the rdf planner - cardiff university · 2019. 11. 1. · rdf planner reports during the course of...

The RDF Planner How-to Guide

RDF Planner Guidance 2

October 2019

Contents

The RDF Planner .................................................................................................................................... 3

Why do I need to fill in the RDF Planner? ......................................................................................... 4

How to use the RDF Planner ................................................................................................................. 5

Joining the RDF Planner .................................................................................................................... 5

Updating Your RDF Planner ................................................................................................................... 6

Logging into the RDF Planner ............................................................................................................ 6

Adding Actions .................................................................................................................................... 8

Adding Evidence ............................................................................................................................... 11

RDF Planner Reports ........................................................................................................................... 14

What will happen with my RDF Planner data? ............................................................................... 14

Accessing Your Reports ................................................................................................................... 15

My Actions ........................................................................................................................................ 16

Completed Actions with Evidence ................................................................................................... 17

Action Plan ........................................................................................................................................ 18

Downloading Your Reports .................................................................................................................. 19

Contacts ................................................................................................................................................ 23

GW4 BioMed MRC DTP RDF Planner Biomedical Lens ..................................................................... 24

Domain A: Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities ............................................................................ 24

Domain B: Personal Effectiveness .................................................................................................. 26

Domain C: Research Organisation and Governance ..................................................................... 28

Domain D: Communication, Influence and Impact ........................................................................ 30


October 2019

The RDF Planner The Researcher Development Framework (RDF) is a skills auditing tool that is endorsed

by the UK Research Councils. It intends to assist with planning, promoting and

supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers in Higher

Education.

The RDF Planner is made up of four domains and twelve sub-domains, which focus on

the particular knowledge, skills, behaviours and personal qualities that will help

researchers aspire to excellence through achieving higher levels of development.

To help focus your training on the areas you will need as a biomedical researcher, the

GW4 BioMed MRC DTP have devised a Biomedical Lens that focuses in on the particular

skills you will need to develop during your time with the DTP. You will need to make use

of this lens when completing your planner.


October 2019

In addition to these domains and sub-domains, there are a number of phases that you

can work on throughout the entirety of your research career. During your PhD, you will

only need to focus on Phase 1.

Why do I need to fill in the RDF Planner?

The RDF Planner is a valuable tool both for yourself and your supervisory team as it

enables you to plan for your development during your PhD and to monitor your progress

against agreed goals. The planner provides a way for you to assess your strengths and areas

for further development to ensure you progress in your career.

All GW4 BioMed DTP students will be expected to complete an initial skills audit using the

planner before setting themselves SMART training objectives to address their development

needs, adding evidence to support the completion of these objectives.

These reports also help the DTP to review the progress and training needs of the

students within the programme in order to provide any additional guidance and support

where necessary.


October 2019

How to use the RDF Planner During your time with the GW4 BioMed MRC DTP, you will be expected to update your

RDF Planner on a regular basis to ensure that it accurately captures your skills

development.

Please use these guidance notes to help you maintain your planner.

Joining the RDF Planner

Shortly after your start date, you will be required to complete a short survey, which will

provide the DTP with your institutional email address. Once this information has been

received, you will be added onto the DTP’s RDF Planner account. Please note that failure

to complete this survey will mean that you will not be registered for the RDF Planner and

will not be able to meet your monitoring expectations for the programme.

Once the DTP has added you onto the RDF Planner account, you will receive an email,

inviting you to join the RDF Planner. Please follow the instructions in this email to register

and begin building your planner.

If you have not received an invitation email by the second week in November, please

contact the DTP at [email protected].

https://cardiff.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/gw4-biomed-mrc-dtp-student-profile-information

mailto:[email protected]


October 2019

Updating Your RDF Planner

Logging into the RDF Planner 1. To log into the RDF Planner, go to https://rdfplanner.vitae.ac.uk/.

