Using eportfolios to promote assessment practices and prevent plagiarism JISC IPAS conference 2008 Rachel Challen, Brian Penfold and Emma Purnell

Assessment in HE ePortfolio and the potential to reduce plagiarism Case study: School of Computing and Information Technology Plaudits and pitfalls of the potential to prevent plagiarism using eportfolio Where next? Session outline

“online peer and tutor support, high quality feedback on online formative assessments and a personal space for online portfolio development” JISC(1007: p13) Post 19 learner needs for assessment

Process or product? Surface or deep learning? Get your armbands we’re going in at the deep end! Assessment for learning or assessment of learning? Assessment

And the Oscar awarded to the World Wide Web is given for… Best supporting role in assessment? Lead role in assessment? Staff engagement with www technologies is one of the best ways to ensure www technologies remain in a supporting role Assessment and web tools

Supporting process and product Supporting patchwork text Communities of practice Aid to facilitation of learning and assessment Balancing the importance of formative and summative assessment Assessment and eportfolio

What is an eportfolio?

ePortfolio Systems (Personal Learning Spaces) …are the kind that belong to the learner not the institution;

ePortfolio Systems (Personal Learning Spaces) …are the kind that belong to the learner not the institution; they are populated by the learner not their examiner;

ePortfolio Systems (Personal Learning Spaces) …are the kind that belong to the learner not the institution; they are populated by the learner not their examiner; they are primarily concerned with supporting learning not assessment;

ePortfolio Systems (Personal Learning Spaces) …are the kind that belong to the learner not the institution; they are populated by the learner not their examiner; they are primarily concerned with supporting learning not assessment; they are for life-long and life-wide learning not a single episode or a single course;

ePortfolio Systems (Personal Learning Spaces) …are the kind that belong to the learner not the institution; they are populated by the learner not their examiner; they are primarily concerned with supporting learning not assessment; they are for life-long and life-wide learning not a single episode or a single course; they allow learners to present multiple stories of learning rather than being a simple aggregation of competencies;

…are the kind that belong to the learner not the institution; they are populated by the learner not their examiner; they are primarily concerned with supporting learning not assessment; they are for life-long and life-wide learning not a single episode or a single course; they allow learners to present multiple stories of learning rather than being a simple aggregation of competencies; and, importantly, access to them is controlled by the learner who is able to invite feedback to support personal growth and understanding. Sutherland, 2007 ePortfolio Systems (Personal Learning Spaces)

Social Learning [?]Institutional Learning [?] Bridging Learning [?] Personal Learning [?]

Scans Pictures Files Movies Sounds Transcript Ability Achievement Action Plan Experience Meeting Thought Blog WebFolio Shared Published Printed Create Edit Review Asset ePortfolio Asset Store CV Exported Proforma Profile

“rather than a dispenser of knowledge, the teacher is a guide, facilitator, and co-explorer who encourages learners to question, challenge, and formulate their own ideas, opinions, and conclusions” Abdal-Haqq (1998) Facilitating... Supporting... Talking... Better together? ePortfolio and the facilitation of learning

Constructive feedback –can navigate and signpost the learner at various stages in the learning process Incremental advances –in learning allow for easier identification of work inconsistent with students growing knowledge Tutor familiarity –with students writing style and development at an early stage and thus can see inconsistencies in style Supporting the process of learning and assessment –not just the product, potential for students to feel less pressured to give a flawless ‘final performance’ at all costs Supports communities of practice –providing a ‘safe’ space for learners to develop and thus potentially reduce the need for plagiarism Using the eportfolio reduces the risk of plagiarism because…

Brian Penfold School of Computing and Information Technology University of Wolverhampton Case study

First Year First Semester Core Computing Module 150 Students Common problems of plagiarism and a lack of referencing skills. –mainly through ignorance and common practice. An opportunity! Enabling task: A familiar “search the internet for two quotes on ….” –Referenced using the University Harvard style. Case study

Construction Week 1 –Introduction to referencing given –Online resources on the Harvard style made available –Practical research task set from a random selection of a computing topic from a list of over 50 Students produce –Action Plan –Webfolio Case study

Results Common results include –copy and paste complete document –final reference only –not Harvard –URL only, in text or the end etc… Still room for encouragement in the comments. –Good resources discovered –Reasonable action plan etc... –An opportunity to explain how to avoid plagiarism. Case study

Stage 2 Week 4/5 –Detailed feedback released for task 1 –A second topic from a new list random selected for each student –A similar webfolio required but this time an extra page on reflection –“how I used the feedback”. Case study

Feedback… Subject: Re: Colossus Bletchley Park Posted by: Brian Penfold on 25 October :14 You appear to have put a lot of effort into this but I was expecting something rather different. You are not using the Harvard referencing style required You were expected to do a short document... intro (your words) ref 1 (quote) comments (your words) ref 2 (quote 2) conclusion (your words) full refs 1 and 2 an action plan and web folio I can only therefore give you credit for the research. Case study

Harvard 2 ISO 9660 reflection.. I have looked though the feedback that was given to me by the first Harvard task. The two areas I lost marks on referencing wrongly by putting website names in the text. The other marks were lost because I had not done a webportfolio. This time round, I had put the author and the date it was written. I had also found out how to make a webportfolio so that I was able to present the task in how it was asked to be presented. I think that I have gained more marks in this task then the previous Harvard task Harvard 1. feedback.. Subject: Re: Research on KDE Posted by: Brian Penfold on 25 October :26 There is clear evidence of your research and your action plan looks like you have thought about the process. The Harvard style uses (Author, Year) within the text to link to the full ref at the end of the document. At no time does the Harvard system use a URL in any other place than at the end of the document. Case study

Technical –The induction process – getting everyone on the system –Accessibility –Training on the system –A learning platform that is available online; password protected; from any computer which allows the user to easily and quickly access their own store of ‘learning’ Plaudits and pitfalls of plagiarism prevention using eportfolio

Pedagogical –Adapts for different learning styles –Allows for hypertext writing which encourages students to make links (acknowledging others work?) –Building on students culture and expectations of using technology within their own learning – encouraging ownership of learning –Some users may need extra support when starting out using the system, with anything – content is as much a challenge as the vehicle Plaudits and pitfalls of plagiarism prevention using eportfolio

Turnitin functionality in PebblePad Simplification of grading system at Wolves Embedding the ePortfolio in assessment criteria throughout all schools within the University to ensure standardisation Where next?

Any questions? Using ePortfolios to promote assessment practices and prevent plagiarism Rachel Challen, Brian Penfold and Emma Purnell