Implementing successful e-portfolio-based learning Julie Hughes and Emma Purnell The University of Wolverhampton

Why we do what we do. Narrativising the journey - starting with the students’ stories Transitions and beginning to belong. ‘I’m only a Teaching Assistant – me, going to University?’ I had been told as a teenager that I was not intelligent enough to achieve my ambition of becoming a teacher. ‘…the person that started back in September is not the person I recognise now’ and ‘as I unwrap this part of myself I come to realise I see others as well as myself with different eyes.’ I belong here.

E-portfolio teacher – FD, PGCE and M level with teaching mentors 2004 to now. Started with 15 students now working across teams, partners, stakeholders and professional bodies. Approx 500 students and 50 staff this year. E-portfolio mentor – supporting individuals and teams at local, regional and national levels - across disciplines. E-portfolio learner – used ep for appraisal and CPD – applying for professional formation through IfL. E-portfolio embedding. Curriculum development – revalidation and pedagogy shift. E-portfolio researcher – using e-portfolio to mentor and data- gather- using ep as a writing tool/companion with both students and colleagues.researcher INCEPR III E-portfolio consultant JISC & ESCalate Intro to Julie

E-portfolio teacher –FD, level 1 and PGCE, School of Education and School of Art and Design E-portfolio mentor – supporting individuals and teams across the institution E-portfolio learner Complete PGCE teaching portfolio is an eportfolio - Using eportfolio for CPD E-portfolio staff developer – working as a member of the Blended Learning Unit to support curriculum design using technology. Staff development sessions on the pedagogy and practice of eportfolio for learning, teaching and assessment E-portfolio researcher - doctoral research looking at student perceptions of eportfolio and epdp to support learning at level1 INCEPR III and IV E-portfolio consultant For JISC Intro to Emma

Theoretical and methodological framework 1. Pass-it-on – the need to grow your own: Importance of developing community/communities; Capacity building through mentoring and support groups; Sustainability beyond the early adopter. Minnesota – helping to develop positive attitudes in faculty; Sheffield Hallam - scaffolding and curriculum re/design; CSU San Jose – faculty buy in – built-in incentives; Adequate support for students and staff. 2. Theory/practice nexus: E-portfolio-based learning as pedagogic shift; SOTL; Evidence informed practice; Focus on the ‘user’ experience/ethnography. Penn State –the need to transform teaching and learning (Yancey)

But first....framing statements – positioning Old wine in a new bottle? In teaching and learning currently, we tend to use technology to support traditional modes of teaching... We scarcely have the infrastructure, the training, the habits, or the access to new technology to be optimising its use just yet. (Laurillard, 2007) We must acknowledge that pedagogy needs to be ‘re- done’ at the same time as it needs to be ‘re-thought.’ (Beetham and Sharpe, 2007) Learners cannot therefore be treated as bundle of disparate needs: they are actors not factors, in the learning situation. (Beetham 2007)

Many things are changing, however, as our everyday environments become increasingly digitized. This invites us, challenges us – to develop new conceptual beliefs and knowledge orientations and approaches to our everyday world. (Lankshear and Knobel, 2006) E-learning is often talked about as a ‘trojan mouse’, which teachers let into their practice without realizing that it will require them to rethink not just how they use the particular hardware or software, but all of what they do. (Sharpe and Oliver, 2007)

We need ‘a dialogue between theory and practice, as well as between learning and teaching’ (Beetham & Sharpe, 2007, p.3) We are witnessing ‘a new model of education, rather than a new model of learning’ as ‘our understanding of e-learning matures, so our appreciation of the importance of theory deepens…we see how learning can be socially situated in a way never previously possible’ (Mayes and de Freitas, 2007, p.13)

Widening participation HEI students development of pebblePAD first HEI to make ep available to all staff and students CETL project ( ) and Pathfinder project (2007/8) Pathfinder project (2007/8) Blended Learning Strategy (2007/8) ePortfolio used in various ways, including PDP, learning, teaching and assessment University of Wolverhampton UoWImage adapted fromhttp://home.amaonline.com/teacherstuff/schoolhouse.gif UoWlv

Stats – hot off the press! Total number of active users: Number of active users within 30 days: Number of active users within 60 days: Number of active users within 90 days: Number of active users within 180 days: Number of shares: What are they doing? webfolios blogs thoughts action plans 2660 gateways

But... Current e-portfolio activity is short-term project funded; Despite the BL strategy/entitlements there is no clear strategic drive or vision for the use of e- portfolio; E-portfolio research funds have been drastically reduced. But again.... There is clearly organic growth and we have a National profile for effective e-portfolio practice.

