Application Guidance 21/22 Stage 2

We are delighted that you have decided to apply for a programme at The Royal College of Art.
These instructions are here to help you complete Stage 2 of your Application.
There are three pages which you must complete for your application to be accepted.

Contents
How to Login to PebblePad......................................................................................................................... 3
How to begin your Portfolio submission ................................................................................................... 3
Welcome and Instructions .......................................................................................................................... 4
Your Work ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Portfolio .................................................................................................................................................... 6
Images/Video ....................................................................................................................................... 6
Multiple file upload spaces .................................................................................................................. 8
Your Motivation........................................................................................................................................ 9
Your Journey .......................................................................................................................................... 10
Your Qualifications ................................................................................................................................. 11
Reference & Submit ................................................................................................................................... 13
Reference ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Submit ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
Troubleshooting ..........................................................................................................................................18
1. Haven’t got my PebblePad login details yet ............................................................................18
2. I get a red warning message on the top of my Portfolio when I log in ..................................18
3. I looked at my Portfolio and some of my work is missing ......................................................18
4. I received an email stating my submission has been removed. ............................................19
Stage 2: Application Portfolio
PebblePad is the program that will allow you to submit a portfolio. You must follow the below
steps to gain initial access to the Portfolio system where you will find additional information
provided by the Head of Programme regarding what you need to submit.

You will be able to start, pause and return to complete your Portfolio at any point prior to the
application deadline.

IMPORTANT: Always log out of PebblePad each time you finish editing your portfolio for that
particular session. Staying logged in can cause a conflict on your application.

Technical Issues
If you experience any technical difficulties, use the Troubleshooting section at the end of this
document to help you resolve common issues.

General Admissions questions

If you need help with non-technical admissions questions, email admissions@rca.ac.uk.
How to Login to PebblePad
You will receive an email with your login details. In your welcome email, click on the URL and use
the login details to log into the system.

It is adviseable that you bookmark this link for future reference.

John

http://v3.pebblepad.com/rca

SmithJohn7893764
@F4k39488W07d

How to begin your Portfolio submission

You will see the Workbook with your named Programme in the centre top frame. Click ‘Click here
to open the Workbook’ to open.

John Smith

You will be taken to the Portfolio Workbook linked to your application. You will see 3 main tabs.
• Welcome & Instructions
• Your Work
• Reference & Submit
Welcome and Instructions
Welcome and Instructions provides you with some contextual information about your application
area and this guidance to help you complete your portfolio and submit it for review.

First, watch the Welcome video by the Head of Programme for your chosen programme, this
gives you some guidance on what they are looking for in a prospective student.

Application Instructions includes technical and process based guidance on how to complete
Stage 2 of your application. Once you have watched this video, download the written instruction
so you can use this throughout completing your portfolio.

Below Applications Instructions are 4 statements which you must read carefully and agree to
before continuing.
Once you have completed this page, tick the ‘Mark page as complete’ box and move on to Your
Work.
Your Work
The Your Work tab is the main area where you will upload your portfolio of work to support your
application.

Portfolio
The first section is your portfolio of work.
The Programme will have provided some written guidance as to what to include in your portfolio,
please read this very carefully. It is unique for each programme.

It is suggested you get all of your files ready before uploading any of them, however you can
return to your portfolio multiple times before the deadline to edit it.

Depending on the programme you have applied for, you may see one of the following upload
tasks:

• Image/video uploads with descriptions for each.

• 5 spaces which can hold multiple files.
• 1 space which can hold multiple files.

All files you upload are referred to as Assets in PebblePad.

Images/Video
To upload an image or video, click on ‘Open Asset Store’ and click on ‘Upload New’.
Now locate your files in Explorer or Finder and click and drag your file into the space provided.

Once the file has been uploaded you can edit some of the information related to this file and
finally click ‘Confirm Upload’.

The image or video will be embedded in the page and you can now add your description below the
image in the space provided.
Multiple file upload spaces
For upload spaces that can hold multiple files refer back to the Programme guidance to use these
accordingly.

To add files to a project space you need to expand the slot, select ‘Add Assets’ and click on
‘Upload New’.

Now locate your files in Explorer or Finder and click and drag your file into the space provided.
You can click and drag more than one file at a time if you wish. If you are uploading large files, it is
advised you do this one by one.

Once the file has been uploaded you can edit the file information. When you have finished, click
‘Confirm Upload’.

Your file(s) will be added to the project and you can add additional files the same way.
Once you have finished uploading files to the project space, add any information requested in the
Programme Guidance in the available text box.

Once you have completed both uploading files and adding text, select ‘This item is now fully
evidenced’ to signify it is complete.

Close this section and move on to the next area of the Portfolio.

