Informatiseringscentrum The Educational and Strategic Issues with Implementing an Electronic Portfolio System Information Technology Center Marij Veugelers Projectmanager Portfolio Implementation SURF NL Portfolio community manager Universiteit van Amsterdam UBC Vancouver May

Informatiseringscentrum Introduction Marij Veugelers  Universiteit van Amsterdam Information Technology Center Section IT and education  Background biologist, career counselor, senior consultant  Functions Project manager portfolio implementation UvA Project manager DU Portfolio implementation instrumentals Community manager SURF NL Portfolio (expertgroup)

Informatiseringscentrum introduction  What is your role in your organization? Technical – Educational - Management – Other  Where does your organization stand regarding e-Portfolio? Thinking about it – Pilot stage – Scaling up – Fully implemented

Informatiseringscentrum Developments in higher education Movement towards student centred and competence based education

Informatiseringscentrum Primary functions ePortfolio from student perspective Van Tartwijk (2003) Planning ShowingReflecting Different functions, different approaches, different solutions: one size doesn’t fit all

Informatiseringscentrum Many Factors Involving Educational Innovation

Informatiseringscentrum Support Management Learning environment Learning activities Goals InfrastructurePeople Portfolio concept

Informatiseringscentrum Scenario’s in e-portfolio implementation COUNSELING Scenario 1 University wide 4 year program in department 1 year program in department Pilot +ASSESSING Scenario 2 +PLANNING Scenario 3 Universities differ in starting points, goals and strategies Academic universities Universitie s of Professiona l Education

Informatiseringscentrum Three Scenarios for Portfolio Use Career CounselingAssessingPlanning Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3

Informatiseringscentrum Scenario 1 Portfolio applied to part of the study programme  Portfolio application is focused on a route for study career counseling or academic schooling  Activities in this route are focused on counseling in personal development, making personal choices in the study programme and/or ethical questions  The activities are more or less independent of other learning lines Not all the teachers have a counseling assignment

Informatiseringscentrum Scenario 2 Portfolio applied to integrated education  Portfolio is focused on counseling and assessing  All study activities are focused on attaining the educational qualifications  Portfolio is integrated into all the educational activities  All the teachers have counseling and evaluating assignments

Informatiseringscentrum Scenario 3 Portfolio applied to demand-steered education  There is no study programme; the educational approach is focused on counseling and facilitating;  The main task of the teacher is to counsel the learning process  Students independently go through the PDCA-cycle: planning, doing, evaluating and adjusting  Portfolio plays a central role in the learning process

Informatiseringscentrum Universiteit van Amsterdam  Traditional academic university  students  3800 academic staff  7 faculties humanities social and behavioural sciences economics law sciences medicine dentistry

Informatiseringscentrum Universiteit van Amsterdam -2  24 teaching institutes  65 study programs for Bachelor degree  more then 120 Master programs

Informatiseringscentrum Bottom up sharp rise in interest for using e-portfolio

Informatiseringscentrum Reasons By-result of the introduction of the Bachelor’s and Master’s structure renewed attention for the academic skills for career supervision for supervising ALL students there was a TOOL in 2002

Informatiseringscentrum IT and Education department role There was a need for advice Project support Community of practices: knowledge dissemination and co- operation Portfolio conference for the university In consortium Digital University: 2002 building a DU portfolio system 2003 start of a top-down approach beside of this: Project leader national wide project Portfolio Implementation Instruments Community manager NL Portfolio expert group

Informatiseringscentrum Pedagogical challenges  It’s more then introduction of a tool  It’s an educational innovation  We need to learn in “portfolio thinking”  There isn’t much experience in academic university education

Informatiseringscentrum History UvA 2001 First pilot Some pilots with the DU digital portfolio University teacher training programme 60 students Interdisciplinary programme for first-year students 30 students First year Media en Culture students 350 students Community of Practices: expert meeting Web site for the UvA Conference day for university

