Eportfolios for lifelong learning: listening to the voices of the users Janet Hanson and Dr Barbara

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E-portfolios for lifelong learning listening to
the voices of the usersJanet Hanson and Dr
Barbara Newlandwww.bournemouth.ac.uk/pdp4lifeRes
earching and Evaluating Personal Development
Planning and e-Portfolios. Oxfordshire, 9-11th
October, 2006
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Support for lifelong learning the vision

• Lifelong and personalised learning policy
  drivers propose that all learners should be able
  to develop, record, repurpose and transfer a wide
  range of information about themselves
  electronically as they progress through different
  levels and episodes of learning, training and
  employment.
• Supporting learners across the educational
  landscape. JISC Briefing Paper, 2006.
• http//www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?namepub_lifelong
  learningbps

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Support for lifelong learning the vision

• The HE sector is invited to prepare for a world
  in which an online learner record accompanies
  learners throughout their career in education and
  work, a world in which that record could be used
  to support personal reflection and development
  through life eg Susies Journey.
• Supporting learners across the educational
  landscape. JISC Briefing Paper, 2006.
  http//www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?namepub_lifelongl
  earningbps

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E-portfolios and personal development planning

• Central to this vision is recognition of the
  value of PDP and the use of e-portfolios to
  support learners moving across the learning
  landscape and to transfer their learner record
  from one institution to the next.
• E-portfolios are owned by the learner,
  independent of any one institution and require
  standards and specifications for interoperability
  (UKLeaP).
• e-Portfolios What institutions really need to
  know. JISC Briefing Paper, 2006.
• http//www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?namepub_lifelong
  learningbps

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PDP4Life South West Regional e-learning project

• Bournemouth University (Lead institution)
• Arts Institute at Bournemouth
• College of St Mark St John
• Dartington College of Arts
• Open University in the South West
• University College Falmouth
• University Centre Yeovil
• University of Bristol
• University of Gloucestershire
• University of Plymouth
• Weymouth College

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PDP4Life Project Activities

• Developing a specification for an extended
  Learner Record (LR) that includes formal
  qualifications and learner-generated records of
  informal learning from local PDP systems
• Testing the secure transfer of learner records
  between institutions using ioNode technology
  (http//www.phosphorix.co.uk/around/ioNode/)
• Identifying user views on PDP records, in
  particular from the Creative Industries, using
  focus groups of students, academic staff and
  employers to inform the LR
• Sharing PDP practice between 11 HEI/FEI partners
  in the South West
• Contributing PDP processes to ioPortal suite.

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Challenges for the vision

• The views of Creative Industries students,
  academic staff and employers on PDP, e-portfolios
  and lifelong learner records

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Creative Industries

• Emerging sector in the South West of England
• Those industries that have their origin in
  individual creativity, skill and talent and which
  have a potential for wealth and job creation
  through the generation and exploitation of
  intellectual property. http//www.southwestrda.or
  g.uk/sectors/creative/index.shtm

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Creative industries

• Advertising
• Architecture
• Art and antiques market
• Crafts
• Design
• Designer Fashion
• Film and video

• Interactive leisure software
• Music
• Performing arts
• Publishing
• Software and computer services
• Television and Radio

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Creative industries - PDP research

• Research into the perceptions and needs of
  creative industries students and employers in
  relation to PDP is very limited
• Nature of the creative arts disciplines might
  merit a specific approach to PDP on the strength
  of their unique educational practices (James,
  2004)
• Students in the creative disciplines are able and
  willing to engage actively in the process of
  assessing, and reflecting on, their own learning
  experience using an online PDP tool (Malins
  McKillop, 2005)

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Focus group method

• An ancillary method in qualitative research
  (Bloor et al., 20019), used at the start of the
  research process as an exploratory tool to
• undertake a preliminary investigation to generate
  data on meanings and perceptions
• elicit an in depth understanding of perceptions,
  beliefs, attitudes and experiences from multiple
  points of view
• Group format encourages participants to speak
  with candour, with potential for a snowballing
  effect. (Vaughan et al., 199616)

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Focus group method

• Introduction
• Nominal group discussion recorded on flip charts
  and also audio recorded
• Prioritisation exercise

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Our focus group objectives

• Identify existing PDP practice amongst students
• Use students ideas and experiences to help
  develop extended learner record
• Identify positive and negative issues and
  priorities for extended learner record
• Contribute to understanding of issues and
  challenges of a lifelong e-portfolio.

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Prompt questions

• What did you bring with you from school, college
  or a previous life?
• Do you discard or edit?
• Do you keep a blog?
• What do you want to be able to take away from
  university?
• How will you present yourself to employers?

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Student views

• Creative Industries are different and need a
  different structure- creativity to get away
  from records
• More self-evaluation and reflective practice for
  CI students, often built into the course
• Difficult to see far ahead-very focused on CV for
  first job-often know what want they to do.
• Only want to present best work, do not need to
  keep past work, especially from school

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Student views digital

• Quite a lot of my work becomes throwaway
  work, you can't keep it so it is essential for me
  to have slides and pictures.

