eportfolios overview
DESCRIPTION
high-level overview of ePortfolio, engagement factors and some Newcastle University-specific contextTRANSCRIPT
Overview of ePortfoliosSimon CotterillLearning Technologies for Medical SciencesSchool of Medical Sciences Education Development
To provide/discuss a general overview:
• What are portfolios?• Background/ Drivers• Engagement / Embedding• Brief overview of current Newcastle University context
Objectives
“..a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits to the student, or others, [their] efforts or achievement in one or more areas.” Arter and Spandel (1991)
What are Portfolios ?
Artefacts (eg. essays, logs of experiences, artwork, videos, audits, records of prior-learning/ qualifications).
The Journey – the process of completing the portfolio as a learning experience
The end-point – the evidence of learning / competencies
Unstructured
Formative
Factual / Quantitative
Sample
Best work
Learner Owned
Episodic
Structured
Summative
Reflective / Interpretive
All work
Representative
Employer Owned
Life-long
Diversity of Portfolios
InstitutionalData
Portfolio for Presentation
Portfolio for Application
(job / promotion)
Portfolio for Assessment
Portfolio for Accreditation/Revalidation
PDP(shared)
PDP / Reflective(private)
Portfolio for Appraisal
Learner’s‘repository’
Central data:TranscriptMIS/ HR data
Programme data:Granular assessment dataOutcomes / skills sets
ePortfolios: defined by their purpose(s)
Sharing / dialogue
ePortfolios at Newcastle: >10 yr experience
JISC ePET projectFDTL-4 Project
JISC EPICS regional ePortfolio project
JISC EPICS-2 regional ePortfolio project
Dental ePortfolio
Mini project(Bioscience)
Mini Projects(Medicine)
Mobileportfolioprojects
T&L Fund Projects x 2
Postgraduate ResearchTraining ePortfolio
Teaching FellowshipePortfolio for appraisal
Wide uptake in otherundergraduate courses
Hostedservices
FDTLTransferability
Project
Aims of our FDTL-4 ePortfolio project (2002)
• To develop an on-line portfolio system to support a reflective approach to evidencing the attainment of programme outcomes.
• To promote the development of the reflective capabilities of medical students, giving greater responsibility for managing their own learning and preparing for aspects of work-based and lifelong learning.
• To develop strategies to facilitate assessment of curriculum outcomes that are not amenable to traditional instruments of assessment.
‘a means by which students can monitor, build and reflect upon their personal development’.
Dearing Review (NCIHE 1997)
‘a structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development’.
(QAA, 2001)
Personal Development Planning (PDP)
Links with other agendas: employability, widening participation
How much structure?
• Intrinsic structure – ‘scaffolding’– structure aids assessment
• structured skill sets, outcomes and competencies– but too much structure
• perceived as ‘form filling’• risks lower engagement
• Extrinsic structure– guidelines / assessment criteria– guidance / direction from tutors & mentors
Changing habits and expectations…
Web 2.0• Interactive / participative• Social / conversational• Simple – unstructured
Our response:• Unstructured Blog but with explicit links to skills/outcomes
Cotterill SJ et al. Beyond the Blog: getting the right level of structure in an ePortfolio to support learning. Proc. ePortfolios 2007
Mobile / Wireless Technologies• Our early pilots of PDAs for logbooks problematic• Successful use in Dentistry – assessment at the point of learning
Factors related to engagement with ePortfolio / blog
Group 1
High Engagement
Group 2
Medium Engagement
Group 3
Modest Engagement
I have a clear understanding of the purpose of the ePortfolio 87% 74% 58%
I have a clear understanding of how the ePortfolio is used in my programme 91% 76% 42%
I received adequate information on how to use the ePortfolio 58% 50% 58%
I had a clear understanding of the skills being evidenced in the ePortfolio 66% 65% 17%
The skills included in the ePortfolio are important in studying for my degree 69% 94% 25%
The skills included in the ePortfolio are important for my longer-term career 59% 94% 33%
The ePortfolio is important for my programme 75% 82% 33%
Course handbooks and study guides refer to the ePortfolio 58% 65% 25%
Teaching staff regularly refer to the ePortfolio 84% 41% 33%
Questionnaire results n=163 (30% response rate, 3 subjects – non-medical)
EPICS-2 Projecthttp://www.epics.ac.uk
Embedding in the curriculum = better engagement and effective use of ePortfolios
Driessen E et al. Portfolios in medical education: why do they meet with mixed success? A systematic review. Med Educ. 2007;41:1224-33.