The possibilities? School of Education case study students and 1 member of staff 2009 – 500 students and 50 members of staff How? Mentoring and capacity building; Teams with management buy in; Curriculum redesign and redevelopment; Develop e-portfolio-based learning cultures. Another but.....still fragile.

(e)portfolio ways of being When teachers began developing portfolios over a decade ago, we knew what we were about – with process writing and collaborative pedagogies and, not least, portfolios – was pretty ambitious; it was, in fact, nothing short of changing the face of American education. (Yancey & Weiser, 1997, p.1) Baume (1999, 2003 p.4) conceptualised the developmental portfolio as, “a compost heap…something refined over time, enriched by addition, reduction and turning over.“ Messy, non-linear – getting your hands dirty!

E-portfolio-based learning (JISC 2008) Behind any product, or presentation, lie rich and complex processes of planning, synthesising, sharing, discussing, reflecting, giving, receiving and responding to feedback. These processes – referred to here as ‘e-portfolio-based learning’ – are the focus of increasing attention, since the process of learning can be as important as the end product. The use of...e-portfolios... can promote more profound forms of learning which can improve understanding of the self and the curriculum, engage and motivate learners – individually and as part of a community of practice, personalise learning and promote reflective practice (JISC 2008, p5).

Integrative learning and pedagogy – what does it mean to/for us? A beginning – still composting..... Narrative, representation, connectivity and networking, curation, connection – with self, with artefact, with others, awareness of audience, rhizomatic relationships – rooting and shooting, recognising and responding to students’ multiple/many identities/roles/modes/ ways of being and becoming, reading and listening to students’ stories told in their own words and in their own formats/media, re/iterations, transferability and application to new contexts, a response – a conversation, opening up spaces rather than shutting them down.

What we’ve learnt works: personalising – making it mine Being able to personalise the appearance has a huge impact on student ownership and engagement.

Being an eportfolio teacher. Using technology for teaching – but information push – still old wine in a new bottle? It’s vital to model and value the practices. I’m not asking students to engage in something that I don’t do myself.

PGCE - Blogging from induction using prompts and writing frames – individual blogs – supporting talkback and dialogic addressivity (Lillis, 2001). Blog writing as warm up/rehearsal, writing patches, cumulative and developmental. This approach to writing as ‘everyday’ and habitual has been received very positively – becoming an e-portfolio teacher will require colleagues to examine their teaching and feedback practices.

FD first writing/ PDP activity in week 1 – a structured blog entry with prompts. Encouraging reflections on the personal and the professional. It’s vital to provide prompts and scaffolding for these PDP activities – reflection is hard to do and it needs nurturing and support to be meaningful and developmental.

Creating the conditions and expectations for dialogue – rapid, supportive tutor feedback – questioning for growth.

Establish the netiquette, roles and expectations – this is not a synchronous space.

Action planning as assumption hunting (Brookfield) – Nadia PGCE 2006 Conceptualising PDP activity as a verb not a noun – being aware of deficit models and the potential for really great content. New technologies opening up spaces for criticality and reflexivity – praxis (Freire)

Blogging as conversation and critique – deepening PDP reflections upon self as a learner Rethinking blogs as critical incident sharing – situated learning.

Using individual blogs to share workplace successes. Integrative Learning (Cambridge 2007) FD bringing the outside in – not just the academic – Lucia’s lived curriculum – moving beyond the delivered and experienced. (Yancey 1998) Dialogue/talk-based ePDP needs time and effort – and a relationship. Blending = instead of NOT as well as?

Blogs referenced as powerful spaces to support learning and reflection. FD summative assignment submitted as eportfolio in Sowing seeds – where now for Amy? If students can do this in year 1, semester 1 – what else is possible?

Amy January 2009 Preparation for dissertation. E-portfolio as notebook, as study, as writing and organisation aid. Independent Study assignment

I’ve learnt: - a shortened version Start with the curriculum and your pedagogic values Ask yourself How might the student experience be enhanced by using some of these tools and practices? How manageable is this? What support can I and my students access? Is there whole team-buy in and management support for this approach? Who can I ask in the e-portfolio community so that I don’t reinvent the wheel?

Developing buddying cultures

Encouraging personalisation of basic structure and storying

Amy webfolio image Amy as learner, as beginning teacher, as part of an artist collective – ongoing into her CPD as part of her professional formation.

Changing assessment and moderation cultures

Blending the PDP – digitising f2f activities Creativity supported and encouraged. Eportfolio as the link to support integrative and iterative learning. Archive and collation focus – a PDP pool to draw on. An eportfolio way of learning – LaGuardia Community College Collect, select, reflect, connect.

Collage as reflective essay plan – my development as an HE student

Emma