PebblePad is a Personal Learning Space in which users can BOTH upload existing digital files AND create records of learning and experience using inbuilt templates and scaffolding. Users are encouraged to record planning, reflections and activity, rather than just outcomes, making the process of learning visible to any audience. The scaffolding within PebblePad actively promotes independent learning and the development of the skills widely associated with creating ‘good’ eportfolios – collecting, selecting, reflecting, interpreting, synthesising, evidencing, and presenting. If the definition of an ‘eportfolio’ is ‘a purposeful aggregation of digital items’ then PebblePad enables users to create many different types of eportfolio for many different purposes.

PebblePad is propriety software with an open source ethos; we work very closely with our user community in the creation of our development roadmap, ensuring that user needs are being met. Our customers are kept informed of progress and are invited to contribute to development planning via our active community of practice. Support, standard integrations, and upgrades are all included in the annual licence fee so our customers know from the time of purchase exactly how much the system is going to cost. The PebblePad source code is protected by a comprehensive Escrow Agreement.

Dedicated installations of PebblePad can be either hosted by Pebble Learning or self-hosted by the customer organisation. We offer comprehensive support to nominated institution contacts for both hosting options, but offer an additional Service Level Agreement with uptime guarantees for hosted installations. While customers do pay a premium for a hosted solution, many are taking up this option due to the assurances (e.g. reliability, system up-time, available bandwidth, data back-up, immediate support), convenience, and long-term cost savings that a hosted solution offers.

PebblePad has been designed to be used by all members of an organisation. Everyone has the same personal PebblePad environment within which to record and reflect on their learning journey. The system therefore supports both student and staff processes. Teachers and supervisors can then be given additional permissions to access tools that enable them to facilitate teaching and learning activities with their learners, be they students or staff. PebblePad is web-based and can, therefore, be accessed from anything with an internet connection, including mobile devises, anywhere in the world. PebblePad assets can be shared with anyone, even if they don’t have a PebblePad account. Key people such as external examiners, supervisors and workplace mentors can also be given access to student work for feedback, assessment, or validation purposes without having to have their own PebblePad accounts. Upon leaving or graduation, users can activate a personal PebblePad account (free for the first 12 months) so that they can keep all their data and continue to use the system. PebblePad has been designed for use in large institutions – our largest customers have over 100,000 users. However, it works equally well on a smaller scale and many customers begin with smaller scale pilots with discrete cohorts and grow their use over time.

PebblePad has its origins in the university environment and is based on clear pedagogic principles. One of its primary aims is to improve the learning experience within institutions for both the learner and the teacher. While its design philosophy is one of learner ownership and control, PebblePad includes a number of ‘institution tools’ that support institutional processes without compromising the privacy of the learner’s personal space. A wide range of teaching and learning activities can be facilitated in the PebblePad environment, including collaboration, group work, peer review, formative and iterative feedback, and a wide range of assessment processes (see #7 for further details). PebblePad can be securely integrated with a range of institution systems to enable internal authentication, single sign-on, and movement of data between systems. PebblePad accounts can also be created manually, making it possible to provide accounts for people who are external to the organisation, for example, prospective students, external examiners, or partner institutions. This can support a range of non-taught initiatives.

The key to PebblePad’s success is its flexibility. It is used in the education environment and in professional organisations; it is used by students, teachers, general staff, and professional staff; it is used for personal and professional development, teaching and learning, research, performance appraisal, and employment. It has the flexibility to be used by anyone in any learning context but also the structures to be used by a professional in a formal teaching or assessment environment. The inbuilt templates and scaffolding provide the user with so much more than simply a system for creating eportfolios. Planning, recording, journaling, tagging, collating, linking, and evidencing can all be done within the one space, all aiming to facilitate independent and reflective learning. In additional to the inbuilt scaffolding, custom templates can be created and made available to users at the institution, faculty, or class level to support different activities. ePortfolios, blogs, competency standards, and forms can all be templated and provided to targeted groups of users.

PebblePad comes with an eAssessment tool called Gateways. Gateways provide a space for tutors and supervisors to manage learner activities and submissions without impacting on their own personal PebblePad space. Gateways can be organised by class group or activity and include a tutor group function for managing large cohorts. Gateways support the full range of formal assessment processes including blind marking, double-blind marking, summative & formative feedback, peer & anonymous peer review, external examination, and verification & validation. In addition, gateways can provide a space to manage group projects, off-campus students, workplace practicums, and a range of other teaching and learning activities. The advantage of gateways is that they provide a live link to the learner’s work so that the most up to date version can always be viewed on the gateway. Submitted work can then be ‘locked’, preventing further updates, to enable assessment processes to occur. All submitted work on a Gateway can be archived, including all grades and feedback, and if required work can also be submitted to Turnitin for plagiarism detection.

PebblePad is a Personal Learning Space, owned and controlled by the user. Nobody, including an administrator, can see inside another person’s PebblePad account without using their username and password. This is a fundamental principle of PebblePad and is essential for users to be able to engage with the space openly and honestly. Users can select one or more assets and share these with others, including people without a PebblePad account, and give permissions to view, copy, comment, or collaborate. Users have full control over how long the share is available and can change the permissions or remove the share at any time. Upon leaving an institution users can choose to open a personal PebblePad account, which is free for the first 12 months and then subject to a small annual fee. All assets can be imported from their institution account. Alternatively, users can export any or all of their content as html, or as Leap2A and then import into a different eportfolio system that also supports Leap2A. Institutions can elect to provide PebblePad to their alumni for a relatively small per licence cost, supporting an ongoing relationship with past students. Increasingly professional organisations are also using PebblePad which enables students to transfer their content to their membership PebblePad account.

PebblePad can be implemented as either a hosted or self-hosted solution, both fully supported by an experienced technical team and pedagogic consultants from Pebble Learning. There are detailed guides available to support self-hosted installations or the Pebble Learning team can complete the installation process remotely. Our Service Level Agreement outlines performance guarantees for hosted installations. Ongoing support is provided to up to three named contacts within an institution; these contacts also have access to a customer support area where they can download tipsheets, report bugs, and log feature requests. End users are supported via extensive, in context online help and can access tipsheets, help movies, and FAQs via the Help website. All help materials are available under a creative commons licence so that organisations can utilise and customise the material as needed. All upgrades for PebblePad are included in the licence fee. Prior notice of an impending upgrade is always given, together with release notes, and organisations are free to choose the timing of their upgrade. The majority of upgrades require very little, if any downtime and can easily be deployed by IT staff in self-hosting institutions. Costs in addition to licence fees typically only apply to training and bespoke development.

PebblePad has a very active user community who are keen to share their ideas and examples of best practice between organisations. Through regular online and face-to-face user groups and an annual conference customers input directly to the direction and development of PebblePad. Pebble Learning is happy to provide contact details of customers in comparable institutions or discipline areas so that you can discuss the customer experience with them directly. A clear and well-publicised development roadmap and an Escrow agreement guarantee confidence in the long-term availability, viability and continued improvement of PebblePad.