Informatiseringscentrum Relation educational innovation and portfolio Example Bachelor Media en Culture  large inflow of first-year students  more attention for acquiring study skills and a study attitude  for Master admission not only grades but also development grow should be considered

Informatiseringscentrum Portfolio concept used for  selfevaluation of academic skills  study career reflection  various roles in the study programme explained all new educational innovations in this study programme 350 first-years students, 30 % of the courses used the portfolio concept

Informatiseringscentrum Technology struggle 2001 : pilot with Blackboard (old version) : 45 students, one study programme students would like to make their own look and feel 2002: pilots with the Digital University Portfolio system for testing the system: 500 students, three study programmes

Informatiseringscentrum History We go for it! A lot of study programmes starting with a portfolio 12 different pilots Law, Humanities, Science, Economics, Health, Education, … students But…..tool problems

Informatiseringscentrum Relation educational innovation and portfolio Example Bachelor Behaviour and Society  new programme focused on multidisciplinair and inter- disciplinary education  extremely diverse programme  requires intensive supervision

Informatiseringscentrum Portfolio concept used for  academic skills, analyses of strengths and weakness and tutor feedback  real meaningful study career supervision educational innovations  worksgroups with tutor every week during the whole year in a social science lab  academic skills overview list

Informatiseringscentrum Technology struggle continuous story 2003: system overload with 1500 UvA students new server, new problems : spiral of problems discourages many users Is this tool the most appropiate one? Market now overrun with new products februari 2004: technical study to prepare a final tool selection

Informatiseringscentrum University-wide top down implementation spring 2003: first draft implementation plan: two-year out roll 40 % of all the students work with e-portfolio by 2004 great financial investments So in autumn 2003: discussion with all the educational directors for their commitment

Informatiseringscentrum History Project UvA GO – NOGO Portfolio

Informatiseringscentrum Collecting information for the decision Three pillar Model UvA Pedagogy  new challenges educational innovation (pedagogical evaluation of 9 pilots)  pedagogical requirements  teachers training programme for their new role as coach  pedagogical support frame work  best practices with examples of assignment instructions and student portfolio’s

Informatiseringscentrum Three pillar Model UvA Technology  trendanalysis portfolio/ e-learning products  technical requirements  format for technology support  proposal for a tool selection  financial overview various hosting models

Informatiseringscentrum Three pillar Model UvA Strategy  Checklist of pre-conditions for the management

Informatiseringscentrum History Project UvA GO Portfolio Pilot with OSP Waiting for release OSP/SAKAI 2.2 We hope to start next school year with a UvA tool…..

Informatiseringscentrum Support Management Learning environment Learning activities Goals InfrastructurePeople Portfolio concept Look for the differences….

Informatiseringscentrum Lessons Learned in e-Portfolio Implementation 1 : Pedagogy comes first 2: Clear definition of goals and results is important 3: Maintaining multiple stakeholders perspectives is vital 4: Support by management is crucial 5: Functional and technological support is also crucial 6: Technical choices matter too 7: (what can we add?) (what did we learn?) 8: 9: 10:

Informatiseringscentrum Contact Marij Veugelers Senior consultant IT and education Universiteit van Amsterdam Information Technology Centre ICT in Education

Informatiseringscentrum Other information  NL Portfolio Dutch expert group Portfolio  Portfolio implementation instrumentals Website

Informatiseringscentrum Combining, sharing and expanding expertise Co-operation in the educational sector, as well as in the field of employment National and international co-operation

Informatiseringscentrum  Website  Involvement in e- learning projects in higher education  Own project tender  Conferences, presentations, papers, etc Co-operation  in educational sector  in the field of employment  International UK and US Activities in 2006 Dutch expert group portfolio

Informatiseringscentrum Portfolio Implementation website Web site with nearly 100 documents Also for not DU members Assignments, guidelines, checklists, ….. Target group managers, project leaders, Supervisors Also in ENGLISH!!!!!

Informatiseringscentrum With 7 steps in Change Management Thinking and Implementation Checklists