Experiences in adapting and implementing NURAPID: a student-centred skills development tool

At the AAEE conference in 2002, Williams and Sher (2002) described the adaptation of a web-based personal development tool, RAPID (an acronym for "Recording Academic, Professional and Individual Development") at the University of Newcastle, NSW This paper briefly revisits the rationale underpinning the initial development of the tool in the UK and describes developments both abroad and at the University of Newcastle. RAPID offers students a means of auditing and recording their skills. It also enables students to engage in a process of planning the development of skill competence and acquisition and to reflect upon the strategies adopted and the outcomes achieved. The paper reports on the development of new versions of RAPID and describes collaborative work which has resulted in an Australian variant, NURAPID (the original system adapted and implemented at the University of Newcastle). The paper also reports on the evaluation strategies and outcomes of the UK and Australian versions of the system. In addition, the authors address the role of Professional Institutions in the UK in moving these processes forward and in ensuring the sustainability of the benefits derived.