2. Click on Log in on the right-hand side of the screen and enter your institutional email and

your RDF Planner password.

https://rdfplanner.vitae.ac.uk/


October 2019

3. Once you have logged in, you will be taken to the RDF Planner Dashboard where you can

access your planner and generate reports:

a. myRDF will take you to your RDF Planner where you can add or update any

actions.

b. myEvidence will show you what evidence you have already upload to support your

completed targets.

c. myReports will take you to the reports page where you can export the actions

and/or evidence that you have input into your planner.


October 2019

Adding Actions

1. Log into the RDF Planner and click on the myRDF section of the Dashboard.

2. You will then be taken to the Lenses page. You will only need to complete those

sections that are included in the Biomedical lens.


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3. To begin entering actions, click on the Domain that you would like to begin

working on. This will open up a range of sub-domains.

4. Once you have chosen your Domain and Sub-domain, click on Phase 1.

5.


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6. To insert an Action, click on Add new action, which will take you to the following

page.

7. Using the guidance from the BioMedical Lens page, enter your Action in the

Objectives box and your evidence for completing your actions in the next box. You

will then need to enter a Target date before clicking Save and Close.

8. You will need to complete these steps for each sub-domain in the GW4 BioMed

MRC DTP RDF Planner Biomedical Lens.


October 2019

Adding Evidence

1. Once you have completed an action, you will need to add evidence to

demonstrate that it is completed. To do this, go to the Lenses page and pick the

Domain and Sub-Domain that you would like to add evidence for.

2. Once you have reached the right Sub-Domain, click on Add new evidence and

select Add new.


October 2019

3. You will then be given the option to upload a file, add a link or insert text. Select

the option that you evidence belongs to.

4. To upload a file, add a title to your evidence and select the file from your hard-

drive. You can then select the areas of the RDF Planner that your evidence

belongs to from the list on the right-hand side of your screen. Once you have

finished, click on Save and close.


October 2019

5. To add online evidence, add a title and paste in the link to your evidence. You can

then select the areas of the RDF Planner that your evidence belongs to from the

list on the right-hand side of your screen. Once you have finished, click on Save

and close.

6. To add text, add a title and describe your evidence in detail. You can then select

the areas of the RDF Planner that your evidence belongs to from the list on the

right-hand side of your screen. Once you have finished, click on Save and close.

7. Once you have added your evidence, you will need to go back to your action, click

on Edit/View and mark your action as complete. Failure to do so will mean that

this action will appear as incomplete or overdue in your reports.


October 2019

RDF Planner Reports During the course of your studentship, the GW4 BioMed MRC DTP will ask you to submit one

report each term, which will be added onto your report for the Student Progression

Subcommittee.

The DTP aims to provide you with at least two weeks’ notice for the submission of each report,

which are expected by the following dates:

Report

Deadline

My Actions

1st February

Completed Actions with Evidence

1st July

Action Plan

31st October

What will happen with my RDF Planner data?

Once you have shared your reports with the DTP, they will be added to the Student

Progression Subcommittee report for your institution. This information will then be

shared with your local institutional lead and the DTP director who will meet on a termly

basis to discuss student progress and development across the DTP.

While you are added onto the GW4 BioMed MRC DTP’s account, the programme is not

able to access your RDF Planner. As such, the only information that can be seen by the

DTP are the reports that you submit.


October 2019

Accessing Your Reports

1. To access your reports, click on the myReports section on the RDF Planner dashboard.

2. You will then be taken to the User reports page where you are given a range of reports

that can be generated. During your time with the DTP, you will only need to submit three

reports:

a. My Actions.

b. My Action Plan.

c. My Completed Actions with Evidence.


October 2019

My Actions

The My Actions report captures all of the actions that you have entered into the RDF Planner and

their status at the time of reporting. As such, this report enables the DTP to see the targets that

you will be working towards over the current academic year and how you plan to achieve these

goals.

Actions in your My Actions report will be displayed as follows:

Completed actions will be displayed in green.

Actions that are in progress will be displayed in blue.

Overdue actions will be displayed in red.


October 2019

Completed Actions with Evidence

The Completed Actions with Evidence report captures any completed goals that you have

achieved over the current academic year along with any evidence that you add to the RDF

Planner to evidence this completed goal.