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Student views non-digital

• Physical portfolio very important to CI, tactile,
  visual, audio
• it is actually a portfolio and I have my
  designs that I've done in there and also the
  costumes or garments that I've made they can't be
  done on a computer
• what I'm doing here is model-making and
  anything that isn't model making I don't need
• maybe for other subjects like science or
  something maybe it's good to keep a record of
  things but sketchbooks are that for us

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Student views text/visual

• I thought you were encouraged too much to
  write. I think some people write better
  visually, some people would have preferred to
  present a DVD
• My portfolio is completely art-based, it
  doesn't have anything written in it.

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Student views academic only?

• Vary as to wanting to include non-academic
  skills, voluntary work some say Yes, some No
• Going through some of my old CV's there's lists
  and lists of all the little jobs I wish I did
  have something that I could throw it all in and
  it's always there.

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Student views - Big Brother?

• Not clear to students that the learner record was
  in their control, to choose to share it or not,
  Big Brother
• Security and authentication to protect personal
  information
• Location and management of independent storage
• I find it a very frightening thought that it
  will be available to me anywhere in the world.
  You know, Ive had my bank account hacked into,
  it happens, and that would frighten me.
• University College Falmouth student

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Academic staff views

• Potential to be a really useful tool but how to
  get students to see the value? Students want a
  quick and easy fix
• Students need encouragement with course work
  learning process, without adding the need to
  complete PDP
• Role of personal or subject tutor crucial as
  students would need help to complete PDP record
• Must be a resource for students-has to be
  meaningful to them
• Often seen as additional role/work for tutors.

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Academic views

• One of our academic staff
• How long is this portfolio useful to someone?
  Once youve got a job do you then go back and
  review that in order to go forward, or is it that
  you're actually into the market and youre off.
  Surely were not going to keep this hanging
  around for 20 years after getting a job, surely
  youd let it go

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Name it and lose it

• I think we do it naturally now, part of
  learning. What worries me is that weve
  identified it, but now were going to formalise
  it, and actually, why do we need to formalise
  it?
• AIB lecturer

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Points for employers

• Employers wont be interested in the detail in
  the record
• Some artists send CDs, but there isnt enough
  time to view these, so they tend to be
  overlooked (Employer)
• Employers need proof of management and people
  skills as much as academic work
• How to change industry ideas?-many employers have
  old-fashioned approach to selection
• Evidence needed depends on job references,
  character refs. application form, personal
  statement, creative work
• SW Region- a special case-low pay, scarcity of
  jobs-many students do not realise.

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Questions for discussion

• How can you motivate students to keep an
  e-portfolio going during and after they leave the
  institution?
• How can you persuade academic staff to see PDP as
  something other than just more work?
• How can you persuade employers to value students
  PDP evidence?

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References 1

• BLOOR, M., FRANKLAND, J., THOMAS, M. AND ROBSON,
  K., 2001. Focus groups in social research.
  London Sage Publications.
• CAMBRIDGE, D. (2005). A US Perspective
  Self-Directed Lifelong Learning with eFolio
  Minnesota Through Facilitating Audience and
  Ownership. PDP-UK Newsletter, 6, December 2005,
  pp7-8.
• GOUGH, D.A., KIWAN, D., SUTCLIFFE, K., SIMPSON,
  D., HOUGHTON, N. (2003). A systematic map and
  synthesis review of personal development planning
  for improving student learning. London
  EPPI-Centre, Social Science Research Unit.
• HIGHER EDUCATION ACADEMY HEA (2002). Guide for
  Busy Academics No.3. Using Personal Development
  Planning to help students gain employment.

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References 2

• JAMES, A. (2004). Autobiography and narrative in
  personal development planning in the creative
  arts. Art Design and Communication in Higher
  Education, 3 (2) 103-118
• JISC, 2006. Supporting learners across the
  educational landscape. JISC Briefing Paper.
  Available at http//www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name
  pub_lifelonglearningbps Accessed 26 July 2006.
• JISC, 2006. E-Portfolios What institutions
  really need to know. JISC Briefing Paper.
  Available at http//www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name
  pub_lifelonglearningbps. Accessed 26 July 2006.
  
• LORENZO, G. AND ITTELSON, J. (2005). An overview
  of institutional e-portfolios. Educause Learning
  Initiative.

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References 3

• MALINS, J. AND MCKILLOP, C. (2005). Evaluating
  GraysNet an online PDP tool for use in an art
  and design context. Art, Design Communication
  in Higher Education 4(1) 31-47.
• QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCY (QAA) FOR HIGHER
  EDUCATION. (2000). Policy statement on a progress
  file for Higher Education, Retrieved 16 January
  2006 from http//www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastruc
  ture/progressFiles/archive/policystatement/default
  .asp
• RICHARDSON WARD (2005). Developing and
  Implementing a Methodology for Reviewing
  E-portfolio Products. Centre for Recording
  Achievement and the Joint Information System,
  V1.0, 30 March 2005. Available at
  http//www.lancs.ac.uk/postgrad/ramirezm/e-portfol
  io/epfr.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2006.
• VAUGHAN, S., SCHUMM, J-S., SINAGUB, J., 1996.
  Focus group interviews in education and
  psychology. Thousand Oaks SAGE.