Social media ePortfolios for learning and assessment

Dr. Chris Smith Chrissi Nerantzi Craig Despard

intro to the Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PGCAP)

• what is it• structure• assessment strategy

Chrissi

patchwork e-portfolio• a personal and collaborative learning space• ongoing conversations and exchanges• among students on the same cohort, other modules and the wider

community• capturing the learning process, experiences and the journey as it

unfolds• develop reflective habits• students in the driving seat and as creators• “immediate” and ongoing feedback for learning• enabled through social media• modelling innovative practices• mobile learning enabled and extended

Chris

How do our students feel at the beginning?

Craig Despard

• assessment for learning • assessment of learning (Barrett & Carney,

2004)• assessment as learning (Earl, 2003)

authentic assessment as the driving force for learning

Chris

combo approach

• Learning and Teaching in Higher Education module: Professional discussions

• Application of Learning Technologies module: blended conference

Chrissi

benefits

• opportunity to model diverse practices

• develop reflective skills and habits• media-rich and inclusive learning and

assessment• be creative, innovative and

experiment• learning conversations• build personal learning networks and

connect with others

Chris

personalisation

Chrissi

challenges

• lack of familiarity with technology • ongoing support required• setting-up portfolios and administration• providing formative feedback on a regular basis

is time consuming especially in large groups• high-level of personalisation and variety of

artefacts also means inconsistency demands additional time to access

Chris

Does the e-portfolio really work? The experience at the end of a module

Craig Despard

“It has really helped me to begin my journey as a reflective practitioner and really think and reflect on the impact my teaching has on my students. It has helped me think about why I am teaching.” (academic)

Q & A and ideas

Chrissi, Chris and Craig

References• Barrett, H & Carney, J (2004) Conflicting paradigms and competing

purposes in electronic portfolio development. Available at: http://electronicportfolios.org/portfolios/LEAJournal-BarrettCarney.pdf [accessed 23/02/12].

• Earl, L M (2003) Assessment as learning. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

• Smith, C and Nerantzi, C (accepted) ePortfolios: Assessment as learning using social media, Waxmann publishers, series ”Gesellschaft for Medien in der Wissenschaft” (Association for Media in Science, www.gmw-online.de) (more details will follow)

contact us!

• Chrissi Nerantzi: c.nerantzi@salford.ac.uk / @chrissinerantzi

• Dr. Chris Smith: chris.smith@uwindsor.ca / @chrissmith544

• Craig Despard: c.despard@salford.ac.uk / @despard1974