Bod University College

1
Digital Portfolios A method for learning and
assessment in Higher Education

• Nils Ole Nilsen
• Associate Professor

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Abstract

• The focus of this paper
• How to use digital portfolios? Examples from the
  subject ICT for teachers in Teacher Education
• From the closed folder on a LMS (Learning
  Management System), to the open website on the
  Internet
• Learning processes that comes through the
  students work with the portfolios
• The use of specified criteria for assessment
• The use of a note of reflection
• Presentation of some learning theories that can
  explain how students learn through the work with
  digital portfolios
• Conclusion

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How we started?

• In 2002/2003 we introduced portfolios for our
  students.
• It was introduced through The Quality Reform in
  Higher Education in Norway.
• Traditional examination for this subject (written
  tests) was not suitable for the way we worked..
• Throughout the study each student has to provide
  five tasks. These you can find by visiting our
  home site http//webster.hibo.no/alu/itweb/prakti
  1.htmoppg1

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The Portfolio of the artist

• When you enter the studio of a painting artist
  you can still find his Portfolio. In the studio
  you can find the pictures that are finished. In
  fact this is a boasting album of the best
  pictures presented by the artist. In another
  place in the studio you can find pictures that
  are not finished, sketches and pre studies.

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Introduction

• Posibilities with new technologies
• Digital portfolios the technology
• Anything that can be stored digitally on a
  computer can be integrated in the portfolio
• Written texts
• Hypertexts
• Calc sheets
• Tables
• Home sites
• Pictures
• Animations
• Videos
• sounds
• The method
• Step 1 The students work with the assignments
• Individual assessment on each of the five
  assignments in the portfolio on the LMS and face
  to face
• Step 2 Presentation of the portfolio on the LMS
• Step 3 Open presentation of the portfolio on the
  Internet
• http//home.no.net/nonilsen/mappe/index/

These can easily be put together to a multimedia
presentation
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Introduction 3 - Learning is not only an
individual process

• The students learningstyles are different
• The students interaction with new technologies
  are also different
• The teachers challenges and attitudes of
  integrating new technology into new learning
  strategies are different
• Do we learn students to analyse and synthesise
  new information and then construct new
  knowledge?
• And do we accept that knowledge is being
  constructed through the interaction in a context
  (situated learning)?
• .the importance of collaboration in the learning
  process

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Why are we using portfolios as an assessment tool?

• Dissatisfaction with traditional exams
• The exam situation was not authentic
• Through the portfolio we now can combine
  different genres and exercises.
• This method also focuses more on the learning
  process and less on the product.

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The Methodology

• In this figure you can se the different phases
  included in our methodology

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The assignments
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The assignments and the criteria for assessment

• Each assignment has a written task which decribes
  the problem we want the students to solve
• Together with the students we work out criteria
  for our assessment
• It is important that the sudents and the teacher
  agree upon the understanding of the criteria
• The written task and the belonging criteria, are
  very important for the students motivation with
  the assignment
• Class Fronter https//fronter.com/hibo/
• The students note of reflection - a guide for
  new assessment

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Learning phase 1

• The student focuses very much on the problem
  described in the assignment - how to solve it?
  what is expected?
• In this phase it is important that the student
  construct his own area of focus and knowledge
  building.
• Discussion group work according to criteria
• Supervising - response
• After finishing the assignment, uploading to the
  Hand-in folder on the platform Class Fronter
  (LMS).
• Teachers can comment and grade the projects. The
  comment and the grade give the student a
  preliminary direction of the work. And the
  criteria for the task give directions for the
  assessment.
• Class Fronter https//fronter.com/hibo/

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Learning phase 2

• The learning in this second phase is based on the
  comment and the preliminary grade from the
  teacher.
• Changes - improvements
• More theories about the subject?
• The note of reflection.
• This note is handed in together with the new
  version of the assignment.
• Idealistically the students should have an
  opportunity to hand in new versions of the task
  several times.
• The final portfolio is an open portfolios on the
  Internet.
• This presentation of the students best
  practice is the basis for the final assessment.

