the results of the personality quiz on the My World of Work Website. Do
you agree with the outcome or not? Why/why not?
I am completely agree with the personality quiz on the website of my world of work. It is
because the website provides my three correct and important qualities that our leader
creative and investigative. I have always found out that I am a confident as well as a
adventurous person who loves to make decisions and persuade or help others to take the
things in the way that are easy for them. I enjoyed speaking in public management of
things and making more seems which the qualities of a leader are. The website also
provides that I have a quality to be a creative. I also observed so many times that I have a
great imagination which helps me to create and express new things for the new way to do
things. I always enjoy arts music films designing performing and many more which makes
my mind more creative. Another thing which I have observed that I have a curious mind
and always ask the right questions whenever required at a good time. I love to explore
and observe ideas and solve several problems which requires several research and
thinking capabilities so that I can figure out the best possible solutions. It shows my
investigative nature which the third result is provided by the website.
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TASK 2E: Personality Quiz
Go to the My World of Work website, login and use the ‘About Me’ tool to find out about
your personality. https://www.myworldofwork.co.uk/tools/about-me/start
Summarise the results below.

a) This assessment helps me to provide that I have qualities of a
good leader and can be able to identify my career in the
leadership of an organisation. The questionnaire in the above
part helps me to identify that my friend hot I am a chatting
person and I think he can be correct in this sense you also
found me perfectionist which is new to me to know my this
quality. My evaluator found me reliable and responsible
which is a great evaluation about me and I feel very thankful
that they found me reliable as well as responsible. The
evaluator also provides that I am a person with positive
approach which is also a great complement for my future
goals. I came to find out that I am a cheerful person who love
to do new things with a great excitement.
b) This information will help me to decide my career in different
fields and also find out my strengths and weaknesses so that I
can be able to increase required skills for my career growth.
This assessment also provides several qualities of me so that I
can decide a better career according to my skills audit. Taking
an example of equality which I find out with the help of my
evaluator that I am a natural leader. This has provided me an
opportunity and I thought to start my career with the
management in business administration so that I can became
an effective manager all leader of an organisation. In this way
other qualities which I have come to know with the help of
the above study when help me to reach at my study as well as
career goals.
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TASK 2F: Section 2 Summary and Reflection
a) What did you learn about yourself by completing the quizzes and questionnaires in
Section 2? Did you find anything new or surprising about your personality?
b) Do you think this information is useful in helping you reach your study and career
goals?
c) Do you think that your personality characteristics that you identified in this section
have an impact on the way you study and on your future career? Explain.

