Developing a Professional Portfolio

1. Developing a Professional Portfolio Sarah Macdonald, Nova Scotia Agricultural College Janice Landry, St. Francis Xavier University CAUCE Conference 2012 Saskatoon, SK May 29, 2012

2. Session Objectives • Participants will identify the differing aspects of leadership within university continuing education • Participants will reflect on their experience as practitioners to enhance their ability to develop a professional portfolio. • Participants will explore how practitioners can use the development of a professional portfolio as a tool to reflect on and reveal their own practice. • Participants will explore the professional portfolio as a means to advocate for the practice of CE at their institution.

3. ACTIVITY: Why prepare a Professional/Personal Portfolio?

4. Why a Professional/Personal Portfolio? University Continuing Education is complex and multi-layered. “The description of continuing education practice provided by continuing educators is much richer and more multifarious than anything described in the literature.” (Percival, 1993, p. 142) A portfolio is a presentation of artifacts that reveals the complex nature of Continuing Education “One of your greatest assets as a continuing educator will be your ability to reflect on and learn from your experiences in practice. Learning is vital to your development as an adult educator.” (Percival, 1993, p. 144) 4

5. Background • Both of our journeys included graduate studies • Enriched our views of our own practice • Two models of Leadership re continuing education • Moroney, 2007 & Landry, 2011

6. ACTIVITY: Roles of CE LEADERSHIP

7. Lived Experience of University Continuing Education Leaders (Landry, 2011) – Themes & Experiences Theme 1: Administrative Leaders as Functional Leaders Funding/financial responsibilities/pressures Represents Continuing Education/University Quality assurance/best practices Theme 2: Administrative Leaders as Human Resource Leaders Valuing/Supporting Staff Developing Staff Processes Mentoring/Empowering Staff Theme 3: Rhythm of Administration Collaboration Accessibility/Responsive to needs of learners Variety/Diversity Creativity/ Innovation/Development Risk 7

8. Lived Experience of University Continuing Education Leaders (Landry, 2011) – 6 themes Theme 4: Historical Influence on Current Practice • Attitudes and culture towards unit • Restructuring of the unit Theme 5: Voice of Administrators • Intra-university relationships • Positioning Continuing Education • Community relationships • Strategic planning • Continuing Education as value-added • Professional development connections Theme 6: Spirit of Administration • Continuing Education as a career • Healthy work/life balance • Sense of mission • Personal/professional growth • In touch with your own values 8

9. Some Elements in a Professional Portfolio • Curriculum vitae (CV) • Philosophy • Reflections • Letter to self • Journalling • Metaphors • Paragraph about your competencies • Artifacts • Brochures/Flyers • Certifications – Academic and Informal Learning • Evidence – Letters of appreciation • Personal Inspirations • Performance Reviews/Course Evaluations • Org Chart 9

10. ACTIVITY: What Elements are Important for Your Portfolio?

11. How Can This Be Organized??? • Themes/Dimensions/Domains of Practice • Evidence (Artifacts) • Reflections

12. Continuing Education Leadership Matrix (Moroney, 2007)

13. Entrepreneur Domain

14. Entrepreneur - Reflection Element “Combining business goals and academic pursuits is often an area of conflict within academic institutions...” Landry (2011) speaks of the importance of balance in CE leadership. It is hard to find the balance between being entrepreneurial and leading in continuing education. “My tactic for dealing with this area is always to make the pie bigger; for example, demonstrate that the more opportunities we have through good market research, development and business planning, the more that we can contribute to adult education in agriculture.”

15. Entrepreneur – Artifact Element

16. Reflection Wilson & Hayes (2000) stated We also believe that adult and continuing education is also essentially a human endeavor, a social practice of human interaction that depends significantly upon its practitioners’ assumptions, values, and experiences to shape practical actions, action themselves that are profoundly affected by the larger socio-cultural-economic-political conditions in which they take place… Informed professional action also depends significantly on how practitioners rely upon their assumptions, values, and experiences to “see” and thus shape their daily work... professional practice represents a complex interaction of educator and context (p. 17).