These reports show the DTP the work that you have completed to date and how you are

progressing in achieving your goals. These reports also show the DTP the kind of work that you

have been engaged in.


October 2019

Action Plan

The Action Plan report provides an overview of your activity in the RDF Planner by showing how

you are progressing in each phase. As such, this report enables the DTP to track your progress in

achieving Phase 1 of your planner.

Progress in your Action Plan report will be displayed as follows:

Phases that have been completed will be marked as Achieved.

Phases that are not yet completed but have actions and/or evidence entered against

them are marked as In progress.

Phases that have not been completed and have no actions and/or evidence entered

against them are marked with a dash (-).


October 2019

Downloading Your Reports At least two weeks prior to the submission date for the RDF Planner, you should receive an email

from the GW4 BioMed MRC DTP, reminding you of the upcoming deadline and which report

should be submitted.

Prior to submitting your report, please ensure that you spend some time updating your RDF

Planner with any actions, completed targets and/or evidence. This will ensure that the DTP has

the most up-to-date report on your progress.

To download your reports, you will need to:

1. Log into the RDF Planner and select myReports from the Dashboard.

2. Select the requested report from the list.


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3. Ensure that all domains are expanded by clicking on the plus symbol next to each

domain. If these domains are not expanded, the DTP will not be able to see your

report.


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4. Click on the Save icon at the top of the report.

5. Select Excel from the drop-down menu.


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6. Save the file using the following format: Name – Report Type – Year, e.g. GW4

BioMed MRC DTP – Action Plan – 2019.

7. Send the Excel file of your RDF Planner report to [email protected]. You

will then receive an email from the DTP to confirm receipt of your report.

Note: Should you not submit your report by the deadline, the DTP will send an email to yourself

and your supervisor, requesting that you submit it. If there are any issues that mean you are

unable to submit your report by the deadline, please let the DTP admin team know by emailing

the address above.



October 2019

Contacts

If you have any questions regarding the RDF Planner itself, please contact the RDF

Planner helpdesk ([email protected]).

If you have any questions about submitting your report, please contact the DTP

([email protected]).




October 2019

GW4 BioMed MRC DTP RDF Planner Biomedical Lens

Domain A: Knowledge and Intellectual Abilities

Sub-Domain Phase 1 Descriptors Evidence

A1 Knowledge Base

Subject

Knowledge

Has, at least, core knowledge and basic

understanding of key concepts, issues

and history of thought.

Knows of recent advances within own field

and in related areas.

Working towards making an original

contribution to knowledge.

Developing awareness of international and

non-academic dimensions of knowledge

creation.

Attendance at the

relevant compulsory

annual DTP theme event.

Research

Methods –

Theoretical

Knowledge

Understands relevant research

methodologies and techniques and their

appropriate application within own

research field.

Justifies the principles and experimental

techniques used in own research.

Completion of Module 1

of the Core Training

Platform.

Attendance at one ATE

across the duration of

your studentship.

Research

Methods –

Practical

Application

Skilfully uses a range of research methods

linked to study area.

Growing competence in own subject area

and developing awareness of alternative

techniques/methods.

Institutional and SPS

reports from your

supervisor.

Information

Seeking

Identifies and accesses appropriate

bibliographical resources, archives, and

other sources of relevant information

including web based resources.

Makes best use of a range of current tools

and techniques.

Seeks feedback from relevant groups to

access other insights.

A copy of your completed

literature review.

Evidence of using

reference management

systems, such as

Endnote, Zotero or

Mendelay. Training on

these programmes

should be available

locally or online.

Information

Management

Designs and executes systems for the

acquisition and collation of information

using information technology (e.g. word

processing, spreadsheets, simulation

systems, databases) appropriately.

Knows where to obtain expert advice – i.e.

data/information managers, archivists and

librarians

Evidence of training in

Word for Long

Documents and/or Excel

spreadsheets, which

should be available

locally or online.