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Learning phase 3

• Publishing on the web examples
• http//webster.hibo.no/alu/non/
• Note of reflection the teachers assessment
  tool
• New assessment
• Improvement - Preparation for the home
  examination
• The published final portfolio will be a very
  important support for the students in the
  preparing work with his final one week
  home-examination.
• The motivation to make the final portfolio as
  good as possible is very high..
• It has become a demand that the documentation of
  the one week home examination also is a home
  site.
• This will then be a very important supplement to
  the students resource site about the use of ICT
  in teaching and learning.

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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT IN THE LIGHT OF
SOCIO-CULTURAL THEORIES OF LEARNING - 1

• The starting point for our use of digital
  portfolio
• In a socio-cultural perspective the term
  equipment (Vygotski 1934/1986) has a special
  meaning.
• This includes the recourses, both intellectual
  and physical, available in daily life.
• Learning takes place through collaboration and
  through the use of equipment or tools, among
  these also ICT

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PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT IN THE LIGHT OF
SOCIO-CULTURAL THEORIES OF LEARNING - 2

• Collaboration and interaction as a basis for the
  learning.
• The communicative processes will build up the
  understanding of the subjects terms and then
  give the terms a new content.
• This kind of knowledge, will in a socio-cultural
  perspective, be regarded as social and cultural
  constructed.
• The knowledge is in a continual change, and the
  maintenance of the knowledge happens in a
  historical, cultural and social context
  (Wertsch,1998).
• My students knowledge is in a continual change
  through discussions as they are working with the
  tasks

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Some central aspects about learning (Dysthe,
1999/2001)

• Learning is situated
• Contextual based -affects content, production of
  knowledge and assessment
• Learning is fundamental social
• The learner as an integrated part of a social
  context
• Learning is distributed
• The knowledge are distributed among different
  members
• Production of knowledge happens when the learner
  participate with different skills and different
  abilities
• Together they form a total understanding and
  insight
• Learning is mediated
• We handle the contact with our world through
  different equipments
• These equipments are integrated parts of our
  social practice
• Mediating happens by the help of our
  artefacts/equipments and technology, but also
  through language (our most important mediating
  tool)

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Handeling ICT-tools - A step by step process
(Säljö, 2001)

• In the first phase the student is not confident
  with the tool and how it works in a certain task.
• After this phase they come to a phase where they
  can use the tool under guidance from a competent
  person
• Successively the students autonomy increase, and
  also the ability to handle the tool on his own.
  The student can also decide when to use the
  certain tool. The support can be reduced or be
  more indirectly.
• The student manage to use the tool or the skill
  on his own. He/she knows when and how it can be
  used.
• The described steps we can clearly observe when
  the students develop their digital competencies
  through the work with the tasks in the digital
  portfolio.

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PORTFOLIOS TO CONTROL OR TO SUPPORT

• A student centred working method.
• Controlled by the owner,
• worked with and reflected on through
  collaboration with fellow students,
• and through the guidance and assessment from the
  teacher.
• Portfolios have a potential in being used as a
  tool for controlling the students work
• Have they assigned or not assigned?
• Unfortunately many teachers, school leaders and
  parents will only see the control perspective.
• They are convinced that if you want learning and
  development you must have control.
• BUT
• It is important to get the students active in
  meaningful activities where the problem belongs
  to the student, and where the student can look
  upon it as a personal aim (Dewy, 1915).

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CONCLUSIONS

• Learning in a virtual or digital context requires
  that we start to use new tools and working
  methods.
• The use of digital portfolios can be a very
  useful method for working- and for assessment.
• This method can be used in higher education to
  assess students work and progression in a
  topic/subject.
• The importance of the work with the criteria for
  assessment
• The importance of the students self evaluation
  through The note of reflection
• When you access the students website, which are
  the newly educated teachers studio, you can
  find the best examples of good practice. On
  another place in the studio you can find
  sketches and pre studies for new projects.
• Digital portfolios must not be a goal in it self,
  but a good metaphor for how to plan and organize
  learning activities.