Using ePortfolios for motivation, engagement and authentic assessment

1. David M. Kennedy, PhD 甘明德 博士 Director, Teaching and Learning Centre Using ePortfolios for motivation, engagement and authentic assessment

2. Outline Lao Tzu • Introduction • T&L • OBA and curriculum reform • Language learning • New courses – new outcomes • ePortfolios • Impact • The way forward If you tell me, I will listen. If you show me, I will see. If you let me experience, I will learn.

3. Key issues • Role of teaching in a blended T&L • Shift from being a presenter to being an organizer and facilitator • Role of a student in a blended T&L • Crucial need to develop independent learning skills INDEPENDENT LEARNING PROGRAMME (ILP)

4. Good teaching and learning Good teaching is getting most students to use higher cognitive level processes that more academic students use spontaneously (Biggs) • Surface learning • do enough to pass the course • often encouraged by assessment tasks • Deep learning • student wants total understanding (intrinsic motivation) • ???? how can this be demonstrated – service learning? • ePortfolios are helpful

5. Holistic design of the learning environment Aligning the curriculum!

6. English language at Lingnan • Language learning • About 550 students – 15 teachers and 3 tutors • Multiple sections/ courses • Curriculum re-design – not trivial • Changing teacher AND student practice!

7. Sample ILOs • make summary notes from spoken discourse and use them as input for discussion • demonstrate an understanding of some ideas of a text by summarizing or paraphrasing these ideas accurately in your own words • avoid plagiarizing original ideas from source materials when writing in an academic style

8. Change was needed • ALL students must do English • Proficiency v’s skills • recent review • Old portfolio • workload unsustainable • New curriculum

9. Portfolios • Learning • Assessment • Tangible outcomes • The student experience • Professional development • Competencies • Employment • Presentation • Creativity http://scottish-rscs.org.uk/newsfeed/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/e-conf-jigsaw.png

10. Portfolios • Evidence • Persistence • Engagement • History • Sharing • Artifacts • Media • Formal • Informal • Collaborating

11. Research • ‘e-portfolios benefit learning most effectively when considered as part of a joined-up teaching and learning approach, rather than as a discrete entity. … ‘ • ‘e-portfolios make progress and attainment more obvious to both teachers and students, because viewing and revisiting the repository of work reveals development, achievements, strengths and weaknesses’ Impact of e-portfolios on learning, BECTA

12. Overview • ePortfolio • provides evidence that criteria have been satisfied • Artifact(s) • Templates • Reflection • Evidence that the student has attempted to develop understanding • Creativity (how assessed?) More than a mere collection of documents

13. Learning design • Using an ePortfolio platform • Blogs/ text fields – for reflective writing • You Tube for media • accepts audio files • Facebook-like • More variety of assessment artifacts • Encourage studentcreativity http://www.ethics.org.au/resources/img/general-content/articles/0148b-hammer-cartoon.gif

14. Pedagogy • Motivation • Graduate outcomes • information literacy • Reflection • Assessment • Higher-order thinking • Metacognition • Creativity • Is presentation important? http://www.jvims.org/images/pedagogy.jpg

15. ePortfolios are not trivial • They need to ADD value to the learning, not keep students busy • They need considerable time to develop • They need skills, understanding AND reflection • Students need time to develop them • Students need support and structure in order to attain the best outcomes

16. ePortfolio’s and assessment • Evidence of student learning • writing – the reflection as part of the views • speaking – mp3 recording • listening – You Tube and audio files (mp3) • reading – interactions with content • presenting – video capture and YouTube • Management • the wall or forums

17. Student skills • Using the skills of students • enormous variation, motivation • mass seminars (65%) http://learn.swancoll.ac.uk/userfiles/student%20skills.jpg http://www.edrugsearch.com/edsblog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/free-prescription-drugs.gif

18. Other support • Hands-on staff workshops (a number) • Online documents • Student Access Centre • Examples/ templates http://sws-corp.com/cm/images/stories/support.gif

19. Mahara • Open source (NZ) • Integrates with … • SSO with Moodle • Sizable community • Standards • MaHoodle • Language@Lingnan • Evidence of independentlearning

20. Mahara map

21. Mahara for assessement

22. Present evidence Student activity Media generation ePortfolio Evidence of student learning outcomes Capture evidence Upload evidence Mobile devices

23. Evidence of developmental plans

24. SPQ measures

25. The students - SPQ • Deep Learning Approach - 22.92% • students scored above average in the deep approach scale, and scored average or below average in the surface approach scale. Out of the n = 432 • Surface Learning Approach - 23.61% • students scored above average in the surface approach scale, and scored average or below average in the deep approach scale

26. Different ways of working

27. ePortfolio management • Clear expectations and DEMOS • Drafts (?) • ‘Clever’ feedback • Check regularly and use the F2F classes for discussion • early feedback – by citing student work • use the ‘wall’ • peer feedback is an option • Encourage and acknowledge creativity

28. The last word • Teacher – when the view is done well, my grading time is reduced by about 70% • Opportunities for change • Need to scaffold the students more fully • Need to develop a level of assessment commensurate with effort

29. Details • With thanks to the staff of CEAL and the Head of the Centre, Christine Shirley • http://www.ln.edu.hk/ceal/index.php • Details • Associate Professor David M. Kennedy • Director, Teaching and Learning Centre • Lingnan University