Atlay, M. Embedding PDP practice in the curriculum, in Personal Development Planning and Employability, Higher Education Academy, York. 2006
… but, what do we mean by embedding?
Discrete ‘bolt on’ – optional and additional to the curriculum
+ Low cost- Risk low engagement
Linked Run in parallel to the curriculum but linked to it
+ No disruption to curric.- Risks low engagement
Embedded Included in specific module(s) + Better consistency of experience- Risks being fragmented
Integrated Underpins and used throughout the curriculum
+ Becomes integrated part of staff/student thinking- Difficult to achieve!
Extended Integrates activities in the curriculum along with wider life experiences
+ Draws together study, work & life experiences- Unpredictable outcomes
Atlay (2009) classified ways in which PDP can be associated with curricula:
Project 2012 – University portfolio
2011/12 2012/13 2013/14Student evaluation Students will have
access to an ePortfolio to support personal reflection and development of employability skills
Students will have the opportunity to use their ePortfolio in meetings with their Personal Tutor to support the student in achieving personal, academic and professional goals
Consultations with staff
Jan 2012: enhanced ePortfolio liveSemester 2 2011/12 pilots of ePortfolio use
Governance: University ePortfolio Steering Group
Opportunities
Sharing and community features• Additional information for tutors + recording of meetings• Channel for additional feedback• Could help support seminar group / peer mentoring
Integration with other systems• Integration with TSE/LSE e.g. SSC supervisors• Viewing released component marks + integrated reflect/plan or feedback• Feeding undergraduate portfolio information on into Foundation portfolio• Portfolio linked to curriculum map (Learning Maps)
Feeding information into the portfolio• Longstanding example: PGR workshop attendance records are added to CV• Could feed in assessment and feedback from diverse activities
• e.g. Phase 1 ethics: peer assessment / peer feedback• e.g. Facility for staff to add adhoc feedback
} opportunity & threat!
Further information
Our InformationPortfolio Service: https://portfolio.ncl.ac.uk (or access via TSE/LSE or Blackboard)
Our publications: http://www.eportfolios.ac.uk/docsOver 15 papers, chapters and conference papers e.g.
Cotterill SJ, Bradley PM, Stacy R. Using ePortfolios to support annual appraisal in undergraduate medicine. Proc. ePortfolios, identity and personalised learning in healthcare education. 2008 Newcastle
Cotterill SJ, McDonald AM, Hammond GR, Bradley PM. ePortfolio to support planning, learning and summative assessment for student selected components in Medicine: 4 years experience. . Proc. ePortfolios, identity and personalised learning in healthcare education. 2008 Newcastle
Cotterill SJ, Aiton J, Bradley PM, Hammond GR, McDonald AM, Struthers J, Whiten S. A flexible component-based ePortfolio: adapting and embedding in the curriculum. In: In Jafari A, Kaufman C, ed. Handbook of Research on ePortfolios. Pennsylvania: Idea Group Inc, 2006.
External Sources
JISC ePortfolios Toolkit: http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk/e-portfolios
Centre for Recording Achievementhttp://www.recordingachievement.org/
• Sharable / facilitate interaction • Transportable - supporting continuity in LLL
• Highly customisable• Multi-purpose eg. formative & summative = reduced duplication
• Multiple structures / views• Easier cross-referencing• Searchable• Reduced admin• Secure access from a range of locations• Not left on the bus !
10 ‘value added’ features of an online approach to portfolios