October 2019

Sub-

Domain

Phase 1 Descriptors Evidence

Literacy

and

Numeracy

Prepares written and oral text in

grammatically and syntactically correct

formats.

Writes clearly and in a style appropriate

to purpose and context for specialist

and non-specialist audiences.

Mathematically competent to undertake

research in own field; understands and

applies any statistics that may be used

in the field; analyses data and uses

appropriate computer packages.

Is IT literate and digitally competent

Completion of Module

1 of the Core Training

Platform.



Platform.

A copy of your

completed literature

review.


A2 Cognitive Abilities

Analysing Critically analyses and evaluates own

findings and those of others.

Validates datasets of others.


reports from your

supervisor.

Synthesising Sees connections between sections of

own information/data and previous

studies. Benefits from guidance with

synthesising information/data and

ideas.


reports from your

supervisor.

Critical

Thinking

Able to understand argument (verbal

and textual) and explicate own

assumptions; developing independent

and critical thinking.

Has the ability to recognise and

validate problems.

Recognises multiple ways of knowing.


reports from your

supervisor.

Innovation Understands the role of innovation and

creativity in research.

May engage in inter-disciplinary

research.



Platform.


October 2019

Domain B: Personal Effectiveness

Sub-

Domain

Phase 1 Descriptors Evidence

B1 Personal Qualities

Integrity Demonstrates appreciation of

standards of good research practice in

the institution and/or discipline.

Seeks guidance as necessary.

Attendance at a

Reproducibility

workshop provided

either at your home

institution or by the

DTP.


October 2019


B3 Professional and Career Development

Career

Management

Takes ownership for and manages

own career progression, sets

realistic and achievable career

goals, identifies and develops

ways to improve employability.

Presents own skills, personal

attributes and experiences

through effective CVs,

applications and interviews.

Begins to establish a career

network.

Meeting log from

supervisory meeting in

Years 2 or 3 to

evidence a career

review.

Engagement with the

RDF Planner.

Continuing

Professional

Development

Appreciates the need for and

shows commitment to continued

professional development.

Recognises transferability of own

experience and articulates this to

potential employers or line

managers.

Develops a record of achievement

and experience.

Confirmation of your

Broadening Horizons

placement from Years

2 or 3.

Responsiveness

to Opportunities

Demonstrates an insight into the

transferable nature of research

skills to other work environments

and the range of career

opportunities within and outside

academia.

Seeks to gain a broader range of

experience.

Confirmation of your

Broadening Horizons

placement from Years

2 or 3.

Networking Develops and maintains co-

operative networks and working

relationships with supervisors,

colleagues and peers, within the

institution and the wider research

community.

Attendance at research

meetings and/or

conferences.

Presentation at an

international, local or

national conference.


October 2019

Domain C: Research Organisation and Governance


C1 Professional Conduct

Health and

Safety

Understands relevant health and

safety issues and demonstrates

responsible working practices.

Takes responsibility for own work

space.

Aware of impact on others and wider

environment.

Attendance at lab

health and safety

training.

Ethics and

Principles

Knowledge and understanding of

ethical requirements and codes of

conduct appropriate for discipline,

research council and professional

association/bodies.

Takes responsibility for ethics in own

project.

Demonstrates awareness of issues

relating to the rights of other

researchers, of research subjects,

and of others who may be affected by

the research.

Mindful of the environment and own

impact on it.

Understands how to behave and work

in a sustainable way.

Understands the concept of corporate

social responsibility – seeks guidance

as necessary.



Platform.

Legal

Requirements

Has basic understanding of legal

requirements surrounding research

(e.g. Data Protection Act, Freedom of

Information Act, Disability

Discrimination Act and Equality

legislation – forthcoming)



Platform.

IPR and

Copyright

Has basic understanding of data

ownership rules as they apply to own

research.



Platform.


October 2019


Respect and

Confidentiality

Within own research respects the

right of participants to confidentiality

and anonymity.

Respects colleagues.

Attendance at

research meetings

and/or conferences.

Engagement with the

Core Training

discussions.

