to ‘e’ or not to ‘e’?

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Portfolios have become a BIG topic at WelTec and Whitireia, two closely aligned Wellington (NZ) polytechnics.

While the concept has been around for a while and we have promoted the use of a locally produced ‘product’ Mahara,  recent programme changes, due in some ways to NZQA’s Targeted Review of Qualifications (TroQ), have intensified the interest.

It means a change in the trades courses where assessments have traditionally been workbook/exam type with some summative quizzes to tutors considering new ways of how to collect evidence that learners have met learning outcomes.

While we have used Mahara with the Make Up students and tutors it works more successfully with students who are writing reflective pieces and and gathering evidence that requires more writing than sharing images. One of our champion tutors uses Mahara for collaborative portfolios.

Another local ‘product’ (I hate using the words ‘product’, ‘client’ and  ‘customer’ in educational contexts even though in this context it is the correct word) is Record of Work which we viewed today. It has been developed for the construction industry and is not, perhaps, quite ready yet for assessment purposes but is quite close.  The construction and automotive tutors liked it, when we viewed the presentation and it seems suitable. It is essentially an app to which learners add images and text. While the first users are Unitec in Auckland, New Zealand, we are able to design specifications for our own app. Tutors can view users diaries/records of work on a website. Take a look at the video link above or visit their website.

We’ve also generally discussed with staff that boxes and folders work just fine. A step up could be using PowerPoint and Word templates and having the learners either email them to tutors or have them upload them to Moodle drop boxes, and thus viewed and marked online.

Whatever the mode it is essential that learners are given clear, easy to follow instructions and clear expectations about which learning outcomes are to be met (if they are used for assessment). It is also essential that learners understand what is necessary and what is not (i.e. no dumping) and that you, the tutor, understand why you are using this method and are clear about your process. Consider also adding a marking rubric to the instructions.

It is also extremely important that you understand that while you may be assessing the portfolio in the end it belongs to the learner and not the institution.

JISC have as usual  intelligent information to share. Even if they have archived it, it still makes sense. They suggest a six step approach to implementing portfolios: Define, Understand, Prepare, Engage, Implement and Review. Fairly standard practice I’d hope. I particularly like the Implementing e-portfolios checklist. Useful.

21st century learning: gathering evidence

We extol the value of collaborating online and collecting evidence from students and we assist with training and support, but for many staff  it’s a hard grind.

I talked with two women who have struggled to find creative ways to collect evidence of student work.

Gathering evidence

Caroline is a tutor on the Fashion Make Up course and an early technology adopter who, with her colleagues  was among the first to use eportfolios .  We in EdTech are impressed with the dedication these tutors show to their craft (both teaching and make up) so I asked Caroline why she wants to use eportfolios, what she has tried and what she uses now. I also asked her why she perseveres.

Listen here: Caroline’s portfolio ‘journey’

Lee teaches in the Trades Academy and Animal Care areas. She has students two days a week – so she’s been trying to find a way to maximise the class time by flipping the classroom.

I asked her about the ways she collects evidence from her students. She tells me that she has explored several ways but has hit on one that she thinks might work.

Listen here. Gathering evidence of student work.

What does this mean for Ed Tech?

It’s an advantage  for Caroline that students are expected to develop digital skills for the industry, even if these skills are not specifically outlined in course learning outcomes.  The portfolio activity becomes an authentic activity.

Brett O Riley says in  Driving the skills agenda: Preparing students for the future (p.10): “ICT skills are no longer an option; they are basic skills for operating in society”.  His  report recommends that new skills and so called ‘soft skills’  are  taught using real world problems and work opportunities (p12).

For Lee, the issue is more complex. Her  Trades Academy students visit our tertiary institution from local schools for short term ‘introduction to tertiary study’ courses and the demand on her is to make the experience interesting, engaging and integrated into the several core skills the students are expected to develop.  She has decided that collecting evidence of student work using a web page will work for her students.

A new tutor  is exploring  Moodle’s portfolio system. It looks ok but there are some aspects we’d like to improve – like students  being able to contribute to other users’ folders. We are also exploring using Moodle Wiki for collecting evidence of student work – and this may be the best solution for him. Glossaries can also be used for students to add work – but again they are not private. It depends whether or not you want students  to see each other’s work – which is not a bad thing. Workshop, also in Moodle, allows students to peer review  but this too can be a bit clunky.

In busy work situations where there are so many demands on tutors it’s encouraging to see those who work tirelessly to find authentic ways to engage students and collect evidence of their work. In spite of assistance from our Ed Tech team  I am not sure that we have found the best ways for tutors to collect evidence of student work and we’d love to hear your success stories.

NB: We recommend using Firefox or Chrome to open SoundCloud.

being authentic

The elearning nomad writes convincingly about learning design principals and the need to develop authentic activities.

In a post about increasing course participation rates she says “The key here is to get inspiration from real life. Don’t polish the problem. Make it complex, controversial and smart. Add inspiring characters to the story – your learners need to be able to identify with them”.

And so following on from our post about transmedia storytelling and alluding to the one about purposeful play, we wanted to share a couple of Moodle sites that we have worked on with tutors. Although team and collaborative tasks are only a small part of the courses, we are hoping to increase these facets as time goes on.

The first course is a hospitality course – the brain child of tutor Gavin Mackenzie. We have used an integrated story based around a hotel kitchen. The students have to write memos, explain to the new manager how to develop new menus and give realistic presentations to their colleagues. The course starts next week so we hope the students really get involved in this.

In another course – also within the School of Hospitality, tutor Rochelle Gilmoni used the story of a local hospitality business to introduce students to authentic activities and an ongoing story. She interviewed and filmed the manager/owner, asking pertinent questions about his business, then set related activities as assessments.

For all of us developing these courses it felt like purposeful play – and for the students the activities relate to real and authentic activities.