c) Yes it is correct that the personality characteristics which I
had identified with the help of this section will have a great
impact on the way I will study. The characteristics I have
identified with the help of this section helps me to conduct
my skill audit and identify my strengths and weaknesses.
According to these strengths and weaknesses I will learn to
improve my weaknesses so that I can grab several
opportunities available in the market for a better future
career. I have found out that I have a weakness that I am a
chatty person also got anxious in several situation full stop in
order to get an effective career in the management feel it will
help me to overcome my these weaknesses so that I can
achieve a good growth in my future career. It completely
shows that it has a great impact on the way I will study from
now and its impact on my future career.
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SECTION 3: SWOT Analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities,
Threats
Introduction – What is a SWOT Analysis?
A SWOT analysis is generally associated with the business world and is a very useful
marketing tool which allows organisations to clearly identify their current position and the
extent of their marketing capabilities.
However, this method can also be applied to an individual, allowing an audit to be carried
out that identifies and analyses your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the
opportunities and threats revealed by information you have gathered. A SWOT analysis is a
particularly valuable tool for career planning, but can also be applied when working towards
the achievement of personal goals.
We live in a fast-moving society with a constantly changing environment – to succeed you
must be capable of adapting to the increasing and ever-changing demands of businesses.
Your probability of success will depend largely on your ability to track current trends and be
ready to capitalise on opportunities or minimise the impact of threats.
The starting point is to clearly identify your goals, gather essential information and construct
a SWOT analysis that will allow an assessment of your potential for career/personal
development planning. Using the SWOT analysis, you can examine: Your current position – Where are you now? Where do you want to go?
 The nature of opportunities and threats – What can facilitate or impede your goals?
 Your ability to cope with the probable demands – How well can you organise your
resources?
The results are then incorporated into a statement of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats (SWOT) (see attached table) identifying internal and external factors that may
influence your success.
 Internal Factors: refers to an examination of your own capabilities within your
control
 External Factors: refers to outside influences not usually within your control
Positive Negative
Internal Factors Strengths Weaknesses
External Factors Opportunities Threats
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This may be applied as follows:
Internal Factors
STRENGTHS
Positive aspects that are under your control
which you may capitalise on in planning
WEAKNESSES
Negative aspects that are under your
control and that you may plan to improve
 Work experience
 Education – qualifications and other
value-added features
 Strong technical knowledge within your
chosen field – procedures, language
 Specific transferable skills –
communication, leadership, teamwork,
interpersonal, learning skills
 Personal characteristics – strong work
ethic, self-discipline, work under
pressure, optimistic, high energy levels
 Good contacts, successful networking
 Interaction with professional
organisation
 Funding – grant, bursaries, benefits
 Lack of work experience
 Poor educational history
 Weak technical knowledge
 Weak Skills – interpersonal, IT,
communication
 Weak job hunting skills
 Negative personal characteristics – lack
of motivation, indecisiveness, shyness,
lack of discipline
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External Factors
OPPORTUNITIES
Positive external conditions that you do
not control but of which you can plan to
take advantage
THREATS
Negative external conditions that you do
not control but the effect of which you
may be able to lessen
 Positive trends in your field that will
create more jobs – growth,
technological advances, globalisation
 Opportunities you could have by
enhancing your qualifications
 Your chosen field is in need of your
set of skills
 Opportunities you could have through
greater self-knowledge, more specific
goals
 Opportunities for advancement in
your field
 Opportunities for professional
development in your field
 Available funding – grant, bursaries,
benefits
 Negative trends in your field that
diminish jobs – downsizing,
obsolescence
 Competitors with superior skills,
experience, knowledge
 Technological changes
 Obstacles in your way – lack of
advanced education/training (you
need to take advantage of
opportunities)
 Responsibilities -dependants, elderly
parents or children
 Available funding – grant, bursaries,
benefits
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Strengths
 What are your advantages?
 What do you do well?
 What do other people see as
your strengths?
Weaknesses
 What could you improve?
 What do you do badly?
 What should you avoid?
Opportunities
 What are the good
opportunities facing you?
 What future activities/events
could help you?
Threats
 What could prevent you from
achieving your goal?
 Do you have all the required skills
for your chosen career?
Consider this from your own point of
view and from the point of view of the
people you deal with. Don't be modest -
be realistic. If you are having any
difficulty with this, try writing down a
list of your group’s characteristics. Some
of these will hopefully be strengths!
Again, consider this from an internal and
external basis - do other people seem to
perceive weaknesses that you do not
see? It is best to be realistic now and
face any unpleasant truths as soon as
possible.
Keep in mind that many useful
opportunities will open up for you as
you develop your skills and knowledge
as you progress through college.
A SWOT analysis can be illuminating -
both in terms pointing out what needs
to be done, and in putting problems or
barriers into perspective.
TASK 3A: Personal SWOT Analysis
Carry out a personal SWOT analysis by writing down your answers to the following
questions in the SWOT Analysis Worksheet on the following page in relation to a specific
study objective.

SWOT Analysis Worksheet
Objective:
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
INTERNAL
STRENGTHS
a) One of my biggest strength is that
I have an effective leadership
skills which will help me to
become an effective leader in my
future career.
b) Reliability honesty and
thoughtfulness is the strength of
my which will help me to have a
good growth of my career.
c) The assessment and self-
evaluation also helps me to
analyse that I have a quality like a
warrior who like to fight instead
of giving up under the tough
situations of life. I always has
pessimistic approach for my
problems so that I can solve it an
effective manner.
d) My thoughtfulness is my another
strength that I have a good
imagination power and thought
about the problems a lot before
taking any decision.
WEAKNESSES
a) One of my weakness is that I got
angry easily in the tough situations
which makes me feel defeated in
that situation.
b) I don't have any experience of
work which is also a great
weakness for becoming an
effective leader.
c) With the increase trend of digital
technology I have found out that I
am weak in it skills which are very
essential for my career growth.
d) Main self-evaluation also helps me
to find out that I am a restless
person who get easily feel restless
in tough situations.
e) My imaginative nature became my
weakness sometimes when I lost in
over imagination which is not even
possible because it waste my
valuable time.
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EXTERNAL
OPPORTUNITIES
a) With the increased knowledge
and dependency of human
resource policies and processes
that demand for human resource
manager is increasing day by day.
This can create so many
opportunities for me to become
an effective leader of human
resource department of an
organisation.
b) With increased trend of
globalisation in the market it
creates an opportunity for me to
apply in the multinational
organisations to give a new
direction to my career.
c) My reliability honesty activity
skills and leadership skills is a
great opportunity for me to
became an effective human
resource manager.
d) The job industry are demanding
more people who have a quality
to be a sensitive dynamic careful
reliable and honest person which
is best suited for my qualities and
create an opportunity for me to
became recruited in an large
organisation to create good
growth opportunities for me.
THREATS
a) High competition for getting jobs in
the field of human resource
department can be a great threat
for me to start my career as a
human resource manager.
b) All work of an organisation is
completely depend on the
information technology and my
weakness in in technical knowledge
can create a large obstacle for me
in my career growth.
c) My family is completely dependent
on my earning which is a great
threat to take the opportunities of
the multinational organisation.
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