Attendance at GW4

BioMed MRC DTP

Congress event in

Years 1, 2 and 3.

Attendance at GW4

BioMed MRC DTP

training events.

Attendance at the

relevant compulsory

annual DTP theme

event.

Attendance at

research meetings

and/or conferences.

Attribution

and Co-

Authorship

Understands concept of attribution

and applies it consistently to

appropriately recognise contributions

and co-authorships. Seeks advice on

local codes of conduct.



Platform.

Appropriate

Practice

Understands and adheres to the rules

and regulations concerning academic

malpractice in the institution in which

based and of professional body, if

appropriate.



Platform.


October 2019

Domain D: Communication, Influence and Impact


D1 Working with Others

Collegiality Shows consideration to others.

Listens, gives and receives

feedback and responds

perceptively to others.

Completion of Module 2 of the Core

Training Platform.

Attendance at research meetings

and/or conferences.

Engagement with the Core Training

discussions.

Attendance at GW4 BioMed MRC

DTP Congress event in Years 1, 2

and 3.


DTP training events.

Presentation at an international,

local or national conference.

Completion of Module 2 of the Core

Training Platform.

Attendance at the DTP Institutional

Event at your home institution.

Attendance at the relevant

compulsory annual DTP theme

event.

Team

Working

Understands one's behaviours

and impact on others when

working in and contributing to

the success of formal and

informal teams.

Appreciates contributions of

other team members including

non-academic members.

Thanks people for their

contribution.



event.

Attendance at research meetings

and/or conferences.

Engagement with the Core Training

discussions.



and 3.



and 3.




October 2019


Collaboration Co-produces knowledge with

supervisors/PI.

Recognises

common/conflicting

interests within own and

adjacent disciplines.



event.

Attendance at research

meetings and/or conferences.

Engagement with the Core

Training discussions.


DTP Congress event in Years 1,

2 and 3.


DTP Congress event in Years 1,

2 and 3.



Publication of journal article or

blog post.

Equality and

Diversity

Is sensitive to and respectful

of individual differences.

Develops awareness of

diversity and difference

within working environment.

Understands equality and

diversity requirements of

institution.

Completion of Equality and

Diversity training either via

workshop or online course.


October 2019


D2 Communication and Dissemination

Communication

Methods

Constructs coherent arguments and

articulates ideas clearly to a range

of audiences, formally and

informally through a variety of

techniques, including written and

oral formats.

Listens to debate and engages with

the audience.

Actively engages in knowledge

exchange with colleagues,

sometimes between disciplines.

Attendance at the

relevant compulsory

annual DTP theme

event.

A copy of your

completed literature

review.

Attendance at

research meetings

and/or conferences.

Engagement with the

Core Training

discussions.

Attendance at GW4

BioMed MRC DTP

Congress event in

Years 1, 2 and 3.

Attendance at GW4

BioMed MRC DTP

training events.

Publication of journal

article or blog post.

Presentation at an

international, local or

national conference.

Communication

Media

Develops skills in a range of

communication means: i.e. face-to-

face interaction using interactive

technologies, textual and visual

media, where useful/necessary.

Has a web presence and uses visual

aids effectively in presentations.

Attendance at a

Science

Communication

workshop, media

training or Spin-Up

Science workshop.

Publication Understands the processes of

publication and academic

exploitation of research results.

Produces some publishable material

in print or electronic format.

Publication of journal

article or blog post.


October 2019


D3 Engagement and Impact

Public

Engagement

Understands the value of engaging with

the public, willingly participates.

Open to influence of public interactions

on own work.

Responds to local opportunities and

existing activities; presents aspects of

research at public events.

Engagement with a

public engagement

event, such as Pint of

Science or school

workshop.

Enterprise Creates ideas and spots opportunities

internally and externally.

Develops ideas in an innovative

manner within their organisation or

externally.

Understands the process of

commercial exploitation of research

results.

Learns of the value to academia of

establishing relationships in

business/commercial context.

Attendance at a Spin-

Up Science workshop.



Platform.