E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Digital portfolio assessment and learning outcomes. Results, challenges and dilemmas NERA March 6 –10, 2008 Eli Kari Høihilder Asgjerd Vea Karlsen Vestfold University College Norway

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Background Digital portfolio at Vestfold University College Socio-cultural learning perspective Collaborative knowledge Openness - Internet Learning platforms (LMS)

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008

Goal of the research What do students learn from digital portfolio assessment? How does digital portfolio assessment promote learning outcomes?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Methodology Triangulation: Survey (2006 –2007) Letters ( ) Group interview ( )

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008Vea Karlsen og Høihilder 08 What is it like assessing a peer student’s exam portfolio?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Vea Karlsen og Høihilder 08 Which form of feedback for your portfolio work has had the most significance for you?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 What was it like being assessed by a peer student in connection with your education exam?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 What kind of learning outcome have you had with collaborative learning?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Overall, to what extent has the portfolio process been a great benefit to your learning?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 The computer is a tool for reflection and development ”Real readers” - the other students will read their texts - not only the teacher Students have to respond to their fellow students Feedback from the teacher and from peers The content of the portfolios - not only information, but communication More active students Reflection, motivation Self-assessment

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Learning outcomes Quotes from the letters ”Peer students have read my submitted work on the internet and made me aware of my mistakes or lacks. I can also compare my own solutions with theirs, and make a positive or negative judgment.” ”You can practise in being concrete. It is important to encourage the new students to publish their work on their web- pages, and become familiar with re-working a first draft after a tutorial.”

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen ”I have received feedback that some of my work was so good that others have used it as a guideline when they were stuck. In addition I have been able to see if some people are finished with the tasks we have been set, and also gets tips on how I can do the work. I can also compare my own solutions with other people and assess the positive and the negative.” ”I have been able to see what kind of literature others have used, and I have had the opportunity to find answers to questions I might have had on a given topic. I have also seen how other students have organised their portfolios, and obtained ideas about how to design my own portfolio so that is was as userfriendly as possible.”

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 ”It is important to argue for what we believe. We receive questions from fellow students and have to justify our personal opinion. We become better at discussing because we receive questions from others. We have to find more material to better justify our arguments.” ”It leads to increased learning outcomes because among other things we can read in each other’s portfolios and find interesting theories that are worth investigating further. ”I think that the standard is very high, and don’t want others to see things I haven’t fininshed.” Quotations from the group interviews:

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 What are the learning outcomes? The students` opinions Reflection – meta-text Sharing of competence via assessment of fellow students Improvements in work submitted in the course of the program Constructive criticism

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Challenges Unfinished work Find the balance between self-directed (ansvar for egen læring) and obligatory learning Openness/individual rights Plagiarism Technological challenges General understanding of portfolio assessment

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Dilemma: increased demand for ’evidence based teaching’ Difficult to document ’learning outcomes’ (Dysthe 2007) 1) Knowledge and insight into the subject 2) ’General competence’ 3) ”Identity formation dimension” Quality comprises all three, but how are they to be measured?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Effective feedback must answer 3 questions: (Dysthe 2007, PowerPoint) How am I going? FEED BACK Where to next? FEED FORWARD Where am I going ? (goal) FEED UP

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Help to clarify what is a good piece of work (goal, criteria, standards) Promote the development of self-assessment and reflection over one’s own learning Promote feedback about the quality of learning Contribute to dialogue between teachers and co- students about learning Contribute to positive motivation Provide the opportunity to close the gap between what is achieved and what is required Provide feedback to teachers in order to improve teaching Research-based quality assurance demands: Seven principles for good feedback practice (Dysthe 2007)

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 The way forwards How to find a balance between individual rights and the socio- cultural view of knowledge? How to avoid a weakening of the collaborative learning effect? Where is the meeting point/boundary between individual learning and learning collaboratively? How to develop student competence, teachers and leadership, such that the learning potential with digital portfolio assessment is realised?

E K Høihilder og A V Karlsen 2008 Litteratur Black, P et al (2002) Working inside the black box London: King`s college Dysthe, O og Engelsen, K., S (2003). Mapper som pedagogisk redskap. Perspektiver og erfaringer Oslo: Abstract forlag Dysthe, O (2007): Mappevurdering som opplæringsform. I Tveit S. (red.) Elevvurdering i skolen. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget Engh, R, Dobson S og Høihilder, E.K (2007) Vurdering for læring. Kristiansand: Høyskoleforlaget Karlsen, A,V og Wølner T, A (2006).Den femte grunnleggende ferdighet Portefølje og digitale mapper – et sted for læring. Gyldendal Uniped 3/2007: Dysthe: Pedagogiske endringar etter Kvalitetsreformen og konsekvensar for læring. Utfordringar og strategiar Wittek, A.L. ( 2007): Mappe som redskap for læring i høyere utdanning. Strukturer, kulturell praksis og deltakelsesbaner. Oslo UIO, Det utdanningsvitenskapelige fakultet Øhra, M: Kunnskapsdeling ved hjelp av digitale mapper I: Otnes (red) IKT og nye læreprosesser (Høgskolen i Vestfold, 2004)IKT og nye læreprosesser