17. Lived Experience - University Continuing Education Leaders (Landry (2011)

18. Further Reflections • Cervero and Wilson (2006) point out, education is a struggle for knowledge and power. “Educational programs matter because they create possible futures in the lives of people, organizations and communities.” (p. 91)

19. Tables of Contents Janice’s Section One - Personal Thoughts and Reflections • Letter to Self • Personal Philosophy of adult education • Reflections • Metaphor  Section Two – Organizational Info • Organizatonal chart • Relationships Section Three - Leadership Style Section Four - Assessment Instruments Section Five – Other • Connections / Influences • Aha moments • Lessons Learned • Reference List Sarah’s Summary 3 Introduction 4 Curriculum vitae 6 Philosophy of Adult Education 10 My Adult Education Practice 12 Academic 13 Reflection 13 Artifacts 14 Entrepreneur 15 Reflection 15 Artifacts 16 Administrator 17 Reflection 17 Artifacts 18 Adult Educator 19 Reflection 19 Artifacts 21 Conclusion 22 Citation List 23

20. Sharing our Story Continuing education practice is complex and multi-layered. • An opportunity to look a the taken-for-grantedness of practice • An awareness of the depth and layers of practice and opportunity to “share the story”. Townsend (2002) revealed that “sharing ‘on the job’ stories can be a powerful way to gain deeper understanding of your work and reinvigorate your passion for educational leadership” (p. 1). • Awareness is the first step to being a good advocate!

21. Professional Portfolios • The portfolio is a way of demonstrating competency and skill, commitment to ongoing professional development and informal learning/lifelong learning. It also supports reflection and realization regarding practice and praxis. • With a heightened awareness of who we are as practitioners, we can develop strategies to increase our influence and advocacy within the university, for ourselves, for lifelong and distance learning, and for the learners and communities we serve. • As advocates for the learners and the communities we serve, it is important for us to be in touch with our professional practice.

22. Wilson & Hayes (2000) stated We also believe that adult and continuing education is also essentially a human endeavor, a social practice of human interaction that depends significantly upon its practitioners’ assumptions, values, and experiencesto shape practical actions, action themselves that are profoundly affected by the larger socio-cultural-economic-political conditions in which they take place… Informed professional action also depends significantly on how practitioners rely upon their assumptions, values, and experiences to “see” and thus shape their daily work... professional practice represents a complex interaction of educator and context (p. 17).

23. References Becker, C. (1992). Living and relating: An introduction to phenomenology. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Caffarella, R. S. (2002). Planning programs for adult learners: A practical guide for educators, trainers and staff developers (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Cervero, R. M., & Wilson, A. L. (2006). Working the planning table: Negotiating democratically for adult, continuing and workplace education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Crotty, M. (2003). The foundations of social research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Fleming, J. E., & Caffarella, R. (2000). Leadership for adult and continuing education. In T. J. Sork, V. L. Chapman, & R. St. Clair (Eds.), Proceedings of the 41st Annual Adult Education Research Conference (pp.118-122). Vancouver, Canada: The University of British Columbia. www.adulterc.org/Proceedings/2000/flemingj&caffarellar-final.PDF Landry, J. (2011). Lived experience of university continuing education leaders. Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, 37(2), 1-16. Moroney, P. (2007). Continuing education leadership matrix: A model for practitioners in higher education. Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, 33(1), 61–82. Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Patton, M. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Percival, A. (1993). Practicing theory: A guide to becoming an effective adult education programmer. Saskatoon, SK: University of Saskatchewan. Townsend, R. (2002). Telling stories. Leadership, 31(4), 8-11. Wilson, A. & Hayes, E. (2000). On thought and action in adult and continuing education. In A. Wilson, & E. Hayes (Eds). Handbook of adult and continuing education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

24. Questions? Thoughts?

25. Appendix: Domain Artifacts – • Academic • Administrative • Adult Educator

26. Academic Domain - Artifacts

27. Administrative Domain - Artifacts

28. Adult Educator - Artifacts