lecturers are better informed and skilled users of eportfolio than their students - yeah right!
TRANSCRIPT
Lecturers are better informed and skilled users of eportfolio than their students
Yeah right!
Lecturers are better informed and skilled users of eportfolio than their students.
Context of the Research Project
• Bachelor of Education (primary) in School of Education (AUT)
• 2013 research project: ePortfolio and curriculum design: Student and lecturer perspectives
• 2x Year 3 cohorts (53 participants) survey questionnaire and focus group: In which papers has eportfolio enhanced (or not) your learning?
• 6 lecturers in the primary programme: survey questionnaire and focus group: Have any papers you teach been enhanced by eportfolio and how has this impacted on your teaching?
Lecturer experience in using eportfolio
• Two initial innovators (2009) – one controls the 6 PIP papers, but has not moved beyond eportfolio as tool; the other no longer teaches in the programme
• All lecturers teach the PIP papers which continue to use eportfolio as originally designed in 2009
• Two papers (2013) in which eportfolio was developed for pedagogical purposes have been inherited by new lecturers
Student experience in using eportfolio • Had used eportfolio for 5 semesters and in 8 papers
• Lectured by both innovators in 2 papers each
• Had 2 lecturers who had inherited eportfolio in papers
Lecturer perspectives on eportfolio
Survey Question posed ‘Yes’ response
‘No’ response
Additional comments
Was there specific design of learning activities to support the use of eportfolio?
2 4“the assessment had already been designed this way”
Did you offer support to students?
2 3 “offered some advice” Only to Y1 with introduction
Did students have control over the design and content of their eportfolio?
5 1
Did eportfolio impact on your teaching?
1 4 “minimal” “design of multimedia eport”
Do you believe that eportfolio in your paper enhanced student learning?
1 3 “greatly enhanced through motivation and presentation” “no impact”
Students’ perceived views on lecturer’s knowledge and skill in eportfolio use
1. Students identified a lack of staff knowledge and skill as a major challenge to their learning through eportfolio.
“passing the buck to a student ….’oh, can you show her how to use eportfolio’?”
“not being able to flick the programme up on the big screen and saying ‘this is how you do it.’ Instead of going…mmm.. ask one of your peers … or early childhood students, ask primary students”
Students’ perceived views on lecturer’s knowledge and skill in eportfolio use
2. Clear disconnect in the perceptions of students and lecturers regarding the pedagogical aspects of eportfolio to enhance learning.
“I was able to effectively tell a story of achievement through uploading pictures and little captions. I learnt to interpret and create meaning through a selection of pictures.” (student)
“the eportfolio easily brings everything to one place which is easily accessible and portable” (lecturer)
Students’ perceived views on lecturer’s knowledge and skill in eportfolio use
3. Students have experience of crafting their own eportfolios whereas lecturers do not ‘own’ their own eportfolio.
“I think if the lecturers get on to it and actually use it themselves, they will understand how it works and then what they ask of us is actually doable … wouldn’t it be good for lecturers to take this on board and make up their own Mahara page where we can go and have access and see …what their journey is at the moment and what they’re passionate about “.
The Challenge!
Can we sustain the level of student learning through eportfolio as pedagogy, if current staff are unable to match their student understanding of eportfolio purpose, practice and skill level?
What does the literature say about staff professional learning?
Eynon, Gambino & Tōrok (2014): Staff professional learning is one of the most significant factors in effective eportfolio practice. C2L findings suggest that campuses that paid attention to sustained professional development were the most vibrant.
Wetzel & Strudler (2006): low engagement by a number of university lecturers due to incompatibility between beliefs and practices about learning and teaching and student-‐centred eportfolio processes. Students reported inconsistent implementation of eportfolio across staff.
Joyes, Grey & Harnell-‐Young (2010): suggest eportfolio is ‘disruptive’ – unless staff understand constructive alignment of purpose, learning activity design, process and ownership, eportfolio will remain as add-‐on.
What works: How to motivate staff?-‐ Workshops and seminars?
-‐ On-‐line tutorials?
-‐ Sharing staff research on eportfolio to inform programme review?
-‐ Inquiry into learning and teaching to encourage reflective practice through staff IDP/Appraisal eportfolios?
-‐ Get lecturers to appraise student eportfolios – shift focus from teaching-‐focussed conversation to a focus on student learning (particularly integrated learning)?
-‐ What else?