Your Motivation

This section requires you to write a 250-300 word statement discussing the questions outlined. It
is suggested you write this in an offline text editor and paste it in when you are happy with your
statement.
Your Journey
This section requires you to create a 2 minute video addressing the Programme Guidance. Read
the programme guidance very carefully and use the General Guidance for the video to complete
this task.
Remember, you need to be in the video and it should not exceed 2 minutes in real time. We want
to hear directly from you!

To upload your video, click on the ‘Open Asset Store’ button and click on ‘Upload New’.
Now locate your files in Explorer or Finder and click and drag your file into the space provided.
Depending on the size of the file and your internet connection this may take a few minutes.
Once the file has been uploaded you can edit the file information.
When you are happy, click ‘Confirm Upload’.

The video will be embedded in the page for you to watch back.

Your Qualifications

This section requires you to add a brief outline of your highest level qualification and most
relevant work experience.
Once you have completed this page, tick the ‘Mark page as complete’ box and move on to
Reference & Submit.
Reference & Submit
Reference
This page outlines how your referee must submit a reference for you. Please read the guidance
provided very carefully.

Copy the link provided on the page and send this to your desired referee. They must complete the
reference form and attach a written reference in PDF format with official headings.

Each link is specific to your chosen programme, if you have applied to more than one programme
you need to ensure your referee submits to the correct link.

Submit
Finally, you are ready to submit your portfolio!
Watch the video or read the guidance provided and tick the acceptance box.

Once you have completed all tasks on this page, tick the ‘Mark page as complete’ box and submit
your portfolio for review.
First, check the progress on all pages by clicking on ‘View Progress’.

This will show you that you have marked all pages as complete. If you haven’t done this, go back
and do so.

Once your progress shows 100% click on ‘I want to…’ and select ‘Share’.

In the next box click ‘With ATLAS’, then the programme you have applied for.
You will be able to submit to the Round you are applying in only.

If you try to submit your portfolio very close to the deadline and miss the deadline you will
only be able to submit your portfolio for the following Round once it has opened.

If you wish to submit for another Round, you will have to wait for the current Round to close
and the following Round to open.

When you select the open Round, you will be able to view the deadline dates and times.
Select the open Round and then read the terms and agree. Finally click ‘Share Asset’.

You will receive an email notification confirming your submission.

You can check your Portfolio has been submitted, manually, by clicking on the information icon
and scrolling down the panel to see the submission status.
WARNING: If you remove your submission we will not see your portfolio or review it.

Log out of PebblePad.

The result of your application will be sent to you in the published Round date.

Thank you for applying for a programme at The Royal College of Art.
We look forward to seeing your portfolio and hope to welcome you to
the RCA.
Troubleshooting

1. I haven’t received my PebblePad login details yet

First application:

a. Login details may take up to 24 hours to reach you based on your geographical location. If
you have still not received your login details after 24 hours, contact sis@rca.ac.uk and
quote your Application ID. Always use the email account you applied with to correspond
with us.

I applied for 20/21 (last year):

b. If you applied last year, using the same application ID, you may be able to login using your
existing PebblePad account – your new application portfolio will become available on your
Dashboard.

I have applied to more than one programme:

c. If you have applied to more than one Programme using your Application ID, you will only
receive ONE PebblePad account – log in to PebblePad once you have submitted your
additional application and the appropriate portfolio will be displayed. You must complete
this fully including sending the new Reference link to your referee.

2. I get a red warning message on the top of my Portfolio when I log in

a. This is because you have PebblePad and your application open elsewhere and they system
is warning you to log out of all devices to avoid duplicating or losing your portfolio.
b. Always log out of PebblePad each time your finish editing your portfolio for that session.
Log out and wait 30 minutes before logging in and starting a new session!

3. I looked at my Portfolio and some of my work is missing

a. You need to ensure you click the ‘Save’ button on the top left corner before you log out of
PebblePad to save changes.
b. If you accidentally stayed logged in on multiple browsers the system may have created a
(Recovered) version of your Portfolio. It does this when you may have had PebblePad open
in two places at once – the system tries to ensure you don’t lose work.
c. Check ‘Assets’ under your name on the Dashboard.

If you see TWO portfolios with the same name, but one with (Recovered) in the title, this
will be the duplicated Portfolio. Check you have submitted the right version to ATLAS. You
can check which one you submitted by viewing the ‘Shared for Assessment’ icon beside
the portfolio.

If the wrong portfolio has been submitted, remove one and submit the correct one.
 Please double check the right portfolio has been submitted as in the original guidance.

4. I received an email stating my submission has been removed.

a. You have removed your portfolio. If you want us to review it you will have to go through the
submission process again.