From optional to mandatory to assessed Updating models

From optional to mandatory to assessed Updating models of University student e. Portfolio use

Authors • Ms Linda Corrin, lcorrin@uow. edu. au • Careers Service • • 2 Ms Sarah Lambert, slambert@uow. edu. au Project Manager Student e. Portfolio Project University of Wollongong, Australia

Collection Selection Reflection and Presentation of Students’ best work… 3

e. Portfolio - a vision • In the future, “everybody would have a personal online space where they would store their ‘life’s work’ and make presentations of it in different formats for… friends and family, school and higher education, workmates, and job interviews. It would be a repository of all their accomplishments, their hopes and their reflections. It would stay with them for life and be a constant updatable companion: a diary, CV, a record, a forward planner” • Stephani, Mason and Peglar, 2007 4

Uo. W and e. Portfolios • strategically exploring electronic portfolios since 2002 • Home-grown database product in 2002/03 • Recommendations to further explore build/buy options in 2004 5

2002/02 product 6

Many drivers • Commitment to Graduate Attributes • Employment trends • Rise in Professional Skills, course accreditation • Interest in e. Portfolios to facilitate reflection on learning and the university experience • AUQA 7

AUQA • Australian University Quality Audit recommended pursuing e. Portfolio to allow Uo. W to – “embed the Graduate Attributes into the curriculum and into teaching and assessment practices” as well as draw on the individual’s whole of life experiences outside the curriculum. ” 8

Uo. W approach • Academic integration for quality uptake • Focus on embedding in programs – Academic and Careers Service • Focus on urgent discipline needs with external accreditation pressures – Discipline specific Professional Skills • Look into offering an optional ‘open to any student’ e. Portfolio later 9

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Customised Goals 12

First take-up model • Academic integration • Prompted • Self-managed 13

Helpful… however • New cases came to light • Overlaps especially regarding assessment – --> new model focussing on assessment 14

Latest research: model of student e. Portfolio use 15

Assessment issues • Assessment and feedback crucial for academic integration strategy – How will it be used? – Will it be optional, assessed? – How will it be integrated into teaching? – How will it be assessed? 16

2007 cohorts 17

Evaluation with staff • Video interviews about integration into classes, teaching, assessment 18

Dr Kate Bowles, Arts • “There is a broader middle ground of students who are not saying I don’t want this, they are saying that unless it is compulsory, I don’t have time to figure out if it is useful. If we think that it is useful for them, we have to find ways of making time for them to do it. The only time we can give them is class time or assessment time…” 19

Postgraduate students • Different experience, nursing/midwifery • Annual registration requirement provides external ‘lever’ or motivator for e. Portfolio • Assessment not as important • Academic sees assessment as ‘big brother’ looking through personal material 20

Careers Service Trials High achieving student self-nominate into extra programs with Careers Service 21

Priorities for 2008 • Look to Carrick research for sector directions – Import/export for student mobility? – QUT Forum 14/2/08 • Offer staff & students a choice of tools – Word, PPT, Keynote, Bb Vista • Trial new open-source and web 2. 0 solutions 22